The Benefits of a Lawn Renovation

Many of you may of heard about a lawn renovation, but what actually is it and why should you even bother? This blog post will dive into all things lawn reno to give you an insight into the benefits this can have on your lawn.

Why Should you Renovate your Lawn

Majority of the lawns in Aussie households will be used consistently and see a high flow of traffic. Overtime this will cause the soil of your lawn to compact which impacts your lawn in two ways. Firstly, the more compact the soil is, the more energy the lawn will need to try and push through the compact soil to expand its root system. Secondly, a compact soil will make it harder for water to travel down to the deep roots, potentially leaving the deeper soil dry and leading to lawn die back.

Adding to the compaction of the soil, your lawn will also develop a layer of thatch which is why your lawn may feel spongy. Thatch is inevitable and is effectively a layer of dead lawn that occurs when you mow your lawn or when your lawn experiences a die back. A lawn renovation aims to address these issues by following these simple steps:

Scalping

Scalping will take care of any above ground thatch. Above ground thatch is usually accumulated when you mow your lawn. Essentially, your lawnmower wont collect every blade of grass it cuts and these blades will end up below the canopy of your lawn which overtime creates a layer of thatch. By either using a specialised scalping mower, or a regular mower, the grass is cut very short, usually down to soil level. This in turn removes the above ground thatch.

Dethatching

While scalping will take care of most of the above ground thatch, there will still be some below ground thatch that will need to be removed. As the lawn matures and continues to grow, runners will die off to make way for the new growth coming through. This is how below ground thatch is formed. To combat this, you should “de-thatch” your lawn. Dethatching your lawn will essentially dig up dead runners and material beneath the lawns surface. This step can either be done with a rake or a dethatching machine.

Core Aerating

Core aerating can either be done manually or with a machine. Like the name would suggest, core aerating cuts little cores in the lawn about 70 mm in length leaving your lawn looking like Swiss cheese. The key benefit to core aerating is that it allows water and oxygen to get down to the root system quickly and allows the soil to relax and loosen.

Fertilising and Top Dressing

Once the above 3 steps have been completed, your lawn will likely be stressed out and looking worse for wear. The next and final step in this process is to lay down fertilisers and top dress with sand. Laying down a fertiliser is crucial as it will kick start your lawn and give it the vital nutrients it needs. Top dressing has two key functions. Firstly, it will allow you to level out your lawn and fill in any low spots that affect the mowing and secondly, it can improve the lawns ability to retain moisture in the root zone.

A lawn renovation isn’t a requirement to grow lawn. You will be able to go a long time without doing a lawn renovation and you should still have reasonable looking lawn. However, if you are wanting to take your lawn game to a new level, you should be performing a lawn renovation at least once a year at the start of your lawns growing season.

Want a vibrant, lush lawn without the fuss? We are here to help! Contact Adelaide Mowing and Maintenance today to book in your lawn renovation.

Happy mowing!