Fabulous Fall Yards – Don't Hesitate, Renovate

It's easy right now to look around at all the yellow, dead-looking grass and believe that the growing season is over for your lawn. However, in our part of the world, we get a second chance at a beautiful green lawn in the fall. In fact, as the soil is still warm from the hot summer, the fall air is cool and the morning dew keeps the turf moist, it's the perfect time for a lawn renovation! 

Renovation is, simply put, removing old, tired turf using lawn renovation equipment and regrowing new grass. It's typically less expensive than replacing sod entirely and can yield excellent results. One note: renovation requires dry conditions, as most of this equipment performs poorly on soggy turf. Plan around the rain! 

First, clean up debris and mow shorter than normal, around 1.5–2 inches. Next, aerate and dethatch. Aerate first; the slicing action of the dethatcher will help break up the resulting plugs. Have a disposal plan—an average residential lawn can generate a truckload or more of waste! This is also an ideal time to level high spots or fill low ones with topsoil. 

Once the machine work is complete, overseed the prepared turf according to your seed’s application instructions. A drop spreader provides good control of the application rate. Seed choice matters: matching your grass type or blend to the lawn’s sun and shade conditions will produce better results. 

Next, use a peat moss roller to top-dress the seed with no more than ¼ inch of peat moss or straw mulch. Follow with a lawn roller, filled only halfway with water, to press the seed lightly into the soil. 

Keep the seedbed consistently damp with short, light waterings until established. Once the new grass reaches about 3.5 inches, it’s ready for its first mowing. Continue mowing it relatively tall through fall to encourage healthy root development. 

Don’t hesitate—renovate! Our prime window is short, generally mid-August through mid-September. CRE rents everything you need for the job: aerators, dethatchers, drop spreaders, peat/mulch rollers and lawn rollers. A little work now can mean a thick, green lawn next spring.