"HK" wrote in message
.. .
I'm about to embark on a complete replacement of my lawn. I've done a lot
of research on the net and find advice to be evenly divided between using
Roundup to kill the old lawn (and weeds) and removing/chopping up the old
lawn with a lawn cutter or tiller.

Being a lazy guy, I'm attracted to the Roundup method but I have one
question. I plan to resod, not seed. So, if I just lay the new sod over
the old lawn, won't I end up with a lawn that's a inch or so higher the
the
old one?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

To do it right, you need to roundup the existing lawn, let it die for a week
or so, roundup the surviving patches again, then till after another week or
so. Rake off the debris, then re-sod.

Depending on how much debris (thatch, roots, rocks, etc.) you remove, you
may or may not raise the level of your lawn.

Simply applying roundup then over-sodding will raise your lawn level. Also,
it will leave a layer of dead grass between your sod and the soil its roots
need. That layer may cause you problems later by acting like a barrier to
either roots, water, or nutrients.

KB

Just use a sod cutter, You can rent them. Takes the grass out at the roots.
That's how they create sod. You won't have to worry about the level. I
wouldn't use roundup on your entire lawn. Somehow it seems like
overkill!!!!!

"HK" wrote in message
.. .
I'm about to embark on a complete replacement of my lawn. I've done a lot
of research on the net and find advice to be evenly divided between using
Roundup to kill the old lawn (and weeds) and removing/chopping up the old
lawn with a lawn cutter or tiller.

Being a lazy guy, I'm attracted to the Roundup method but I have one
question. I plan to resod, not seed. So, if I just lay the new sod over
the old lawn, won't I end up with a lawn that's a inch or so higher the
the
old one?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm about to embark on a complete replacement of my lawn. I've done a lot
of research on the net and find advice to be evenly divided between using
Roundup to kill the old lawn (and weeds) and removing/chopping up the old
lawn with a lawn cutter or tiller.

Being a lazy guy, I'm attracted to the Roundup method but I have one
question. I plan to resod, not seed. So, if I just lay the new sod over
the old lawn, won't I end up with a lawn that's a inch or so higher the
the
old one?

My advice would be to go a different route altogether.

If you go the RoundUp route, then you'll need to make 2 or 3 applications
over about a 3 week period -- the RoundUp won't kill it all on the first
application and it takes a solid week to two weeks for things to really die,
especially weeds. It has been my experience that a two week period is the
least necessary to ensure that plants are actually dead.

Something else to consider is that you cannot simply put sod over top of the
existing grass once dead either -- the area should be broken up, preferably
with a tiller, and raked. This is to ensure that the roots of the grass
meet with loose soil rather than compacted dirt. In some cases it is
advisable to amend the soil as well.

Your best bet is to simply reseed. If you break up the soil in dead areas
then drop seed it will come in nicely. Overseeding is usually best and
you'll have some missed patches but it's by far the easiest route to go.

If you're really set on replacing the existing lawn my next question would
be -- is it also sod? If so, there are sod cutting tools you can rent that
will basically scoop up the sod at the root level and cut it into swaths.
These can then be reused if you like (always an added benefit) or easily
disposed of if you prefer. Sod cutters come in a variety of shapes and
sizes but they can be rented for around $50-$100 a day.

As for the question on raising your lawn -- the method you initially
described using would certainly raise your lawn about an inch or so
(uniformly at least).

James

First question I have is why are you doing this? What's wrong with the
lawn? I ask this because if you don't fix what hurt your first lawn, guess
what is going to happen to your fix? Second, why bother doing all of this
if you aren't going to use the opportunity to fix the soil under the grass.

I'm lazy too but here's what I did:

1. Dug up the lawn by hand. Just turned it over and let it winter. The
frost is good for breaking up large clumps of soil such as you would get
from a spade shovel.

2. Rototilled the area two or three times. I don't think it needed it but
I found that I liked rototilling!

3. Brought in 25 yards of sandy loam knowing I had all clay back there.
Rototilled the new stuff in.

4. Had the sprinkler system installed.

5. Grub application

6. Sodded.

There isn't a step above that I wouldn't do again (except maybe rototill a
few more times)!



"HK" wrote in message
.. .
I'm about to embark on a complete replacement of my lawn. I've done a lot
of research on the net and find advice to be evenly divided between using
Roundup to kill the old lawn (and weeds) and removing/chopping up the old
lawn with a lawn cutter or tiller.

Being a lazy guy, I'm attracted to the Roundup method but I have one
question. I plan to resod, not seed. So, if I just lay the new sod over
the old lawn, won't I end up with a lawn that's a inch or so higher the
the
old one?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

"JNJ" wrote in message
...
What killed my lawn was about 4 weeks of neglect last summer while we
were
on vacation. The vacation coincided with an extreme heat wave and
drought.
Most of my lawn died as a result. I thought it would come back in the
fall
but it didn't. This spring, what came up was a ton of weeds. I'd say
50%
of my lawn is dead and the rest of the lawn is weedy. I have about 15%
of
good grass. If I renovate the dead and weedy areas, I figure it will
take
much more effort and expense than a complete replacement.

I plan to take my soil in for analysis to fix any problems.

I plan to install an automated sprinkler system when I've removed the
old
sod to prevent any drought-related problems in the future.

Also, I have an additional complication that factors into my decision
to
re-sod. I have two young kids. There is no way I can keep them off the
grass while I reseed, weed and feed, etc. I can keep them off the grass
for
2 weeks at the most.

Get a sod cutter to remove the old sod, weeds included. Add compost
throughout the area and rototill well. Add new sod over the area and
water.
That should do it well. You can also pull any weeds that survive the
initial de-sodding.

James



This is a ton of work and likely unnecessary.

Peter H

"HK" wrote in message
.. .
Thanks for all the great advice.

What killed my lawn was about 4 weeks of neglect last summer while we were
on vacation. The vacation coincided with an extreme heat wave and
drought.
Most of my lawn died as a result. I thought it would come back in the
fall
but it didn't. This spring, what came up was a ton of weeds. I'd say 50%
of my lawn is dead and the rest of the lawn is weedy. I have about 15% of
good grass. If I renovate the dead and weedy areas, I figure it will take
much more effort and expense than a complete replacement.

I plan to take my soil in for analysis to fix any problems.

I plan to install an automated sprinkler system when I've removed the old
sod to prevent any drought-related problems in the future.

Also, I have an additional complication that factors into my decision to
re-sod. I have two young kids. There is no way I can keep them off the
grass while I reseed, weed and feed, etc. I can keep them off the grass
for
2 weeks at the most.



Most lawns are able to survive drought and return to health in the fall.
Personally I haven't watered my lawn in years. What fools most homeowners is
the fact that the bugs usually take the lawn at the same time as it is going
dormant from the summer heat and drought. Then in the fall, when the weather
cools and rain returns other lawns in the area recover and theirs doesn't.
In 98% of the lawns that I have seen that fail to recover in the fall it is
the insects that have taken the lawn.

If there is one lesson I learned in the Lawn Care business it was " Always "
suspect an insect first.

Peter H

This is a ton of work and likely unnecessary.

Never said it would be easy but it's the best way to do it. The other
option is to use chemicals -- he has kids so that's never a good option. In
theory, insects could be a problem here as well but I doubt it after such a
lengthy period (we're talking nearly a year) and he has patches of grass
throughout the area.

James

"Peter H" wrote in message:
Joseph is right. I have 11 years experience in the industry and can assure
you that when done properly almost all lawn problems can be solved w/out
the
major renovation that you are considering. You should also consider the
fact
that your new lawn may end up like your current lawn anyway unless it's
tended to properly.

I'll second that, Peter. My fiance's front yard was filled with dollar
weed, dandelions, and very patchy. I took the time to feed it, water it,
and in the bare spots placed some top soil with compost. The San Augustine
took root and within about 5 weeks it was very lush. She now (with some
other plantings) was last month's yard of the month. The transformation was
incredible. All it took was some attention.

Jim