How to Revive a Dead Lawn With Sandy Soil

Amend Your Soil

• 1

  Conduct a thorough soil test before attempting to revive a poorly performing lawn. Choose one that assesses pH, nutrient capacity and organic content. The basis of your lawn improvement endeavors will rely on the soil test results.

• 2

  Adjust any pH imbalances using sulfur products to correct alkalinity or lime products to correct acidity. Most lawn grasses prefer a slightly acidic soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Lime takes some time to effectively adjust soil pH. You may see better results if you lime an existing lawn several months before replanting.

• 3

  Amend your sandy soil with lots of organic matter before planting a new lawn. Incorporate a 3- to 4-inch layer of mixed organic materials such as finished compost, peat moss, humus, manure, ground hardwood or leaf mold. Work these in as deeply as you can, ideally to a depth of 12 to 18 inches before planting. Bagged, commercial soil conditioners also work well. You can add topsoil to this mix but choose carefully. Avoid topsoil that has not been tested for pH, organic content, texture and potential contaminants.

Plant and Maintain

• 4

  Select a lawn grass variety well suited to sandy soils. Cool weather turfgrass selections for sandy lawns include fescues. Tall, creeping red and hard fescue varieties are good choices. In warmer climates, zoysia, Bermuda and Bahia grasses generally perform well in sandy soils. You can use a blend of warm and cool season grasses if you live in a transitional climate area.

• 5

  Lay sod or sow grass seed in early autumn for the best results. Warm soil temperatures encourage root production, and cooler air temperatures prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, encouraging lawn grass to become well established. You can also lay sod or seed in early spring, but more attention to supplemental irrigation may be necessary during warm, dry periods.

• 6

  Fertilize your lawn annually in early spring or early autumn using a granular, timed-release product to avoid "burning" your grass with a flood of quickly released minerals. Choose a product with a balanced N-P-K content. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main nutrients that grasses need to perform at their best.

• 7

  Apply pre-emergent herbicides in early spring and early autumn if weeds become a problem. Weeds generally fall into two categories, cool season types and warm season varieties. Using pre-emergents at these times of year controls both types.

• 8

  Test your lawn soil every two years or so and correct any pH imbalances with additional applications of lime or sulfur. Soils tend to become compacted over time. Annual aeration is recommended in early autumn and can include over-sowing grass seed to existing lawns if bare spots have appeared during the prior season.