On 27 Aug 2006 10:26:11 -0700, "
wrote:

I'm about to replace a my girlfriend's lawn that's heavily infested
with crabgrass.

What's the best approach to doing this? Some of the different
suggestions I've received are as follows:

- Spray the lawn as it is (without digging it up first) with
preemergent and then cover it with a tarp for several weeks before
digging it up
- Remove the top layer of grass before spraying it
- Not spraying it at all

I guess I have two basic questions - do I really need to take off the
top layer of dead grass before spraying it and do I really need to tarp
it after spraying it? Any and all suggestions will be helpful.


Seed needs to be in direct contact with soil for it to sprout. The
seed will not sprout if you apply a preemergence. You can use RoundUp
to kill the grass, then remove the dead grass. Use a lot of seed to
get to get a thick lawn which crabgrass won't grow well. Apply a
starter fertilizer at the time of seeding. Protect the seeds with
straw and keep the ground moist.

Christopher

P.S. I live in Northern California if that makes a difference.