Step #1: Start Over
If 50% of more of your lawn is dead from winter, pets, mole infestation, we will have to start from scratch. You can either spray and kill the whole lawn, or just kill any unwanted grasses or weeds.  Spraying your lawn with an herbicide will kill all vegetation, but allow new grass to re-establish quickly.

Step #2: John Deere to The Rescue

It is time to get mowing on your yard already.  Mow the lawn as short and clean as you can. This will help clear the area of short, dead plants, prevent erosion, and will keep the dead plants from shading your new grass.

Step #3: Make it ugly to make it beautiful

We have the tools to get you where you need to be.  Use a power rake (de-thatcher) to get rid of the thatch build up. This will create a huge amount of debris to dispose of in most yards. Clean up everything to get some bare soil exposed for some new seed.  Your grass will look completely thrashed, but it is an important step in the process of rejuvenating your lawn.  Another option that you should consider is topdressing the whole yard with a 3-way blended soil (50% topsoil, 25% sand, 25% compost) about 1″ deep.  This will accomplish two things, one is to level out any little low spots to make the grass more smooth and two is to create a perfect bed for the new seed to aid in seed germination.

Step #4: Re-Plant!

Re-seeding is the key to seeing your lawn happy and healthy this summer. Not enough, and your lawn will be thin and scraggly.  We typically use a Premium sun/shade blend of NW grass seed that allows the lawn to thrive in most conditions.  We cover the seed with a fine-fiber mulch to help it germinate better.  In order to get a higher germination rate, and to help any remaining grass, we use a special starter fertilizer with micro-elements that encourage faster root growth.

Step #5: Water Well

When everything is planted, your task is to keep the area moist. For the first week or so after planting, be sure the soil does not go dry. After the grass is up and growing, you don’t want the area too dry or too soggy, but damp. This may mean watering a 2-4 times a day early on for about 5 minutes. Over time, you can go to a once-a-day watering for 8 to 12 minutes. It’s important that the water be applied evenly so that your seed doesn’t wash away and create bare spots.

Step #6: Keep the Grass Well Fed

After about 4 weeks the new lawn will need fertilizer again to encourage growth.

Step #7: Grab a cold drink, and
Get to Mowing (or watch us do it for you)

When the grass is about 3 inches tall, give it its first mowing. Make sure the mower blade is sharp the first time you mow; a dull blade can rip the sprouts right out of the ground. When you see the grass is the height you want it, you can start mowing on your normal schedule. For the health of your newly renovated lawn, don’t cut off more than a third of the leaf length while you are mowing.

To get your Lawn Renovation quote today, call J’s Custom Landscaping at 360-521-1479 For additional tips and resources visit http://www.jscustomlandscaping.com