In a “How To” tutorial video by This Old House, we found the three minute tutorial worth the watch for any home owner looking to get the most out of warmer Spring days, longer hours of sunshine, and more rain. Follow these take aways for a couple of weeks and enjoy the greenest lawn in your neighborhood.
To summarize the video tutorial we’ve provided Landscape Contractor, Roger Cook’s most useful tips:
1. Use a basic thatch rake with sturdy thatch blades to pull thatch off your lawn to open up your lawn to sunshine and water.
He suggests to keep this up for two weeks for best results.
2. The easiest process using a motorized version of the thatch rake; a 5HP of 28 steel teeth that constantly spin to pull up thatch and get the entire job done quickly. Some names for a motorized version could be: power rake, vertical mower, slicer or verticutter. You can pick up a power dethatcher at your local Sears or other hardware store at around $120.00 and up.
3. Don’t leave spaces. Overlap by two inches to get the whole job done efficiently.
4. Once the lawn is opened up, put down a grass seed blend; a mixture of blue grass, fescue, and rye.
5. Turn the rake upside down to gently work in your seedlings as they are spread across the surface area.
6. Be sure to get some fertilizer on the lawn. To control crab grass, use pre-emergent crab grass control in your fertilizer.
7. Make sure you use a mixture that doesn’t effect the new grass seedlings. Some Crab Grass controller interferes with new seedling growth.
8. Keep the bare areas damp and if three days pass without rain, go ahead and water the lawn.
9. Make double sure to get nitrogen and crab grass preventative down into the lawn.
10. Once you’ve followed these instructions, you will be the proud owner of a new lush green and healthy lawn to enjoy all summer long.
To learn more about how Affordable Lawn Sprinklers Can Save You Money and Energy Costs, Click Here for a free consultation appointment or contact us at (703)289-1155.