Northeast PA, lawn is mostly shaded from the sun in the morning, and hit all afternoon. Yard is used by two children, and an active dog (Dalmatian).
I was planning to: dethatch, core aerate, level/topsoil, then seed.
I know I’m suppose to establish in the fall, but this will be essentially unusable all summer, so I was hoping to get something down.
Main issue I’m concerned with is the dog and kiddos.
Any suggestions?
by bobismcbride
3 Comments
Check out the [Cool Season Starter Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/FetSGi0hFi).
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Generic advice for grass and dogs:
– Mow high for your grass type (this is most important. 3.5-4 inches for cool season, warm season depends on species)
– water deep and infrequently. Do not water every day.
– check and correct soil pH
– keep it moderately fertilized
– for cool season, fall overseed with multiple different varieties
– consider also overseeding with clover. I DON’T recommend a clover-only lawn… But clover mixed with grass can be very resilient.
– consider blocking off areas that are severely damaged, to give grass time to recover (or new seed to become established)
– in the winter, throw down a bunch of straw over high traffic areas (or put up temporary fencing, especially if you seeded in the fall). Rake it/mow it up in the spring.
– Core aerate and immediately spread about a half inch of sand and organic matter. For example, 50/50 sand and compost. This will help alleviate compaction and encourage drainage (which minimizes urine damage).
– yearly light gypsum applications (5-10lbs per 1,000 sqft) may **slightly** help prevent future urine damage by acting as a mild chemical buffer. Emphasis on the words may, slightly, and mild.
– For cool season zones, checkout the [Cool Season Starter Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/FetSGi0hFi) by u/nilesandstuff
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Dethatching is a recent trend in lawn care that’s become more common thanks to youtube creators and other non-academic sources. As such, there’s a widespread misunderstanding/misinformation about the topic. This automatic comment has been created in the hopes of correcting some of those falsehoods.
Thatch is the layer of stems and roots, both living and dead, that makes up the top layer of soil. Grass clippings are not thatch and do not contribute to thatch. The thickness of thatch can only be assessed by digging into the soil.
Some thatch is good. While some academic sources say that under 1 inch of thatch is beneficial, most settle for half an inch. Thatch is beneficial for many reasons (weed prevention, traffic tolerance, insulation against high temps and moisture loss, etc) and should not be removed. Over half an inch of thatch may not warrant removal, but the underlying causes should be addressed. An inch or more of thatch SHOULD be addressed. Dethatching as a regular maintenance task, and not to address an actual thatch problem, is NOT beneficial… Again, some thatch is good.
Thatch problems are not typical. Excessive thatch is a symptom of other issues, such as: over-fertilization, overwatering, regular use of fungicides, excessive use of certain insecticides, high/low pH, and the presence of certain grasses (particularly weedy grasses).
Dethatching with a flexible tine dethatcher (like a sunjoe) causes considerable short-term and long-term injury to lawns, and is known to encourage the spread of some grassy weeds like bentgrass, poa annua, poa trivialis, bermuda, nimblewill etc. In some RARE cases, that level of destruction may be warranted… But it must be done with great care and attention.
A far less damaging alternative to dealing with excessive thatch is core aeration. Core aeration doesn’t remove a significant amount of thatch, and therefore doesn’t remove a significant amount of healthy grass. BUT it can greatly speed up the natural decomposition of thatch.
Verticutters and scarifiers are also less damaging than flexible tine dethatchers.
For the purposes of overseeding, some less destructive alternatives would be slit seeding, scarifying, manual raking, or a tool like a Garden Weasel. Be sure to check out the seeding guide [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/s/pUsKCxyvwQ)
Additionally, be sure to check the list of causes above to be sure you aren’t guilty of those.
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