Published in the
Contra Costa Times on
Q. I need to redo my lawn. What is the
process for a lawn renovation?
A. The
first step you should take is to consider carefully why your
old lawn has not thrived. Evaluate your soil, the amount of sunlight
received, drainage and weed competition. How
much traffic does the lawn
receive? What kind of irrigation system is in place? Often older lawns
have soils that have become seriously compacted, invaded with
competitive tree roots and shaded by large shrubs and trees. Choosing
the right kind of turf for your existing conditions is important for the
success of a new lawn.
The next step will be the removal of the existing lawn and all
weeds. This can be done by non-chemically by solarizing
the soil or
chemically by using herbicides. It is necessary to get rid of all the
competing grasses and weeds on the site prior to seeding or sodding
a
new lawn.. Once the old lawn has been removed, add
soil amendments if
required. Many of the soils in this area contain a large amount of clay,
and the addition of compost will loosen the soil, improving water and
air penetration. Add 5cm, (2" ) of compost and
work that in by tilling
or hand digging to a 5-8cm ( 2-4") depth. Add a starter fertilizer at
the same time. Fertilizer rates are listed containers. It is not
recommended that more than .45 k (1 pound) of Nitrogen be added to
305sq. m (1000 sq. feet) of lawn area. The three numbers on a
fertilizer label indicate the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium (in that order) in the formulation. For example, applying 20
pounds of a
pounds of phosphorus, and 1 pound of potassium.
Once your soil is prepared, evaluate the irrigation. If you do not have
a sprinkler system in place, you may want to think about installing one.
Instructions for installing lawns systems are available at numerous
web-sites and local hardware stores. If you are renovating an existing
system, check the coverage carefully. Lawn sprinklers should have
'head-to-head' coverage, or 100% spray overlap.
You may need to change
sprinkler heads or add additional sprinklers. Water the site for 20
minutes for several days prior to adding the turf. Look for spots where
water collects, for dry areas with inadequate coverage, and correct as
necessary.
Turf variety selection is based on your site
analysis. Your
next choice is whether to seed or sod the
new lawn. Seeding is the
least expensive in dollars, and the most expensive in
maintenance time
and length of time for establishment. Seeding will give you the most
varietal options, but it may take a year for the lawn
to tolerate foot
traffic. Sod is more expensive and fewer options are available, but the
lawn can be used within 2-3 weeks after installation and much less
weeding is required.
A new lawn care web-site has been created by UCR with complete lawn care
instructions. The URL is http://ucrturf.ucr.edu/