FUNCTION SensoTouch
View details about FUNCTION SensoTouch.Working gloves with touch function for smartphones and tablets
$10.00
Tired of scruffy looking grass and thinking about a lawn renovation?
Dry, brown and full of weeds? If your lawn no longer looks good, you can do something about it. We will show you how to improve it.
24.01.2025
How to renovate and renew a lawn
Not every lawn needs to be renewed outright. You can often thicken your lawn with a little first aid and support for the grass, especially if the surface is still predominantly made up of grass blades. First remove any visible weeds. This can be done by hand or you can use a cultivator to help. Mow the lawn and add organic grass fertiliser. Then water the surface and leave the lawn to grow. Once the grass is five to six centimetres long, mow the lawn back to a length of four centimetres and continue weekly. Remember that weeds will quickly take over the lawn without regular maintenance. The intelligent iMOW® robotic lawnmower from STIHL, which independently mows the grass on a regular basis, is a pragmatic helper when it comes to keeping your lawn in good shape.
Grass can be very demanding and requires appropriate care. If it is cut too short, bare patches and gaps will creep in from time to time. However, our tips will show you how to repair your grass and get it back in great condition. Grass diseases are also an issue that can be overcome with early diagnosis.
Repair lawn
Bare patches, holes and discolouration are annoying for every gardener and should be treated in time. In our guide you can find out all about the various causes - and what you can do about it.
If the lawn no longer has just a few bare or brown patches, but instead has large gaps or the entire surface has become an eyesore due to the many weeds, then it is time to completely renew your lawn. We will show you two methods for the long-term renewal of your lawn.
Five steps for luscious, healthy grass
If you want to renovate a lawn effectively, but with minimal effort, this method is ideal. It will allow you to renew your grass and save yourself the hassle of digging it up. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: mow lawn
Mow your lawn short – lower than would be advisable for a healthy lawn. This will prepare the area for the next steps. Cut the grass as short as your lawn mower allows.
Step 2: scarify
You should also go further than usual when completing the next step: Scarify the surface as deeply as possible so that you reach the soil surface. Take regular breaks when working on larger areas.
Step 3: remove weeds
Scrape away any remaining weeds from the surface with a metal rake. Work as carefully as possible, especially for root-propagated weeds.
Step 4: mix soil with seeds
Take a wheelbarrow and mix simple potting compost with high-quality lawn seed. The soil doesn't have to be expensive – cheap potting soil is good enough and will save you money. However, the lawn seed you use should be high quality: it grows better and is usually more robust in the long term. Grass varieties from well-known brands are generally a good choice. Add 350 to 400g of grass seed per 80 litres of soil.
Step 5: distribute seed and soil mixture
Spread the soil and seed mixture on the lawn. This is best done with a simple broom. 80 litres of soil is enough to renew a lawn area of 10 m2. Keep the surface moist until the grass seeds germinate. You will soon have a new, more lush green space to enjoy.
For the most beautiful green
Completely renewing a lawn by digging it over
Completely renewing a lawn is the most thorough but also the most complex method. It should therefore always be the last resort for solving your lawn problems. We recommend that you dig out the grass surface and create a completely new one. Early autumn is a great time to do this. The temperature does not usually fall below 10 degrees even at night, which helps the grass seeds germinate.
Step 1: remove turf if necessary
Depending on how firm
the turf is, you can either dig the up the surface directly or, if it is
harder, you should first remove the remaining turf. This means more
work, but it often cannot be avoided, especially on heavy clay soils.
Step 2: dig up lawn
If
you are going to renew the old turf, you should proceed as follows:
whether or not you have removed the turf, first dig a trench at the edge
of the area that is about as deep as your spade and equally wide – this
is called a furrow. Keep the earth you remove, as you’ll need it to
refill the lawn once you have reached the end of the area – so the
furrow moves along with each row you dig up.
Use a spade to
cut out individual pieces of soil and place them upside down on the rear
edge of the groove. Any remaining grasses and weeds are now also lying
upside down or in the furrow and will simply die off. Continue row by
row until you have reached the end of the area. Here, fill the trench
with the soil laid aside at the beginning. The soil has now been
loosened.
Depending on the soil condition, it may also be
practical to improve the soil during this process. If you have loamy
soil, add coarse construction sand and compost to the furrow. You will
only need to add compost or cheap potting soil to sandy soils, to
improve structure.
Step 3: prepare surface
Now
take a rake and use it to smooth the surface and remove any weeds you
can still see. It is important to ensure that the surface is level. A
wooden rake is more practical for this job, as the prongs of metal rakes
can easily get stuck in the loose soil.
Step 4: roll
For
the next step, level the ground with a roller. This is important for
preventing uneven patches in the ground, such as footprints, from
remaining and becoming permanent. Run the roller over the area in lines.
These lines should overlap slightly. You can hire a soil roller, for
example from your local DIY store. Did you know? The rollers are usually
hollow and filled with water before use, making them easier to
transport.
Step 5: reseed
First loosen the soil surface with a wooden rake so that the grass seeds will immediately get good soil contact. Now it’s time to sow your new lawn! Make sure that you select a suitable grass variety that is appropriate for the local conditions and meets your requirements. After all, you want your renewed lawn to grow well and it is usually delicate at first. We recommend that you use high-quality seed mixtures which contain robust grasses that form runners, as these will thicken beautifully and remain thick, even with regular mowing. If you are unsure, you can always ask a specialist retailer for advice.
It is best to spread grass seed directly on the surface with an organic fertiliser for new lawns. You can also add a layer of potting soil on top to keep the seeds moist and protect them from hungry birds.
For more information about lawn types and the sowing process, see guide on How to lay a lawn.
Step 6: water
The last step when you renew your old lawn is to water the lawn regularly and keep the seeds nice and moist until they germinate. Soon you will have a lush green lawn in your garden again.
Our tip: when the surface of the soil lightens in colour, it is time to water it again. Grass is a thirsty plant and transpires a good 4 litres of water per square metre per day. Only well-watered grass is robust and remains vital. We recommend watering the lawn just once a week, but doing so thoroughly. This forces grass to send its roots deep into the ground where it can access the ground water. These long roots help the turf to better survive hot conditions.
Renewing your grass: rolled turf or seed?
How you renew your lawn also depends on your budget. Rolled turf can certainly be a solution if you want to the process to be faster or you want to minimise the workload. However, rolled turf is more expensive than sowing a new lawn by hand and is the most expensive way to renew your lawn.
It is important that you also select the appropriate type of turf if opting for rolled turf. When the turf is delivered, it must be rolled out and watered without delay so that it will grow well.
How much does a lawn renovation cost?
In principle, a lawn that has large gaps and is overgrown with weeds can be renewed quite easily. It does not involve any major investments and only requires that you put in some time working on it. If, on the other hand, you decide to completely replace and dig up the lawn, it can be a little more expensive. The most expensive option would be rolled turf, but this is also the choice that saves you the most time. Our tip: do not scrimp on grass seeds as high-quality seeds produce better grasses, which you can then enjoy for longer.
Lawn care tips
To ensure that the effort you put into renewing the turf pays off, you should take regular care of the new grass so that it remains beautiful and dense, even years later. In this case, you really do get out what you put in, because if you want your lawn to remain a dense, lush green carpet, regular fertilising is just as important as cutting and watering it correctly. If you get careless about maintaining your lawn, weeds and moss are waiting for their chance to take over. You can find out more about this subject in our lawn care tips for all seasons.
Summary: renewing your grass
- Does your lawn have brown patches, moss, or weeds here and there? You don't necessarily have to dig it over right away. Find out more in our lawn repair guide.
- Mow your lawn correctly so that it does not suffer. We recommend mowing once a week, but not cutting the grass too short.
- You can renew your lawn without digging it over by mowing and then deeply scarifying it. Afterwards spread a mixture of potting soil and seeds on the surface.
- When renewing and reseeding your lawn, ensure that you use a high-quality, suitable seed mixture.
- Digging over your lawn should be the last resort because it involves a lot of work.
- Rolled turf is another way to completely renew a lawn.
When a lawn needs to be renewed becomes apparent when the lawn consists only of moss, weeds, yellow patches and bare patches. Lawn care alone is no longer enough - only new lawn seed can help.
You can renew your lawn with or without digging. If you decide to renew your lawn without digging, you should first mow and scarify your lawn and then spread a soil-seed mixture over the area.
It is more thorough, but also more time-consuming, if you dig up the soil beforehand. To do this, dig out individual pieces of soil with a spade, remove weeds from the soil and level it with a roller before sowing.
