Landscaping & Design Ideas

If your lawn seems to struggle no matter what you do, you may be ready to throw in the towel and start over with a new lawn.  However, it may not require such a drastic step.  If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to consider replacing your existing lawn with a species and variety more suited for your growing conditions.

• Are you trying to grow the wrong grass for your climate?
• Does your lawn regularly turn brown in the summer?
• Is your lawn the last on the block to turn green in the spring, or first to turn brown in the fall?
• Are there more weeds than grass in the spring?
• Do weeds such as crabgrass present a constant battle despite efforts to control them?
• Is most of the turf coarse bladed and pale colored?
• Is your lawn a series of patches of three or more different colored or textured grasses?
• Do insects other than grubs leave large dead patches in your lawn?
• Are there puddles in the lawn after a heavy rain, causing the grass to turn yellow or lose vigor?
• Does the grass wilt if it’s not watered regularly?

Severe and consistent weed infestations and diseases are signs of  a larger problem, possibly poor soil.  If your lawn consists of more than half weeds, then it is best to replace it.  If diseases occur throughout the lawn at least once each year, you should replace it with a disease-resistant grass.  If your lawn has problems with insects, replace it with an insect-resistant variety.

Water puddling on the surface and wilting are signs that the soil needs improvement.  Removing the turf and mending the soil will provide the best results.

Less serious problems require less drastic measures.  You should repair rather than replace your lawn if:

• Most of the grass is fine bladed and deep green.
• The grass may be thin but generally healthy.
• The lawn is less than 25% weeds.
• Diseases occur occasionally or not at all.
• Grass turns brown only during severe droughts.

Repairing can consist of adjusting your fertilizing and watering regime, overseeding with new varieties, aerating, de-thatching and topdressing.