So It Grows

*This is the first in a series of blog posts about re-seeding or over-seeding your lawn, with more tips to follow.

It’s that time of year again. My lawn has been ravaged by fungus and it’s time to over-seed. Take the time to do it right and you’ll have a healthier fall lawn that will be easier to maintain when spring rolls around. Even if your grass didn’t have fungal problems, over-seeding every three to four years rejuvenates the turf.

If you were to take a cross-section of your lawn, you would see the blades of grass, a layer of dead organic material called thatch, and then the bottom layer of roots and soil. Seed needs to be in good contact with the soil layer to germinate. If you’re spot-seeding, rake away the thatch and rough up the underlying soil. Apply the seed and then pat down lightly.

If you’re over-seeding your entire yard, open up the turf by having it aerated. The difference between renting a core aerator and having a professional lawn care company do it is not that much — I always pay around $40 and hire someone to aerate it. You can also have a lawn care company run over your lawn with a machine that slices little grooves into the soil and deposits the seed. This service is also in the $40-50 range. Since grass seed is so expensive, I think it’s well worth it.

Here’s a look at my backyard. It gets aerated tomorrow.

Here’s a video of herbicide damage on my black cherry tomato plant. Fortunately this plant is so robust that it’s not affected much. Still, this is an example of why it’s a bad idea to spray any type of herbicide on a windy or hot day. If the chemicals are drifting onto my tomato plants, they’re also drifting onto my kids’ swingset, onto the patio furniture, into the birdbath, etc.

I try to avoid herbicide use. This plant could have been affected by someone spraying a couple of blocks over.