Sowing a new lawn with grass seed
August 10th, 2010
Sowing a new lawn
When you have decided what your new lawn will be used for and you have chosen the appropriate grass seed it is time to sow the seed.
The best time to sow a new lawn is spring or autumn when the weather is not too hot or dry.
Start by removing all weeds, the remains of other plants and debris from the area about to be sowed.
Rake well and try to get the area as level as possible.
Once the area for your new lawn has been prepared it is important to wait for the correct conditions before you sow the grass seed. The soil must not be too dry or too wet – it should just crumble slightly when touched. If the soil is too dry, water it a couple of days before sowing.
Immediately before sowing, the area must be raked well to a depth of about 3 inches and then compacted using a roller or the heels of your feet. This step is very important and will eventually determine how well the new lawn develops. When this preparation is compete, you are now ready to sow the grass seed.
The easiest way to get an even distribution of grass seed is to mark out the area to be seeded in metre squares using string and pegs. This way you can be certain that the same amount of grass seed is sown in each square. Carefully sprinkle the seed by hand into one square at a time until each square is evenly covered.
When all the seed has been dispersed, slightly rake the area again and compact again using a roller or your heels. This will make sure that the grass seeds make a good contact with the soil which will aid germination.
Regularly water your newly son lawn, especially in warm or dry weather and you should see results within a couple of weeks.