Learning how to plant grass seed which is growing your lawn from scratch, is an affordable as well as rewarding ways to introduce healthy lawn to your yard. Make use of these tips to help you save money and also achieve success in starting a new garden from seed. All you need is simply a little preparation, quality types suitable for your growing conditions, well-prepared soil, and a little patience.
Planting or seeding a lawn is not as challenging as most people think. In fact, it can be done successfully by anyone. However, it is not as simple as throwing a handful of grass seed onto your garden bed. It does need a considerable amount of effort and time, especially in the initial planting stage, to grow and maintain a green lawn which will last the whole season.
Over here, you will learn the step-by-step summary of growing a healthy, green lawn. For best results, follow these 5 simple steps:
- Buy seeds which are adaptable to your region’s soil type and climate.
- Prepare the ground by removing debris and breaking up soil clumps.
- Spread them evenly across the lawn bed.
- Cover them with a thin layer of soil.
- Water the soil bed lightly to enhance germination.
Step 1 – Buy the seeds
It is important to choose the suitable type which will adapt well to your area’s climate and soil type. Do you know that there are over thousands of grass varieties that exist in the world today?
Knowing which type works best for your area’s climate and soil type is essential to growing a healthy lawn. Generally, lawn grasses are classified into 2 groups – cool-season and warm-season. And the price of its seed is small if you compare to the time that will be invested in building a great lawn. So, to get the best lawn results you need the best suitable seeds.
Step 2 – Prepare the soil
After purchasing your grass seed, the first thing to do is preparing the soil for it to grow well. The reason to make the garden bed is to eliminate any form of obstacles that would prevent it from absorbing water and the necessary minerals from the ground.
Next, using a garden aerator or a tiller, loosen the top 2 to 3 inches of soil and break up any clumps of soil bigger than a half dollar (1.2 inches). Avoid too fine soil, but small clumps are acceptable. Remember to remove away any debris in the ground like stones, sticks, plastic, and other materials that will get in the way of the grass roots. This is to make it as easy as possible for the roots to penetrate the soil.
Aerating the soil can be done either manually or via an electronic device. Soil tilling can be a tiring and backbreaking task. So if you are tilling the ground on a medium to large-sized lawn bed, it is highly recommended to invest in an electronic soil tiller.
Lastly, level the areas where excess water might collect. Fertilize after seeding with a starter fertilizer. And, do not use weed killers before or after the planting.
Step3 – Plant the seeds
Once the soil is ready, you can start planting with a couple of methods. One way is by spreading them with a spreader or a mechanical seeder in vast areas. Another way is by just using your hands to spread as evenly as possible in small areas.
The optimal application for growing lawn grass is around 16 seeds per square inch. Anything more, or too many too close together, would cause the seedlings to fight one another for room and nutrients, resulting them to end up appearing weak and thin.
Step 4 – Cover the seeds
Once sowing is complete, lightly cover the surface with about ¼ inch of soil to hold the seeds in place and retain moisture. Do not over cover because they need an adequate amount of sunlight to germinate quickly and successfully.
Step 5 – Water the seeds
Keeping the grass seedlings moist is a crucial step to enhance germination. The amount of water and also the frequency of watering will depend on many aspects such as your area’s climate, as well as the variety of turf you are growing.
For most apparent reasons, if you stay in a location that gets a lot of rain then the number of times you would need to water the lawn would certainly be less frequent. Water lightly but be careful not to saturate, and water frequently at least once daily, until you see new sprouts growing to about two inches high. After that, water new grass regularly to keep their roots moist.
Regarding the type of grass, some species are a lot more drought-tolerant compared to others. As an example, the quantity of water that Zoysia needs is nearly half the amount of what cool-season ones typically needs. Below is a quick summary of the common types and their amount of water required:
Zoysia: 1/2 inch of water per week
Kentucky Blue: 2 inches of water per week
Perennial Rye: 1.5 inches of water per week
Bermuda: 1/2 inch of water per week
Buffalo: 1/3 inch of water per week
Facing a few different situations and not sure about going through the planting steps? No worries. Here, we have our experts to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about planting your lawn.
How To Plant Grass Seed On Existing Lawn?
Knowing how to plant grass seed on existing lawn can help to fill thinning or bare spots. The steps are similar to above except for Step 2. Instead of loosening all soil, you mow the lawn as short as possible. For bare spots, loosen the top ¼ inch of soil.
Apply twice the amount of seed you would use if starting a lawn from scratch, allowing the path of the spreader to overlap slightly with each pass to prevent bare spots in your distribution. Once the it has been sown, you can add some starter fertilizer.
Minimize traffic over the area and water frequently to keep the soil moist to encourage deep root development. Do not mow until the new grass is 3/4 inch taller than the height you maintain your lawn at, after which you can resume your normal mowing schedule.
How To Plant Grass Seed In Bare Spots?
Follow these steps on how to plant grass seed in bare spots:
- Check out the bare spots to identify its cause. It could be due to low pH in soil, not enough of sunlight from shades, incorrect watering, pet urine or standing water areas. Try to remove the source of the bare spots.
- Dig 6 to 8 inches deep into the soil. Add on about 1/8 cubic yard of peat moss, shredded pine bark, or decomposed sawdust for every 50-square-foot bare spots location.
- Add recommended amounts of fertilizer immediately before the planting. Smoothen and level the area with a rake.
- Spread out the seeds and cover with straw mulch. Water every 1 hour on a daily basis if it does not rain until the new lawn grows to a height of 2 inches.
How To Plant Grass Seed On Hard Dirt?
How to plant grass seed on hard dirt, is by either breaking up the dirt with a shovel or putting a few inches of new potting soil in which to plant them. You can also loosen tight soil by soaking it with water.
How Long Does Grass Seed Take To Grow?
How long does grass seed take to grow depends on the species used and the growing conditions. Generally, if the weather is warm enough, along with good compost being used and with sufficient of watering frequently, it takes about 1 month for them to grow.
How To Plant Grass Seed In Summer?
A good tip on how to plant grass seed in summer is by sowing the warm season types in early spring and into the summer. Wait till the temperature levels reach above 65°F during the day and then only plant. This will enable the warm season type to benefit from the warm temperatures that come with summer. At the same time, it will give them enough time to become established before cooler weather comes during the fall.
How To Plant Grass Seed On A Hill?
One of the methods on how to plant grass seed on a hill is by spreading them along with some lawn fertilizer. Then cover the top of the area with at least about 1 inch layer of mulch straw and water frequently. The straw helps to keep them from washing away and also prevents the birds from eating them.
How To Plant Grass Seed Video
Here is a “How to plant grass seed video” which will show you a method that many golf courses use in growing their lush, green lawns. Suitable also for homeowners to use, the key is to mix the seeds with soil together before putting them down. This will eliminate a lot of raking, and it will also assure that you have plenty of them covered with soil properly which will help on a quicker germination.