RENOVATION PROGRAMME

The renovation programme is perfect for a lawn that has been lacking attention and should normally take 6-8 weeks to complete it. The ideal time to start renovation is during the late spring, summer and early autumn, as you want to do this during the growing season. 

There are 4 simple steps to take as part of the programme. Ensure you have completed each step before moving onto the next, in particular step 2 to 3, as once you start re-growing your lawn, you should not be placing on any sort of removal treatments as they can have an effect on a new lawn. 

As a word of warning, you will find that your lawn may well get worse before it gets better. It is common for a lawn that is lacking attention to be full of moss and weeds which fill out the lawn. However, when these are removed, there will only be bare soil left. 

1. Tidy Up

The first step is to tidy up your lawn and get it ready to start. You want to remove any loose debris from the lawn, so that you can see the condition of it. This might include removal of any leaves or branches from the lawn and trimming back of any bushes or trees around the lawn. By doing this, you can ensure that it gets the necessary sunlight during the year and you can see what condition the lawn is in. 

You also want to look at the edges and shape of the lawn. Before starting work, you want to get the shape and size of the lawn in place so you know the area you are going to work on. This will also include edging the lawn. By edging the lawn, you get a quick win straight away; even if it will not be looking healthy yet, there is no reason it shouldn’t be tidy.

For many people, this will not be needed or may only take a hour or so to do, but it is still worth doing. You may also find that you can carry out step 1 and move onto step 2 on the same day. 

2. Removal

This step is where you start to work on the lawn and should usually take 3-4 weeks to complete. Not all of these tasks will be needed on your lawn, so pick and choose which are relevant to you. 

In this step, you are aiming to remove anything from the lawn which you do not want in there. So this will mainly be weeds and moss. 

Weed & Feed

Firstly, you can apply a weed & feed treatment, which is aimed at killing weeds in the lawn and fertilising the soil. Realistically, it does more fertilising than weed killing, but it is very good all-encompassing treatment to start with. It will start to have an effect on weeds and you will top this up with some more targeted treatment, but more than anything, it will fertilise the soil ready for step 3. 

You should only need one application of this, but if you need a second, leave it 1 month between treatments. Also, you cannot sow new seed for 4 weeks until after it has been applied otherwise it shall kill the new seed, so bear this in mind.

Remove Weeds

The weed & feed will take the edge off the weeds in your lawn and may well work for smaller weeds, but using a targeted weed killer will undoubtedly deal with them. Get yourself a lawn weed killer and spray the weeds in your lawn, paying particular attention to the bigger weeds. As they start to die, they shall turn black which is the sign that you have killed them off. 

With the bigger weeds, you may need to apply this 2 or even 3 times, but leave it 5-7 days between each treatment. 

Remove Moss

The best way to remove moss is with iron sulphate, but you may also find other spray treatments available. You want to apply this treatment until the moss starts to turn black and can be removed from the lawn by either raking or scarifying. 

One treatment of this should normally be fine, but go with a second application if you need. Make sure to leave it a week between treatments if you do need a second. 

If you are looking for iron sulphate, try Pro Kleen on Amazon here

Raking/Scarifying

Once you have killed the moss and weeds, you will want to rake or scarify the lawn, as it removes this dead matter as well as the thatch layer which will have built up over time. 

Be careful not to be too aggressive when doing this. If in doubt, start gently and build up the pressure. Normally you should only need to do this 2 or 3 times to fully remove the dead material. 

Aeration

Over time, you will be walking on your lawn and this creates compaction within the soil. This compaction can start to cause multiple issues, including poor drainage but more importantly, restricting nutrients and air reaching the roots of your lawn.

By aerating, we resolve these problems and help your lawn to thrive

3. Regrowth

So now, you should have a lawn that is looking pretty bare and cleared all weeds and moss. This is the worst that your lawn will look throughout the whole process, but it is now ready to start improving. This step should normally take 2-4 weeks, depending on the condition of your lawn. 

Fertilise

Prior to sowing any new seed, you want to ensure that the soil is fertile and any new seed will thrive. If you used a weed & feed during step 2, then you won’t need to fertilise again.

If you need to fertilise your lawn as part of Step 3, make sure that you use a lawn feed rather than a weed & feed, as a weed & feed will prevent any new seed from growing

Once you have fertilised, give it 3-4 days before you start to sow seed.

Re-seeding

Finally, you will be ready to get some new seed down and fill any gaps that were previously filled with weeds and moss. Follow the instructions on the re-seeding guidance to get your seed down. You will want to consider both re-seeding and overseeding.

If you are looking for a seed, try A1 Lawn general purpose seed on Amazon here

Watering

This is covered under the re-seeding and overseeding guidance, but make sure that you water your lawn heavily. Check out the page on watering for guidance on this

4. Maintain

You should have a lawn that is now looking healthy or at least healthier than it was before. When you get to this stage, you should be fine to follow the Lawn Club and keep up the good work.