Planting Grass Seed
A Quick Guide To Planting Grass Seed
There's much more to planting grass seed than spreading the seed, watering, and waiting. If you have a patch of brushy or bare ground, or even an existing lawn that looks rather tired and ragged, there are a few things to be done before dropping that first seed. There are lots of things in life that require some work, and transforming a nondescript plot of dirt into a beautiful green lawn is one of them.
Let's start by giving some thought as to when would be the best time. The best times for planting grass seed are in the spring or fall. Fall is slightly better in most locations, as a new lawn will have a number of months to get established before the hotter months arrive. September is usually a good month, as the really hot weather is mostly behind you. You have time for the grass to germinate, and get off to a start, before the advent of hard frosts or freezing weather. If you decide to do it in the spring however, think early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked. That way, the grass will be fairly well established by the summer months, and be able to handle the stress brought on by hot temperatures.
Now you have to prepare the ground. The equipment you'll need depends somewhat upon the size of the lawn. Forget the shovel. That's way too much work, for even a small plot of grass. A tiller or cultivator is your best bet, and if you rent, you can do a good sized piece of ground in less than a day. If the soil is really terrible or rocky, you might consider scraping off the top foot or so, having it hauled away, and bringing in a few cubic yards of good topsoil. But if you have reasonably good soil, a few passes with the tiller will probably do just fine. You may still need to add additional topsoil or mulch, to get the ground just as you want it.
Your next task is raking and leveling. Remove as many hard clumps or small rocks and pebbles as you possibly can. Don't just "step them into the ground", freezing weather will bring them back to the surface! If your lawn area isn't too large, attach a rope to a board weighted with something heavy, and drag it back and forth to level things out. You don't want to see dips or rises in your lawn after the grass has started to grow. That's bad for drainage, and for croquet for that matter. It's best to do all of this when the soil is reasonably dry, or you'll just end up moving mud around.
If you have a problem with weeds, you'll want to have them cleared away before planting grass seed. If they are numerous and large, apply Roundup, or something similar, and wait a few days before sowing the grass seed. Sowing the seed isn't difficult, and you can either do it by hand or use a spreader. The thing to keep in mind is to sow it evenly. Make certain you have good coverage. Too much seed in one spot isn't going to hurt anything, but you don't want bare patches because no seeds fell there. As a rough rule of thumb, if you're putting down about a dozen seeds per square inch, you'll be all right.
When you purchase the seed, your local nursery will be able to tell you the best grass type or mix, and also how many pounds you'll need. Before you buy the seed, measure your planting area, so you'll know how many square feet are involved.
When you've finished planting the grass seed, it's time to water it down, then keep it moist until the grass begins to sprout (you'll have to keep it moist after that as well, but it's critical that the grass has moisture as it begins to germinate). Mark the area with twine. It may not keep dogs out, but at least it will keep people from tramping through the lawn area. Then, for the rest of the season, enjoy.