advice on renovating my lawn????

Hi folks am new to this site and was wondering if people would give me some advice... I am trying to rejuvinate my back lawn.. I had a dalmation dog last year that was very destructive and decided that he would decimate my back lawn (and half my house too). Anyway he basically dug holes all over the lawn and half of the grass was also gone. Well I had enough and got rid of the dog and have decided that now the weathers improving that I am about to try and rejuvinate it. I have decided to re-seed the lawn and have prepared the area with top soil and filled in the holes made by the dog and am gonna seed it tomorrow but what I wanted to know is am I best to put the borders into the lawn and reshape it before I re-seed it or am I best to wait until the grass establishes and also do I need to stay of this area completely and if so for how long??? I also still have another dog and do I need to keep him off the area too (he isn't destructive but does his business on the lawn from time to time)??? Anyway thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help me with this as I enjoy working in the garden but am very inexperienced..

 

Hi and Welcome!

Dogs and lawns can be a nightmare! I would suggest that you put in your borders before you see your lawn. Digging grass out after it has been seeded seems a waste of time.

I would like you say is fill in the holes with soil and seed over the top. I would sow the seed and give the top soil a slight rake so the seed is buried just below the surface, and then I would sprinkle some more on top. I mainly do this for the birds.

You will need to keep away from the area while the seed germinates, and establishes, which could be upto 6 weeks. It is one of those things that is weather, and location dependent to some extent. If it was just small patches allover the lawn, then carry on using the area as normal. I wouldn't consider mowing the freshly seeded areas for atleast six weeks, may be more.

The other dog, should be ok to use the area once the seed has established, I would keep an eye out for any brown patches with in the lawn (esp if a bitch), and give them a good soak in water to counteract the wee.

To have a 'perfect' lawn is hours and hours of dedication, which may seem too much. To have an adequate lawn I would suggest a few points.

Cut the grass regularly, I mean at least once a week, but don't cut the grass on a low setting on the mower. Take a little off ans often. Remove the clippings, so that they don't leave unsightly clumps of brown after a few days. I would also airate the grass in the autumn and spring, which promotes root growth.

I hope this helps!

 

Just a question,when you airate the lawn how many holes do you put it in in say a square meter?