Sowing grass seed is necessary if you establish a new lawn or repair your existing lawn. Here are the steps to follow along with some pointers from the gardening professionals.
To this day, seeding a lawn is the most popular way to get a new lawn started. Even for existing areas, it is advisable to use lawn seed on a seasonal basis. Making the appropriate choices about lawn seeds and when to plant them is critical.
After seeding, it’s critical to continue watering and caring for the plants. Even years after planting the lawn, it may be essential to reseed it to bring it back to its previous splendor. Reseeding Consequently, we’ve compiled this guide to help you sow and reseed your lawn.
Here are six steps to successfully seeding your lawn, beginning with the question of when it makes the most sense to sow a new lawn? In addition, we’ve included some after-seeding maintenance advice to help keep your lawn strong and healthy.
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When to Sow Lawn Grass Seeds
From April through October, you can often sow the lawn. Early autumn, as well as the spring season, are the best times to plant because the soil is still warm. Most grasses require a soil temperature of 8°C or above for germination, with an ideal range of 14°C to 25°C and adequate moisture.
There are fewer of these situations in late summer or early fall, thus it’s ideal for sowing grass during these times. Even so, don’t wait until the end of the season to plant your seeds because the cold will cause their emergence to be uneven or incomplete.
Early fall sowing of tiny grasses will have the same level of frost resistance as the more established turf. Soil temperatures should not drop below 8°C except during the critical germination and emergence phases, hence ground frost is a significant threat for grasses.
Turf can also be sown in the spring or autumn depending on the time of year. Soil temperatures are at their best from the middle of April to the beginning of May – just adequate moisture must be ensured. Early June is a risky time to water a young lawn because of the high temperatures.
- Turf can be sown either in the fall season starting in September or in the spring season (mid-April to early May).
- Temperatures in the soil during germination should range between 8°C and 12°C.
- When you’re ready to seed the lawn, make sure the soil is completely dry. And you should water the lawn as soon as you complete the seeding process.
Steps to Follow Before Sowing the Lawn Grass Seed
Prior to the seeding step, complete any gardening work that could put undue strain on a young lawn. You’re all set to go once the fruit trees are in the ground and the beds, pathways, and garden ponds have been built.
Before planting the lawn, prepare the soil by performing a little digging.
When preparing an area for a lawn, start by digging the dirt as deep as possible with a spade or digging fork. Using a power tiller or power hoe on big, continuous areas speeds up the process considerably. For example, many hardware stores loan out appropriate equipment. In autumn, when the earth is dry and crumbly, it’s ideal to dig, because the following winter will help to freeze the soil and prevent it from becoming unusable.
All foreign objects, weeds, and large stones must be removed from the soil during digging in order to carry out the essential soil improvement. You’ll learn more about soil improvement in this scenario later on in the article. Digging and sowing should be separated by a few months to let the soil settle and prevent a subsequent depression in the grass.
If the pre-existing lawn is overrun by root weeds like couch grass or goutweed, do not mill the overgrown areas. The tiller would tear up their rhizomes and disperse them all over the place. As a result, you should carefully hand-dig these regions to ensure that you remove every root.
How to Prepare the Soil for Lawn Seeding
For years, the soil beneath the lawn would have to work hard because a lawn depletes the soil of nutrients and causes it to quickly dry out. Soil preparation is necessary before sowing, regardless of fertilization or preparation prior to seeding. As a next step, we’ll go through what kind of soil needs treating and how to go about it.
Prepare Normal Soils for Lawn Seeding
Organic fertilizer is used mostly to prepare normal soils. These fertilizers contain helpful mycorrhizal fungus, which is an excellent choice. Increased humus content is ensured by the high organic matter level. If you’d rather use compost or manure as fertilizer, work 10 to 15 liters into the top 10 to 20 centimeters of the soil.
Prepare very Heavy and Clayey Soils for Lawn Seeding
Heavy soils are rich in clay and stick to your boots like greasy, heavy clods when wet. They become as hard as stone when dry. The nutrients in such soils are plentiful, yet the roots receive little water and oxygen. Lawn Sand, for example, can be used to amend extremely heavy soils by adding up to 50 liters of sand per m2. As an alternative, lava or clay that has been enlarged will do. In addition, organic fertilizer or compost is used, the same as in normal soils.
Prepare Compacted Soils for Lawn Seeding
Because of high pressure and undesirable soil qualities, compacted soils are so tightly packed that water and air barely get through or can get absorbed by them. Green manuring has a significant positive impact on these animals. Seeds that die back in the winter, such as lupine (Lupinus) or oil radish (Raphanus sativus var. oleiformis), can be planted in the late summer.
When the lawn is seeded the following spring, the plant remains will have weathered and decomposed substantially. Aerated soils are an alternative to compacted soils. Final step: apply compost as well as sand, in both cases.
Prepare very Light Soils for Lawn Seeding
Nutrient-deficient soils, such as those found in deserts, are unsuitable for growing turf. Nutrient retention, as well as water holding capacity, must be addressed in these locations. It is extremely suggested to use nitrogen-collecting legumes for green manuring. The use of a long-term organic biofertilizer should be combined with green manuring to get the best results. Alternatively, a few days before sowing, add 20-30 liters of aged compost or 3-5 kilograms of matured manure per square meter.
Even with the above improvement, light and sandy soils cannot be fundamentally transformed from the start. As a result, in the future, the best option will be to employ a dry site-adapted turf seed mixture.
Measure pH Two months before Turf Seeding
Check your soil’s pH levels with a soil pH test. The ideal pH range for most grasses is between 5.5 and 7. In these in-depth articles, we cover all you need to know about sodding and fertilizing your lawn.
Prepare the soil one to two weeks before seeding the lawn
It is necessary to smooth down the roughness, as we say: a rough subgrade is produced. Because using a shovel and rake is time-consuming and may necessitate the use of gardening equipment. Also engaging the assistance of a professional is recommended.
Before seeding, make sure the future lawn is leveled uniformly and meticulously. These connections are worked flush or with an undercut of no more than two centimeters and also meticulously pressed on with the help of the wooden rake that is used for this. “Creating the fine subgrade” is another name for this stage.
Maybe you dug a little late and the soil hasn’t had a chance to settle yet? The fine subgrade must be rolled or compressed with footboards before it is generated in this situation. The sinking surface can still be made to compensate for any unevenness.
What should be considered before sowing the lawn?
- All tasks that could harm the newly established lawn must be accomplished before moving forward.
- Root weeds must be thoroughly eliminated during this procedure of soil preparation before the lawn is sown.
- Sand, lava, or expanded clay are used to amend heavy clay as well as loam soils.
- The addition of a lot of compost material or green manure can help improve the quality of light soils.
- Green manuring or aerification is used to loosen up hard-packed soils before sowing.
- Using mostly organic fertilizer benefits all soil types.
- Measure the pH of the soil two months before sowing the lawn and make any necessary adjustments.
- Rough grading is completed no later than four weeks prior to sowing.
- After excavating, if the earth hasn’t settled, it is rolled or tamped.
- Finally, a wooden rake is used to create the fine subgrade prior to sowing.
Choosing the right Lawn Seed
Turf seed combinations are available for purchase. There is no single species of grass that makes up a lawn. Rather, lawns are made up of a diverse assortment, each of which contributes to the ideal, dense surface. The quality and layout of your potential lawn can be greatly influenced by the type of grass seed mixture you choose. Because they differ based on the intended use.
Even while the stresses placed on a beautiful lawn are somewhat different from those placed on a play and sports lawn, there is no escaping the fact that. For gardens without regular grass, there are seed mixtures specifically tailored for shady lawns or dry lawns.
Most manufacturers these days offer a wide range of grass seed combinations for a variety of uses, as well as comprehensive instructions on how to use and care for them.
In our opinion, a standard seed mixture is best (RSM). This seal has been put through rigorous testing and can therefore guarantee quality in terms of germinating capacity and a diverse range of grass species. You’ll get much better results if you spend a little extra on a better seed.
Which grass seeds are perfect for my Lawn
- There are several seed mixtures available depending on if you want to reseed, establish lawns in the shade of trees, or play and utility lawns.
- High-grade regular seed mixtures (RSM) are well worth the money.
Apply Lawn Seeds – Manually or with a Spreader Truck
Perfect weather conditions for sowing lawn seeds are warm temperatures with a slight drizzle. If this isn’t possible, use a lawn sprinkler to water the seedlings. The soil should also be moist enough for the plants to thrive. This can be used for sowing if it is given.
Organic lawn fertilizers can be applied directly to your lawn if you’re doing most of your fertilizing organically. The right seed density is critical for the next sowing. If you don’t use the recommended amount of seed, your lawn will have an uneven appearance over time. Hand-seeding or using a spreader truck are both methods of seeding.
Spreading Lawn Seed Manually by hand
If you want to seed by hand a small area, follow these instructions: Calculate the amount of seed needed by measuring and weighing a square meter of ground (the amount per square meter is usually indicated on the seed mix). Make a uniform distribution of the material throughout the space. This will help you gauge the proper spacing between the seeds.
Measure the seed each time to ensure it fits the region after dividing the remaining area into parts or strips. Transverse and longitudinal rows of seed should be sown across the full area that will be your grass.
Spreading Lawn Seed with a Spreader truck
The use of a spreader cart allows for more accurate distribution of lawn seed over wide areas. If you own a spreader truck, here’s how to begin.
Here’s how to fine-tune the spreading capability of the spreader. Layout a sheet of fabric or plastic, several square meters in size, and test the spreader over it. Fill the spreader wagon and then drive so far that the piece of sheet driven over is one square meter in size. Fill a jar halfway with seed from the film and weigh it. Modify the seed strength of the spreader vehicle based on how far your outcome deviates from the recommended amount per square meter of your seed combination.
After sowing, either thinly covers the grass seed with Lawn Soil, which produces appropriate starting conditions for the new lawn. To protect the seed from drying out and bird predation, it can also be pushed shallowly – 0.5 to 1 cm deep – into the soil with a rake. The soil is then closed: the seed must come into contact with the substrate in order to absorb water and germinate. This is done using a light roller or treader machine.
Proper Method of Spreading Lawn Seeds
- The soil must be moist, but the top layer should be crumbly and dried off.
- Immediately prior to seeding, organic lawn fertilizer is applied.
- The suggested seeding density will vary depending on the type of seed used and the packaging it came in.
- Hand sowing or spreading with a spreader truck are also viable options. In big areas, the spreader truck delivers a more uniform finish.
- Cover the seed after sowing with a lawn-specific soil or work it in before pressing it down.
Watering the Lawn after Sowing
The germination process begins and continues as long as moisture is available after seeding. So long as it doesn’t rain, make sure to water your plants every day for roughly a month. Submergence of the soil will deprive the seeds of oxygen, therefore keeping them above ground. When the weather is dry, use the finest sprinkler setting three to four times a day for roughly 10 to 15 minutes each time.
How to properly water the lawn after seeding?
- A constant supply of moisture is ideal for the lawn, but not at the expense of drowning it.
- Because a newly sown grass is still delicate, use caution when watering it with hoses or other aeration tools.
Lawn Maintenance after Seeding
You may establish a solid base for a magnificent, lush green lawn by carefully preparing the area and sowing the correct grass seed combination. In order to keep your lawn looking its best, make sure you take adequate care of it.
Regular mowing is an important part of lawn upkeep. Whether you mulch or mow your grass, it will always be well-fed from below. In most cases, the weeds can’t stand being continuously headed and will die as a result of it. Couch grass, dandelion, and ribwort, on the other hand, are difficult to remove.
The initial cut is made at a cutting height of 4 cm when the growth is 6 to 10 cm high. For the sake of the young grass plants, only use razor-sharp mower blades on your lawn. Organic fertilizers should be used just after the second or third cut, but keep the season in mind. Organic fertilizer should not be applied after October.
Tip: Mow your lawn on a regular basis to prevent it from becoming out of control. A fast-growing species will shade out the supposedly lesser grasses, resulting in their death. Weeds can quickly take the place of the under grasses in a lawn that has thinned out in this manner.
Because of the fast growth, your lawn requires a lot of nutrients to stay healthy and resist the competition from unwanted weeds. So fertilizer is typically sprayed two to three times a year to maintain the soil’s health. Organic Fertilizers have a naturally long-term impact, so you can even accomplish the lawn fertilization with a single large application every year in an emergency.
To prevent moss and lawn thatch, regular, adequate fertilizing using predominantly organic lawn fertiliser is the best defense. It even prevents you from having to do frequent scarifying and sanding, which are both unnecessary expenses. All year long, organic lawn fertilizers keep soil active, loosen it, feed it and eat away at the grass’ thatch. Organic Lawn Fertilizers with higher potassium concentrations, ensure frost-resistant grasses for the fall season.
How to properly maintain the lawn after sowing grass seeds
- The very first cut is taken when the grass is 4 to 8 cm tall.
- After the second or third cut, fertilize the grass with Organic Fertilizers.
- Spring and autumn are the ideal times to cut your grass.
- For the foreseeable future, fertilizing your lawn two to three times each year will be required to keep it lush and green.
Here’s more on lawn care throughout the year after seeding to maintain it healthy and robust.