What lawn tools could I rent or buy to help me improve our lawn?

Question

We have mostly weeds, and want to plant a lot of grass seeds, to try to crowd out the weeds. We probably need to dethatch, aerate, etc., then plant the seeds, then water frequently till the seeds sprout, and probably mow frequently to keep the weeds from growing back. We have a mower but nothing to dethatch or aerate or anything. We've heard of a power rake but don't know where to rent one or how to use it. Or what other tools should we rent or buy, and where we should get them?

Answer 1

Look in the phone book for under rentals. You find them listed. A power rake or dethatcher removes the thatch layer on the soil surface. Check first that you have it, cut a core down into the ground and pull out the plug with the soil. Thatch is the layer on top of the soil. If it's more than 1/2 inch, dethatch. Power rakes have a rotating drum with tines that whirl down to the soil line kicking up the dead thatch but leaving the living grass (hopefully) You don't want to plow up your lawn, just barely touch the ground. Then you have this mountain of dead stuff you have to rake up and dispose.

Aeration pokes holes or cuts slices in the soil allowing oxygen to penetrate. It somewhat punches through thatch if it's that magical 1/2 inch. Too much more and it won't penetrate and you need to dethatch first. The plugs are usually left on the soil, but can be removed if you wish. A vertical slicer is a blade that is pushed through the soil It too opens the soil but is even better if your grass is a creeping grass like bermudagrass. The slicing causes the bermuda to thicken up.

Both the dethatcher and aerator can be rented. Problem is getting them to your home. If you have a truck with a hitch or a ramp to get the equipment into the truck bed, great. Otherwise they are quite heavy!

Time to use the power rake is in the early spring. If your thatch layer isn't great, you can aerate any time during the growing season. Golf courses and parks continually aerate.

If you plan on overseeding within the next few weeks, then by all means go ahead and prepare by dethatching (if needed) and aerating.

Rototilling is when you start all over again. You can use a sod cutter to cut off the existing lawn, roll it up like sod and dispose. Just rototilling an old lawn under will also work, but it's hard work and you need to give the grass time to decompose, several months, before starting a new lawn. Bot the rototiller and sod cutter are also available from rental companies, tho the sod cutter is not often found, you might have to call around.

Really all you need is a good lawn mower. Everything else you rent as needed. (or hire someone to do it......wink)

Answer 2

Start off by buying a good sprayer and then spray weed killer on your lawn once a week for the next three weeks. Don't spray if it just rained or is going to rain in the following 24 hours. Killing off those weeds first is a giant leap toward building a new lawn because the new grass won't have to compete with the weeds for food, water and light.

Once you see the weeds really dying, then go find a rental store that has a power seeder. These units have a gas engine on them that drives the wheels and also drive a series of slitting blades underneath the deck. There is a compartment for the seed to go in and a guage to set the rate of delivery of that seed. Before using this machine, set your lawnmower to its lowest cutting height and mow your lawn.

Then use the power seeder the following way. Make a full set of passes across your lawn from east to west and west to east. Then go north to south and south to north in the next series of side by side passes. How you start and how you finish isn't the issue. What matters is that you cover the lawn area twice from two different directions at minimum to get as much seed into the ground as possible.

The slitting knives open the ground up and the seed falls into those slits and a trailing mat closes the slits up. This is much easier than broadcasting the seed and then covering it with a light layer of top dressing. The most important thing after the seed is in the ground is to keep it wet all the time so it will sprout and grow. Don't even think about cutting that new lawn until it is at least six inches high and then cut it down to three inches, no lower.

If you are near a farming community that has a seed store, go there to buy your seed. It will be cheaper and they often have pure seed in bulk. Tell them what you are doing and they can come up with a blend of seed suitable for your needs. Depending upon when you intend to do this and the weather that is present, you may want them to include a "nurse crop" to help your lawn get established. Nurse crops are annuals not perrenials. They grow fast, provide shade from the hot sun and are gone the next year.

Do not spray for anything after you seed or you will kill the seed. Forget the gimmicks such as dethatchers and aerators. They're mostly a "make work" project for the lawn care biz and won't do as much for you as heavy seeding. Once the lawn is up and growing use a slow release fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 10-30-30. What you want is strong root growth, not blade growth.

As for tools, make sure you have enough hose and sprinklers to keep this lawn WET, WET, WET. I cannot stress this enough. I am not telling you to drown it but if you let the seed dry out, it won't sprout. And once it does sprout, water is essential to make it grow or it will go dormant and die on you.

Answer 3

Look in the yellow pages under rental equipment. Also don't mow the grass too short, it will grow better roots if left about 2-3 inches long. Any chance you can afford to sod?