00:00Welcome to the complete guide on how to get a
thicker lawn this year. I'm going to go through
00:05it step by step and break it all down, and
make it easy so you can get the best lawn possible.
00:14Tthe first and most
obvious step is to cut your lawn.
00:21It's recommended, after you renovate
your lawn, leave your lawn for at least
00:272 or 3 weeks until you cut it, to get the seed
off to a good start. Should you "scalp" the lawn - or
00:32not - before starting? This question comes up
all the time in my Videos. I never do, but let
00:40me know in the Comments if you scalp your lawn
before you start your renovation. If you have any
00:47questions about the stuff that I'm covering
today, always leave me a Comment down below,
00:51as I do my best to answer your questions.
Grass is cut and we're ready for the next stage.
01:00Today I'm going to be using a powered aerator to aerate the lawn.
01:05This punches holes down into the lawn. These machines can be hired, or alternatively
you can do it by hand, but a word of warning!
01:14It's extremely hard work to aerate any size of lawn
by hand.
01:21We aerate lawns because over time your soil gets compacted.
01:27Think of it as getting squished together. A little fun fact. Roots need air primarily for respiration.
01:35This process allows them to convert oxygen and sugars into energy, which is vital for their growth, and
overall health of the plant.
01:44Without adequate air, roots cannot efficiently absorb nutrients and water, and this is going to lead to a poor lawn.
01:57This side lawn is just the same as
the one at the front, it's full of clay.
02:02How does this compare to your lawn? Let me know down in the Comments below.
02:11The next step is scarification. The main reason for scarification is to remove moss and thatch from your lawn.
02:20it's also very good at creating the seed bed that's
going to come next whenever we over seed the lawn,.
Doing the scarification afterwards is better,
02:30as it helps break up the cores. This is something that comes up a lot on my Videos, and I'm going
to explain to you why we do it like this. I like
02:38to think of as nutrient recycling. It adds the
nutrients back down into the soil. Imagine your
02:45lawn is like a jungle, but super tiny. All the
action happens on a scale that we can't see.
02:52In the cores that we're pulling out of the
ground from the aeration, there's a whole
02:56world of microorganisms living in them.
Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes. So breaking
03:04up those cores and spreading them around is like
spreading love and returning all those helpful
03:10microorganisms and nutrients back down into
the soil. All this debris is called "thatch".
03:17Thatch is just the organic layer that your lawn naturally
creates.
03:23Thatch is like a messy layer of old leaves
03:27grass clippings and all that other stuff that
piles up between the grass and the soil of your lawn.
03:39When the thatch of your lawn gets
03:43too thick it can stop air, water and
nutrients from getting down into the soil.
03:52That's all the debris cleaned off the lawn.
Now I'm going to get the lawnmower, and run it
03:58over it one last time, just to make sure that we
have a nice clean surface to do the next stage from.
04:10The next step is over seeding. We're
going to use the fertilizer spreader to put the seed on.
04:18If you didn't have one of these, you could
put it on by hand, although it's not going to
04:25be very accurate if you do that. What rate do
I need to put the seed on at? And the best
04:33person to talk to, is the people that you buy
the seed off, as different seeds have different rates.
04:39Whichever way you choose,
measure out your area, weigh out your seeds,
04:47 and then spread your seeds over that area.
04:52The lines created from the scarification
make seeding brilliant as the seed falls into
04:59those lines, and over time those lines close
over and it gives the seed somewhere safe to grow.
05:07Our next step is to cover the seeds with
some soil.
05:13The most efficient way to do that, is with this tool.
05:17This device is called
a "Compost Roller". I will leave a Link to
05:24all the products featured, in the Video
Description.
05:28I'm going to show you a trick that will turbocharge this for you.
05:33Add more seed into your compost spreader, and mix it thoroughly.
05:41This method uses a lot more seed,
however it mixes the seed and the compost or the
05:48top soil, whatever material you're using in the
spreader, really well,
05:53and then add in some more soil.
05:59Now it's time to get the seed and the
soil onto the lawn. If you do this , it'll give
06:05you excellent ground cover and the seed will
grow really well as it's mixed thoroughly
06:10with the soil. The covering seals the
seed from the birds, gives the seed
06:18a secure place to grow as it develops
roots. This is another reason why the
06:25roller is really good, as it collects all the
stones and small debris that might be in the material.
06:39For any beginners watching this, this
is how to water a newly renovated lawn. Watering
06:47your lawn is like caring for a tiny baby
plant. The first time, use a light spray to
06:55moisten the soil. This helps the seeds soak up
the water without getting washed away.
07:06Water are them often, at least once or twice a
day, to make sure the soil stays damp but not soggy.
07:15The best times to water are early in
the morning or late in the afternoon or early evening.
07:28If you want a little pro tip that will make the next bit a lot easier,
07:35leave it to dry and go and have a cup of tea.
07:41Our next task is to work the material into the lawn.
07:44This tool is called a "Lawn Lute". Some
people call it a lawn leveler, and it does
07:53just that. It levels the soil. A little note
that some beginners get tripped up on. If
08:01you use compost for covering seeds it's
great as it has a lot of nutrients in it,
08:07but compost doesn't level a lawn as it breaks
down. If you don't have a tool like this, you
08:15could use the back of a rake or even a
soft brush to work the material into the lawn.
08:23Don't skip this step as your
lawn will take longer to recover.
08:30Keep going over the lawn until
the material is worked into the lawn.
08:41It should look something like this.
08:45Apply a pre seeder fertilizer. This is
going to get the seeds off to a great start.
08:53Again, I will leave the Links down in the
Video Description. If you use my Links it
08:57help support the Channel. A quick blow to remove
any the debris, then it's time for some seaweed.
09:04Watch this next Video to find out how
to look after your newly renovated lawn.
