Hey forum members…
I’m in the middle of a full lawn renovation and could use some advice. Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Nuked the lawn with herbicide to kill everything off.
- Dethatched to remove the majority of the thatch layer.
- Scarified to cut into the soil and break up the surface.
- Aerated to improve soil drainage and root growth.
Tomorrow, I’m planning to level everything out with a topsoil and compost mix before overseeding, but I’m starting to second-guess myself. When I look at the lawn, there’s still some dead grass and old roots in certain areas. I’m wondering if I should go over it again to remove more of the dead material, or if it’s okay to leave some behind.
Has anyone else been in this situation? Did you remove all of the dead grass, or is it fine to leave some in there before leveling and seeding? Tips will be damn helpful…
Chill out mate. Keep the water going that’s gonna come in lovely. Show us a pic in two weeks
I’m saving this pic to show folks how many holes you really need to punch when aerating a lawn. It’s a perfect example of why it’s worth renting a proper machine instead of paying some teenager in a bandana who’ll barely do 10% of the job.
Well done, my friend 
Please post progress photos…
My plug guy suggests leaving the plugs on top for a few days to dry out. Then, rake them so the soil separates from the grass, and fold it back into the holes.
Great…The lawn’s cleaned up nicely, aerated, and plugs removed—great job!
Now, what to add? Humichar would be a fantastic choice. It’s $100 per bag, and I’d go ahead and use the whole thing, even though it says it covers 40k sqft. Going heavy with humic and biochar is a big win, especially with the prep work you’ve done.
Spread the Humichar, use a broom to work it in a bit more, water it well afterward. Then, topsoil and seed.
