Tiller or power rake for lawn renewal?

[boggen]

for grass. normally i just scratch the top 1" maybe 2" of soil. either with disc or tiller. and use something like jenkinsph for a spinner / seeder. run disc back over a couple times or use a metal garden rake. water a couple times. and forget about it for a few months. to point the grass grows and goes to seed. then mow it, and keep on mowing it. ya some weeds will be there. and there will be some spots that are just dirt. i will get out a little tiller, (tiller for weed eater) or like. and work up the bald spots. toss some seed. and just keep mowing. give it 2 to 3 years. of regular mowing. and have a nice lawn. and spraying if need be a chemical 2nd or 3rd year. to reduce any weeds i do not want.

i rarely use any sort of chemicals. heck even weed patches, that i mow down. i do not use a total kill or like chemical. i just mow it down, deal with top couple inches of soil. seed it, water it, and forget about it. till it goes to seed. then begin mowing regularly.

 

[jenkinsph]

Lawns that are planted during weed growing seasons will usually have grass and weeds both come up but I agree with Boggen that regular mowing does alot to eliminate the weeds. I also use a winterizer fertilizer in the fall to promote root growth over the winter months. Even when the grass turns brown in the winter months the roots are still growing in most locals. By the next spring the grass roots will choke out the vast majority of the weeds. Grass is easy to grow without the need for chemicals in most cases. Plenty of water and regular mowings with a little fertilizer seems to work the best.