One of the first things that people will notice about your house even before they get to your driveway is your lawn. Today you are going to read the complete How to Seed Your Lawn for Success: A Simple Guide [Essential Information]. A properly maintained, well-trimmed lawn starts off with seeding. There are a few things you will need to observe before seeding the lawn. First, the soil needs to be right for sowing. This means being at the best PH level. To find out you will have to perform a soil test.
Second, never use any liquid or granular weed preventer. Grass seedlings are sensitive and not very resilient in their early growth stages. Using a weed control chemical might just end up killing them resulting in dry patches.
How to Seed Your Lawn for Success: A Simple Guide
Understanding the Types of Grass
Before setting out to seed your lawn, you need to understand the climate of your location and the grasses that are best suited for that specific area. There are mainly two types of grasses. Cool-season and warm-season grasses.
You can start off by reading the labels on the grass packet. These will provide the basic characteristics of the type of grass you want to plant. You can then match this to the weather patterns in your location and decide whether it is the right choice.
How lush and successful your lawn is will ultimately be dependent on the variety of grass. For example, certain types can handle foot traffic better than others while some can withstand the cold or hot temperatures better.
Warm-season grass varieties do best in areas of about 80 degrees F . They are heat and drought-resistant and are generally creepers. When seeding the best months include between March and September. They turn dormant during cold winters and when mowing, they should be cut close to the ground. They also tend to have broad leaves.
Cold season grasses on the other hand do well in temperatures around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Their blades tend to be thin and long and will turn dormant during summer months. They do best in spring and fall and will grow even in subzero temperatures. The best time to seed them are between august and October.
Understanding the Grass Plant
Warm weather grasses are usually creepers. This means that they have rhizomes or stolons, below or above ground which take root and form a new plant.
Cold season grasses are bunch grasses. They spread and multiply through a special part called the crown that is situated near the ground. When mowing a bunch of grasses, you should aim for a higher cut to protect the crown and to allow it to spread.
Grass Seed Labels
When procuring grass seeds, one reliable source of information will come from the labels. Some of that information will include the total quantity or amount of the grass seeds as well as the type of grass.
Inert content will also be highlighted with regards to its weight. If there are any weed seeds, these will also be stated with regards to weight also. You will also get the rate at which the grass seeds germinate. You should look for a higher germination rate.
Seeding the Lawn
Let’s now take a look at the processes involved in seeding a lawn. While a well manicured lawn can give the impression of a complicated process towards maintenance, it really is a manageable affair.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that the lawn needs to provide the right conditions to allow the tiny seeds to grow. This means fertilizer, proper drainage as well as the right soil PH.
To begin, you will need to till or dig the ground up to a depth of about 3 inches. Once this is done, it’s time to test the soil’s PH.
Testing the PH Level
You can do this using a testing kit which is easily obtainable from your local department store. They are also fairly inexpensive. Begin by putting a small amount of soil into the kit and mix with water. Shake well until color develops on the soil. Using the color chart on your kit, compare with the color of the soil and water mixture.
The right PH for grass to thrive is anywhere between 6.0 and 7.5. Anything above 7.5 means that the soil is too alkaline. You can lower the alkalinity by adding sulfur on the surface of the soil.
If the reading is lower than 6.0, this shows that the soils is highly acidic. To correct this simply add lime. The adding of lime or sulfur will be done later. For now, keep the basics in mind.
Taking Out Rocks and Debris
Using a shovel you can remove any large stones that are on the lawn. The depressions will later be filled with the soil collected from a higher area.
Use a rake to remove smaller stones and other debris that you can find on the lawn. You can then level the place in a neat tidy fashion.
Adding Compost
Use a shovel and gently add compost to the lawn. To make sure that it distributes evenly and mixes with the top soil, you can use a rotary tiller.
Once this step is complete, it’s time to deal with the alkalinity or acidity of the soil we talked about earlier.
Balancing the PH
Depending on how acidic or alkaline the soil is you will either apply lime or sulfur. If the soil was moderately alkaline, you will need to apply peat moss.
For peat moss a shovel should do the trick. Distribute it evenly across the entire surface of the lawn. For lime or sulfur, you can use a broadcast spreader. Again make sure the entire surface of the lawn is covered.
You will then need to apply starter fertilizer. The right application will be indicated on the label. Use this to adjust the spreader.
Finally, pick up the rake and spread the mixture of fertilizer sulfur or lime into the soil.
Also, you can visit the best review and buying guide Easy Tutorial On How To Stripe A Lawn Perfectly [A Professional Opinion] and How To Make A Lawn Striper – A Low-Cost DIY Lawn Striper Guide and How to Reseed Your Lawn for Rejuvenation? and Maintaining a Lawn Care Schedule for Year Round Healthy Lawn
Adding the Grass Seed
Depending on the size of the lawn, you can either use a broadcast spreader or the good old walk behind spreader to distribute the seeds along the entire surface of the lawn. Take care not to overdo this.
Next, pick up the rake and gently work the grass seed into the top soil. Do not rake heavily as this will cause you to distribute the grass further leaving bare patches.
Watering
This is the final step. In case the lawn is large have a few oscillating sprinklers set up to ensure the entire lawn receives moisture. Oscillating sprinklers prevent the seeds from being washed away.
Watering should be done three times a day for, 10 minutes for up to ten days. Once the shoots have started to appear, do so just once a day and for 15 to 30 minutes.
The best time for watering the lawn is in the early mornings. Water does not evaporate quickly but will also not sit there long enough for fungus to form which could cause disease.
Conclusion
Seeding your lawn doesn’t have to be hard. Following the few basic principles laid for you above will ensure you have a vibrant and lush lawn within no time.
