The irrigation system on this property was at the heart of the problem with the health and appearance of the lawn. The uneven water distribution allowed other grasses and weeds to become established in the lawn. Of course the broadleaf weeds could have been selectively sprayed and controlled but not the unwanted course fescue grasses which were present in abundance.
The original irrigation installation provided three zones to cover the lawn. With that available water capacity it was possible to install the appropriate number of heads to achieve head to head coverage using Hunter Industries MP Rotators. The beauty of renovating an irrigation system the MPs is the low water usage per nozzle allows more heads on a zone without over taxing the available GPM at the source.
Once the irrigation system was renovated to provide uniform water distribution across the lawn surface we were good to go with seeding. The seed is applied at the rate of 10 pounds per 1000 square feet. The 1/2" application of topsoil provides cover for the seed following the aeration and final raking. The aeration plays a critical role in that seeds will fall into the hole created by the core removal. The aeration loosens the soil allowing for better oxygen to the emerging spouts. Water and nutrients are better absorbed into the soil when compacted soils are broken up by the aeration process.
I use commercial blends of Kentucky blue grass as the primary seed and top dress with a blend of perennial rye grasses. The rye grass has a faster germination rate and it is not susceptible to a common lawn disease found in Colorado.
The take away from this video is twofold:
1. It is not necessary to remove the old sod to restore a lawn.
2. Before there can be a beautiful lawn there first must be an efficient irrigation system, at least that is how it works along the front range of Colorado.