Lawn problem
solution - Reseed your lawn
If you decide that your lawn is going brown because the grasses in it are inappropriate to your climate, you can either lay new turf or reseed the area. Both techniques require that you kill the existing grasses as a first step, and correct the soil with fertilizers, topsoil and compost. Laying turf is relatively straightforward; you lay it down as you set bricks in a wall, so that the seam lines are not adjacent to each other. Reseeding is a more practical option in many cases because the choice of grasses is larger, the time commitment less and the cost lower. Follow the illustrations on this page to reseed your lawn.
1 After removing the turf layer from the area you want to reseed, spread compost, topsoil, and other necessary additives over it.
2 Work the compost and additives into the top few centimeters (inches) of the soil with a rake or by using a rotivator at a shallow setting.
3 Calculate the recommended amount of seed to use over the area, weigh it out and scatter it by hand, as evenly as possible.
4 Rake shallowly to barely cover the light-loving seed. If it's hot and/or dry, lightly cover with straw to keep in moisture.
5 Water immediately, to a depth of 8-cm (3-inches), as well as every evening after that until the grass is well-established.
The lawn goes brown
Solution - Fertilize carefully
Far too many people fertilize their lawns too often. In addition to simply wasting time, money, and fertilizer — because as much as half of it will wash away without affecting the grass at all — excess nutrients can also lead to insect pests and diseases.
The type of fertilizer you use is just as important as the quantity. Bagged soluble fertilizers that you are likely to find at the garden centre are especially prone to being leached out of the soil. Other problems are common, too.
The soil is likely to become compacted because the nutrients are at the surface, and roots don't need to grow down into the soil to find them. This mean that growing roots won't aerate the soil and that the grass will be more susceptible to moisture-stress because the roots will all be near the soil surface where it is dry.
Fertilizers such as compost, liquid seaweed, and fish emulsion act differently in that a portion of them isn't immediately available • to plants. Instead, soil micro-organisms and animals have to break them down and transform them into forms that plants can use. This doesn't happen with bagged soluble fertilizers, so many beneficial micro-organisms die because they have no food. Troublesome micro-organisms such as those that cause various grass diseases can take over the niches left behind by the beneficial organisms, too.
Time fertilizing according to your climate. In cooler areas, add compost in the late summer or early autumn. If the lawn is quite weak, repeat this in the early spring. In warmer climates, the best time to feed a lawn is early spring. You can repeat this in late summer, but don't feed in the autumn.
This simple tool allows you to fertilize a large area quickly. Once you learn how to tilt it, you can also be precise in your application.
Solution - Water wisely
Grasses are healthiest when they receive just enough, but not too much, water. So before you water, use the finger test. Stick a finger down into the soil about 8cm (3 inches). The bulk of the roots are growing at or above this depth. Wait to water until the soil is no longer moist.
If your lawn is disease-free, water in the evening. But move to a morning watering schedule if any diseases, particularly those caused by fungi, are present. When you water thoroughly. Keep the sprinkler going until the top 8cm (3 inches) of soil are moist. Set out a rain gauge where the sprinkler water will fall into it, and use this to check that the grasses are getting at least 2.5cm (1 inch) of water a week, whether from rain or irrigation. When conditions are quite warm and rains have lasted for only a short time, you may need to increase watering quantities to keep the top. 8cm (3 inches) of soil moist.
Remember to sprinkle early in the morning, before the sun is high, if your grass shows any disease. Otherwise, ifs fine to sprinkle in the evening.
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