Help - New Lawn

[JasonNorthants]

Last year summer 2010 we had the back garden (30 sq/m ) cleared, shrubs, trees, weeds etc all dug and cleared and levelled out, we was meant to get someone in to turf, however i decided to take the job on myself, but didnt have time :o) now we are in March 2011, and the back garden is full of weeds every where, it does need some levelling, and i have considered buying a rotavator, however i have read that rather than rotavate, as this could make things worse, i should use a systemic weed killer, and kill all the weeds, wait a few weeks, and then rotavate and level out? Is this right?

Jason

[trader4]

I'd definitely prefer to kill everything off with Roundup (glyphosate) first. But, the weeds need to be actively growing for that to work. And it works better and faster at decent temps, like in the 60's to 70s. You can reseed or lay sod a week after application. Given the factors above and timeline at this point, sod is going to be preferred.

For sod you would need to rotavate. I've had good results renovating lawns from seed without doing that, which is a big pain. To do that you do the Roundup, then when it's all dead, mow it short, rake, then use a slit seeder to cut grooves and drop the seed. If the soil is not compacted, that is an option as well, but Fall is preferred due to more competition now from weeds, more watering required, etc. If you're prepared to deal with that, it can still be done in Spring.