Show Renovate Your Lawn This Spring Most lawns suffer some grass attrition through winter They benefit benefit benefit ben ben- from a bolster seeding in spring so that good grass plants rather than weeds are likely to thicken thin than turf and heal injuries This is the one time of year when a alow alow alow low mowing or scalping is permissible permissible permissible sible since grass foliage browned back by winter weather is spent I and no longer functioning Spring growth will replace it soon but in inthe inthe in inthe the meanwhile removing the old leaves not only improves the lawns lawn's appearance but makes it easier for new seed to reach the soil soli and strike root Along with fertilization spring is standard operating procedure for keeping your lawn lawnin in top tip shape Modern inventiveness makes lawn renovation much easier every year Not long ago renovation had to be personally undertaken on the business end of a rake Now machines called thinners or vertical mowers thin the old turf slicing deeply scratch the soil surface They can be rented from garden centers o o- o lawn equipment equipment equipment equip equip- ment shops Twice over the lawn in checkerboard fashion followed by sweeping up the debris normally creates a seedbed receptive for new seed Its It's an easy way to introduce some of the sparkling new grass varieties into an old lawn without the trouble of plowing everything up and remaking the seedbed The same thing can be done for small areas with a sharpened rake tearing out thatch and other debris so that mineral soil sites are exposed for seed to lodge in The tiny liny seeds of bluegrasses perennial rye- rye grasses grasses or or bermudas and in inthe inthe in inthe the South South sift sift through the soil niches where they have a good chance to start life fe Successful renovation tion requires that new seed be provided the familiar necessities for sprouting and good early growth moisture moisture mois mois- ture warmth and fertility If the seed is in contact with damp ground its quickness in in sprouting will relate mainly to temperature if daytime temperatures reach 70 10 F F. F or so so sprouting may take take only only 10 days when they are below 50 F. F several weeks may be he needed Drying out can be reduced by leaving a mulch of old grass leaf and stubble atop the new seeding but be sure that the seed has worked down beneath it to the soil If weather is dry occasional watering watering watering water water- ing may be helpful although this is not ordinarily a critical problem in spring And if the soil has not been fertilized recently the young grass may require feeding after it is old enough to be mowed a non burn fertilizer containing is safe even on young grass |