Lawn Weeding, Soil Improvement and Seeding Tips

The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. With a little regular maintenance, your lawn can be the envy of the neighborhood. Get tips on weeding, soil improvement and seeding your lawn in this Lowe’s video:

Weeds: Look at the overall health of your lawn. If you have large areas of weeds and very little grass, it may be time to start over. Spray the weeds with non-selective weed killer and wait for them to die. “Non-selective” means it kills all plants, so be careful where and what you spray. If your lawn is in better shape and you only have the occasional weed, use a selective herbicide and spot treat only the areas with weeds.

Soil: Once the weeds are eliminated, it’s time to improve the soil. Over time, the soil under your lawn begins to degrade in quality, so you’ll need to de-thatch and aerate your lawn.

• Rake your lawn vigorously to remove thatch, the dead grass and other debris that prevent water, nutrients and air from reaching the root system.
• Aerating reduces soil compaction by poking holes in the ground. The best option is to use a core aerator which removes small plugs of dirt to loosen the soil. On small yards, you can use a spike aerator.

Seeding: Now that the weeds and soil are in check, you’re ready to seed. There are two categories of seed: warm season grass like bermudagrass and centipede grass, and cold season varieties like fescue and bluegrass. Choose the grass that’s best for your region.

• If your lawn is in good shape, you’ll want to overseed (evenly spread seed over the entire lawn). Check the label to determine which spreader setting to use.
• If you have bare patches, you’ll need to spot seed. Loosen the soil with a rake and evenly spread seed directly on the soil. Rake the seed in and tap it down with the end of the rake. This seed to soil contact is esssential for germination. Spread a small amount of mulch or straw on the top for insulation.

Keep the seeded area consistently moist for several weeks until you see the new growth. Make sure not to overwater the area – just enough to keep it slightly wet.