Renovate & Smooth Existing Yard w/ Power Rake and Seed Drill

[Thowle]

Looking for some advice from those experienced with renovating an existing yard or pasture to rid it of ruts, bumps, and to establish a solid stand of desired grasses.

I've got a power rake and a conservation drill with a cultipacker that I think would be the most useful implements for this project.

Most of what I've read thus far is saying to;

1. completely burndown and remove the existing vegetation,
2. break soil with either a tiller or disk,
3. use a blade to semi-smooth to low areas,
4. power rake a few times to remove debris and get a final smooth seedbed,
5. sow seed with the drill, letting the cultipacker further firm the soil further with good seed-to-soil contact.

I have yet to use the power rake, so I'm not entirely sure how good of a job it would do with or without existing vegetation.

Is there any manner I could do this without spraying to kill, and removing all existing vegetation?

Would using the power rake over the yard multiples times with vegetation accomplish anything other than dethatching?

 

[Old Red]

Thowle....see you are from KY....I am as well. The power rake is an amazing tool for what you are wanting to do. If you have time you can just power rake you lawn as soon as it dries up. Let the vegetation die out, and rake some more until you get a nice seed bed.

According to a fella who was helping me mow my lawn when I first moved here in 2013, mine was the roughest lawn he mowed out of 50 yards. I had a power rake from my bobcat T190. I killed all vegetation with Roundup and a 24D mix. I let it set for about 10 days for roundup to do its job and kill the roots as well as the top. I power raked several times. I then broadcast my seed and fertilizer and had (and still have) the prettiest, smoothest lawn in the neighborhood.

I have attached some picture of the process. You can see one strip that I did in an existing thick stand of crabgrass just to try the power rake out. It did a decent job, but next you will see where I killed out all the vegetation. It is not necessary for you to drill the seed. You can broadcast it. Packing it after you broadcast would be good but a nice hard rain can do the same.

I can mow full speed now if I want to. Very smooth and nice piece of equipment. I wish I still had it, but once I was finished with it I sold it.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Thowle]

@Old Red, thanks for that information and pictures! Looks like a job well done, and what I'm going to strive for on this project.

I also have a larger area (3 acres or so) that I want to bring to bare dirt and establish new fescue -- wonder if it would absolutely be required to apply a straw blanket or loose straw over it.

Also, some of the areas won't have good access to a hose and sprinkler -- I wonder how likely this is to work good without irrigation, assuming nominal rainfal in April.

 

[Old Red]

@Old Red, thanks for that information and pictures! Looks like a job well done, and what I'm going to strive for on this project.

I also have a larger area (3 acres or so) that I want to bring to bare dirt and establish new fescue -- wonder if it would absolutely be required to apply a straw blanket or loose straw over it.

Also, some of the areas won't have good access to a hose and sprinkler -- I wonder how likely this is to work good without irrigation, assuming nominal rainfal in April.

So if you notice in a couple of the pictures of the same area...there are 3 pictures of the sidewalk.....one was just dead vegetation. And you can see how the dirt is below the side walk. The second picture has very smooth dirt up as high as the sidewalk. That 1 dumbstruck load of dirt I had hauled in to raise the level up to my new concrete. Third is an erosion blanket butting up next to the sidewalk. I only put an erosion blanket on that spot because I had just purchased that dirt and I had turned it into powder and did not want little gullies and what not up next to my sidewalk. I did not blanket or straw the rest of the back yard....nor did I irrigate it....if you seed in the fall Mother Nature will do her thing for ya and by April of the following year you will have to mow twice per week. Sometimes you get lucky and Mother Nature will cooperate and give you a nice lawn in the fall, but sometimes we have a dry fall.....and if we do, don't fret...that seed will lay there until next spring...and by April you will be the envy of your neighbors.

This last year in KY was an amazing year. It was the first time since 2013 I did not do a fall overseen and aeration.....and my yard is starting to explode right this minute.

 

[Thowle]

Okay, great stuff!

What seed did you use? Kentucky 31 or a mix like Defiance XRE?

Was looking at regular K31 at tractor supply, but some people seem to recommend a blend.

 

[Old Red]

Okay, great stuff!

What seed did you use? Kentucky 31 or a mix like Defiance XRE?

Was looking at regular K31 at tractor supply, but some people seem to recommend a blend.

NO...a big NO on the KY 31...it is clumpy pasture grass. Use a blend of turf type tall fescue. I don't care which one, just make sure it says that on the little label that has a test date on it that give you the types of tall fescue along with the test date as well as the weed seed percentage. That is all I pay attention to when selecting seed. In KY we loose about 30% to 40% of our cool season tall fescue type lawns. So I just oversee with whatever is the best deal I can get in the fall for a turf type tall fescue. I have bought from John Deere seed, tractor supply, rural king, and lately Crop Production...been using falcon last few times. It has been the cheapest. About 80 cents per pound. Don't accidentally pay for rye grass.

 

[Thowle]

NO...a big NO on the KY 31...it is clumpy pasture grass. Use a blend of turf type tall fescue. I don't care which one, just make sure it says that on the little label that has a test date on it that give you the types of tall fescue along with the test date as well as the weed seed percentage. That is all I pay attention to when selecting seed. In KY we loose about 30% to 40% of our cool season tall fescue type lawns. So I just oversee with whatever is the best deal I can get in the fall for a turf type tall fescue. I have bought from John Deere seed, tractor supply, rural king, and lately Crop Production...been using falcon last few times. It has been the cheapest. About 80 cents per pound. Don't accidentally pay for rye grass.

Thanks again @Old Red. Will call around and see about a blend, and look into falcon.

 

[Old Red]

Thanks again @Old Red. Will call around and see about a blend, and look into falcon.

Where did you get your power rake? How wide is it? Just now noticed you said you had one. I have never used one for a tractor.

One other thing I failed to menion....with the bobcat power rake I could reverse the drum in different directions which was a neat feature...can you do that with a PTO power rake?

 

[Thowle]

Where did you get your power rake? How wide is it? Just now noticed you said you had one. I have never used one for a tractor.

One other thing I failed to menion....with the bobcat power rake I could reverse the drum in different directions which was a neat feature...can you do that with a PTO power rake?

I got it towards the end of last year from Hutson in Paducah, but have yet to use it or even connect it to the tractor.

It is a Frontier PR1172, which is 72" wide. PR11 Power Rakes | Landscape Equipment | John Deere US

It does have hydraulics so you can adjust the angle of the machine left/right to change direction of throw, but not change the rotation direction of the drum, as far as I know.

 

[Old Red]

I got it towards the end of last year from Hutson in Paducah, but have yet to use it or even connect it to the tractor.

It is a Frontier PR1172, which is 72" wide. PR11 Power Rakes | Landscape Equipment | John Deere US

It does have hydraulics so you can adjust the angle of the machine left/right to change direction of throw, but not change the rotation direction of the drum, as far as I know.

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Really nice....now one thing I did not notice is that it does not appear to have wings on it unless they are behind the drum in the picture. If you look at my Bobcat Brand Soil Conditioner you will see small wings that help to move the dirt from one place to another similar to a box blade. I have never operated one of these on a tractor so I am looking forward to your results.