Renovation.

Renovate like a professional this growing season.

LawnPride have built a renovation guide for you. In this Blog we will break down, in brief, the steps you need to take. Click here for our FULL LawnPride Renovation Guide.

It is at this time of the year there is only one word that enthusiastically comes from the mouth of a LawnPrider, and that one word is RENOVATE! Now as you know we aren’t talking about renovating the kitchen, bathroom and so on for us our field of dreams regardless of size is to take the center stage.

With the growing season upon us many will look to take their lawn to a new level regardless of whether you are just starting out or a seasoned campaigner there are always ways to improve and the best place to start is by way of renovating your lawn.

When am I going to conduct my renovation?

There are some important points to consider.

• Soil temperatures are important and needed to support growth and recovery.
• Location will determine at what point you pull the trigger.
• Lawn type – this guide focuses on warm season varieties.

Inspection and review.

During the cooler months you may have noticed some issues arrive that require some attention and is best practice to tackle these prior to renovating.

• Weed management
• Drainage issues
• Wear
• Disease
• Pest

If you are lucky enough to have irrigation now is the time to ensure the system is functioning correctly. These details if not corrected can impact the desired outcome of your renovation.

Soil Health.

Soil health plays a pivotal role in the overall health of your lawn and is often forgotten by most.

• Soil testing – get in early – tests can take up to 3 weeks for results.

The benefits of a soil test cannot be mistaken, as the results derived from a professional analysis will be able to highlight the possible issues you may be facing within your profile that you are unable to see and diagnose.

Are we there yet?

Close but not quite. As you are currently a couple of weeks out from the planned date of renovation a few points to address prior to commencing.

• An application of a granular Fertiliser combined with RootMaxx now will help strengthen the plant, promote root development, increase microbial activity, and add some much-needed organic matter, therefor you have a healthier lawn leading in and out of the renovation.
• An application of HydraMaxx - Another lawn issue that generally appears during Winter months is Hydrophobic soils, this is where your soil is unable to reap the benefits of rain and or irrigation and water/moisture retention is lost.

Welcome to game day!

A good night’s sleep, early rise and a plan in place will see you breeze through the renovation. For first time renovators the process can be a daunting experience and even have your neighbours asking the question “Have you just killed your lawn?” The answer is no, what you are about to do is give your lawn a new lease on life and your lawn in turn will thank you for it moving forward.

Scalping

– This procedure allows us greater access to the canopy to enable us to remove excess thatch build up which is the next step. Kikuyu and couch varieties do benefit from this action as they have the remarkable ability to bounce back strong from this process due to the plants growing characteristics. *Buffalo and Zoysia owners be careful when scalping, maintain some leaf on the plant, this will limit the risk of damage to the stolons and aid recovery.

De-Thatching

– After you scalp, you can also de-thatch. This is best done mechanically; dedicated dethatching and scarifying machines are now more readily available for hire by the homeowner allowing you the ability to DIY.

Aeration

– Putting hundreds upon thousands of holes in your lawn, either by machine and or manual labour with spiked rollers or pitchfork. There are many benefits and reasons to aerate, the main reason is to combat compaction, as compacted soils will prevent the circulation and movement of air, water and nutrients which is vital when ensuring plant health.

Nutrition

- the products applied in this step help determine your recovery and results. With access to the profile and root zone of the turf variety via the core holes we can get the product where it is needed most. Soil amendments and products based on the recommendations of your soil test are best applied now as the plant and profile have instant access to what you have applied.

Top Dress

- Topdressing the lawn using (soil, sand) to tackle those annoying undulations you may have found during renovation and or to rectify any potential issues with your profile.

Post renovation thoughts and practices

Congratulations you have made it and have almost finished the LawnPride guide to renovating your lawn. Below are some further points for consideration.

Watering

- Continue to use soil wetting agents like HydraMaxx during recovery to ensure any form of irrigation or rainfall can penetrate through.

Additional products

– Protect your hard work using pre-emergent and pest protection. Ensure they are applied before Summer weed pressures rise and lawn pests like Armyworm become active.

It’s a wrap

Moving forward there is nothing better than having a lawn program. At LawnPride we have free programs for the common varieties found in Australia, these programs advise the use of products and when to apply to maximize your lawn’s health yearly. Our programs can be found here LawnPride Programs.