Steps:
- Put the collection bag on your mower and then mow the lawn, cutting the grass to just 1½ inches long.
- Run a de-thatching machine over the lawn to remove all the dead grass and leaves.
- Rake up all the thatch and dump it into a wheelbarrow.
- Run a core aerator over the lawn, punching air holes into the soil.
- Rake up and remove the soil plugs deposited onto the lawn by the core aerator.
- Use a shovel to spread a ½-inch-thick layer of compost over the lawn.
- Lightly rake the compost across the lawn and down into the core holes.
- Use a walk-behind broadcast spreader to apply 9-3-4 fertilizer to the lawn.
- Over-seed the lawn with a blended grass seed. Use a hand-crank broadcast spreader to apply seven pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet of lawn.
- Use the backside of the leaf rake to lightly work the seed into the lawn.
- Lightly water the lawn twice a day until the grass seedlings sprout.