My front lawn was hydroseeded 18 years ago when the house was new, now it is just really old, dry, full of weeds and dead spots that just refuse to grow anything on them. How much does it generally cost per square foot to have somebody dig up the old lawn and either reseed it or put down pre-grown sod grass? Any other options? Lawn already has sprinklers installed so not sure how that affects digging the old one up. I am in So. Calif. Thanks
Hi,
I'm not sure about the cost. I wouldn't dig it, unless it isn't level.
I would get some rabbit food, I'm serious. Spread some seed in the dead areas and broadcast some rabbit food over it. Don't use much as it'll expand when wet. Use enough to cover the grass seed after it expands, approx 1 pellet per sq inch. The alfalfa in the feed will feed both the lawn and the ground. Actually it will feed the worms and microbes in the ground. It also helps hold the moisture in.
After a few weeks use a grass weed killer, I have had great results with Spectracide, to get rid of the weeds. You can also use the weed killer first then wait a week or two to do the rabbit feed (read label).
Now I actually broadcast a thin coat of rabbit feed over the entire lawn. I started doing this to lawn brown spots in a rental house we were in. It worked great and several weeks after we moved out, with no rain or watering, the areas where the feed was spread held the green long after the rest of the lawn started turning brown.
Good Luck, Steve
You can get about 10 sq feet of sod at Home Depot for $2.89. Depending on how big of an area you have you might find the sod more economical. Plus you don't have to worry about any one walking on the seedlings.
Another alternative is to convert your lawn to a native plant garden. Many people are doing that in the Southern California area in order to reduce costs, reduce the use of harmful chemicals and improve the local ecology. Native plants require little or no irrigation and minimal maintenance. They also attract more birds that thrive on the native flora of California. You can find out more about lawn conversion to native plants on the Ergonica website at
You can also visit some native plant nurseries in Southern California for more information. These nurseries can also be identified by your favorite search engine.
Think green!
well you better start now before it gets hot
If you want to do it on the cheap then buy a dethatcher attachment for your lawn mower run it a couple times if you have a tractor run it more then a couple times
then spread weed and feed this will kill your weeds
get a 5 gallon pump sprayer and spot spray big weeds
let the lawn sit about 10 days and dethatch again then
goto servicestar / agway and get a couple big bags of seed
cover the entire yard and dont walk on it much just keep it wet for about 2 weeks
then in about july you want to weed and feed again but very lightly then in the fall put down lime
every year you will have to spread Weed and feed fertalizer to kill the weeds and promote grass growth
also watering
if you water just a little that will make the weeds grow and the grass wont get enough water to grow
You wont believe how much you have to water to get the soil moist down to 2-3 inches It may take 4 hours overnight but it is a lot of water
so its best to buy grass that can grow in direct sunlight in hot climates and then dont cut it too often because that will require more water and the stalks of the grass as they grow high will shade the roots of the grass keeping them cool and in need of less water
other then that you can hire someone and expect to pay a couple thousand depending on what they want to do. but in the end next fall you wont have a better lawn even if you resod.
Once your new lawn is established, you may not have to water it at all, depending on where you live. In central PA, I haven't watered my lawn, or fertilized it, or put weed-killer on it, for at least 20 years.
Mow it high with a mulching mower.
Right. If you must water, water deep and infrequently, not vice versa.
vince norris
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