How to Manually Prepare Lawn for Seeding

Pull up any grass that is growing where you want to renovate the lawn. Dispose of the grass; it might be mixed with weeds or be a different variety than the variety you will be sowing. If this is too difficult, spray the lawn with a non-selective herbicide, following the label directions for application amounts and method. Killing all the grass with herbicide will take a few days, and possibly a few applications.

Wait about a week before after applying herbicide so the chemical has time to dissipate.

Dethatch and aerate the dead grass by raking it to break up thick, interwoven patches. Alternatively, till the ground with a tiller to break up the soil and increase the oxygen content. If the soil has a good amount of clay in it, tilling is better than aerating because it gives you the opportunity to mix in mulch to add nutrients and increase drainage. You can mix topsoil into any type of soil.

Check the pH level of the soil and adjust if needed. Lawns grow best in soil within a pH range of 6.5 to 7.0. If the pH level is higher than 7.0, add an acidic fertilizer to the soil. If it is lower than 6.5, add an alkaline fertilizer. Follow label directions for proper amounts and application method. The lawn is ready for seeding.