Planting Grass Seed

Sowing grass seed for a nice verdant lawn to be proud of can give you a strong sense of accomplishment. If you live in an area where your neighbors take much pride in the appearance of their property you probably would like to follow suit and have your yard looking its best. So let us get started. The list accompanying this article shows what will be needed for the task. You will notice that only about one piece on the list is heavy machinery (the tiller). The first thing you should do is make sure the time you plant the seed is when that particular grass seed grows best. (generally; summer in the south and spring in the north) Now what you will want to do is evaluate the yard. If you live where your yard is wind swept constantly (20 mph or more) plant sod or wind tolerant plants. Take note of the slope of the yard and how much light exposure it gets. If the slope is steep (30 degrees or more) you should lay sod in stead and if it gets very little sun (less than 6 hours a day) you may want to plant shade dwelling woodland perennials or groundcovers. But if such conditions are not present, go ahead and prepare to sow your seed.

Grasp your tape measure and measure the square footage of the yard that is to be seeded. You can now happily determine how much seed, fertilizer and compost you need to buy. Buy enough compost to add a three inch deep layer to the soil. Before you sow your seed it would be wise of you to prepare the soil. Soil is the foundation of the success of almost all plants. Remove all existing plant material including the old lawn. Now till the soil from 6-12 inches deep. Use a close-tined pitchfork or a peat spreader to spread the 3 inch thick layer of compost over the surface of the ground and till it in to a depth of 3-6 inches. If you want you could spread the compost directly out of the bag and evenly spread it over the surface of the soil afterwards. Rake the surface as level as possible moving the soil around to eliminate depressions and elevations in the bare ground. Walking on the soil should only leave at most one half inch impressions. The final soil level should be no more than one half inch above the adjacent sidewalk or other hard surfaces. Stake the corners of your planting bed and stake in between the corners if the yard is long.

Now with a hand or push spreader, apply half of the suggested amount of the starter fertilizer in one direction perpendicular from the other half. Gently work the fertilizer into the top one eighth to one quarter of the planting bed. Sow the proper amount of seed, as directed on the seed bag, in two perpendicular directions just like you spread the fertilizer. Now gently work the seed in one eighth deep while leaving about half of the seeds exposed. Now you should take an empty lawn roller (or use planks to stand and press down on) and make paths from one end of the seeded bed to the other end and repeat rolling over the seed in the perpendicular direction from one end to the other. This is to assure good seed to soil contact for better germination. If the lawn roller seems to be too light for the job you can fill it halfway with water.

Finally, gently sprinkle the seeded lawn once or twice a day for 4-6 weeks, preventing the seed from drying out. Make sure that the water does not spray in a way that the seed is disturbed out of its place. Once the seed grows one half inch higher than its ideal height it can be mowed. Avoid applying any herbicide any sooner than 6-12 months after planting the seed, for the young grass may easily be harmed. (which should not be needed if the soil was cleared thoroughly and the seed was applied thickly enough)

Mowing once a week at its highest ideal height during summer and at its lowest ideal height during spring and fall will keep it lush and thick. Mow the evening of the morning you have watered or the evening after the day you have watered. Water your new lawn once or twice a week, applying 1-2 inches of water per week. The average oscillating sprinkler dispenses about one inch of water in 2 hours. Apply an organic fertilizer like compost or bone meal when your grass grows most (fall or else spring in the north and late spring to summer in the south, depending on your grass). These easy procedures could lead you to a green marvel of which the whole neighborhood can be proud.

Materials Needed

• Grass seed
• Starter Fertilizer
• Compost
• Rake/Dethatcher
• Spreader
• Garden Hose
• Sprinkler
• Planks
• Tiller (optional)
• Stakes
• String
• Lawn Roller
• Tape Measure
• Lawn Mower