Do you have a brand new lawn, or a patch of bare dirt? Planting grass in your yard not only accentuates the natural beauty of your home, it also protects the soil from erosion by covering the ground with grass. Learn how to pick the right grass seed for your area, plant the seed correctly, and help it grow into a lush carpet of grass.
Tutorial on growing grass with grass seeds. This DIY tutorial includes: choosing a grass seed, preparing soil for planting, planting seeds, and caring for the grass. If you want to learn how to use grass seeds To grow grass, read this tutorial from the Production Department to grow grass with grass seeds!
Choose a grass species
- 1Research grass species that grow well in the area where you live. The most common grasses can be divided into two categories: cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses. To ensure you have a strong lawn year-round, its important to find out which types of grass grow best where you live.
- Cool-season grasses should be planted in summer or early autumn, and their vigorous growth period is from mid-autumn to late autumn. These grasses grow better in northern areas with cold winters and mild summers. Cool-season grasses include the following:
- Kentucky grass, this slender, dark green grass grows well in shade.
- Tall fescue, due to its structure, requires little maintenance.
- Perennial ryegrass, medium sized, grows well in full sun.
- Plant warm-season grasses in the spring so they will grow lush and green in the summer. These grasses grow best where winters are mild and come late, and where summers are hot. Warm season grasses include the following:
- Bermuda grass, a grass that grows better in the sun than in the shade.
- Zoysia, a medium-grained grass, grows better in winter than any other warm-season grass.
- St. Augustine grass, a type of grass that cannot survive in cold weather conditions.
- Cool-season grasses should be planted in summer or early autumn, and their vigorous growth period is from mid-autumn to late autumn. These grasses grow better in northern areas with cold winters and mild summers. Cool-season grasses include the following:
- 2Determine which grass will grow best under your yard conditions. The conditions in your yard, such as the climate in your area, will affect the health of the grass you grow. More than a hundred discovered grass species require specific environments to grow. Consider the following factors when choosing grass species:< ul>
- Does your yard have good drainage, or does it dry out easily? Some seeds require waterlogged soil to survive, others are drought-tolerant varieties.
- Does your yard have a lot of shade or does it get full sun? Choose the seed that best suits your yards conditions.
- Do you grow grass just for decoration, or do you want to be able to walk barefoot on the grass outside? Some grasses are nice to look at but are only suitable for touching, while others are soft and better suited to growing outside.
- How often do you want to mow your lawn? Some grasses grow quickly and need to be treated every two or three weeks, while others may grow more slowly and be kept longer.
- 3Your seed source. You can buy seeds at home garden stores or online. Make sure you buy your seeds from a reputable place. To the untrained eye, all seeds look alike, and you want to make sure that what you're paying for isn't a cheap or even weedy seed substitute.
- Calculate how much grass seed you need. Each type of seed will have a different yield, so after you calculate the square meters of space where you want to plant grass, talk to the seller at a home garden or lawn care store and ask how many seeds you need to buy.
- Some seed sellers offer online grass seed calculators to help you calculate the number of seeds you need.
Preparing soil for planting
- 1Start planting at the top layer of soil. Breaking down the top layer of soil will make it easier for the seeds to take root. If you are planting over a large area, buy or rent a soil tiller and you can break Break up the soil. If the area to be planted is smaller, you can use a garden rake or hoe instead.
- When you are tilling, break up large chunks of soil to keep the land flat and in good condition.
- Remove rocks, sticks, and other debris from the lawn.
- If you are planting more seeds in a bare patch of lawn, use a tiller or garden rake to break up the soil in the bare areas. Trim the remaining grass as short as you can.
- 2The ground remains the same level. If there are areas in your yard where water accumulates into small pools when it rains, you cannot grow grass in such areas. Grass seeds will not survive where there is constant water. Keep the ground level by filling in depressions and gaps with topsoil. Run a tiller over the area to flatten the edges so they are level with the surrounding soil.
- 3Fertilize the soil. Grass grows better in rich soil, and fertilizing is even more important if you are growing grass in a yard that has had grass for many years. Purchase specific fertilizers to help grass grow.
Planting seeds
- 1Sow seeds. If you are farming a large area, rent or buy a lawn spreader or mechanical seed drill, which can spread grass seed evenly. If you need to farm an area larger thanIf it is smaller, then sow by hand.
- For the amount of grass seed, you can follow the advice of a lawn care expert at a home garden store or calculate it online. It is important to sow the correct amount of grass seed to ensure your lawn grows evenly and evenly.
- Do not over-seed your lawn. Resist the temptation to scatter extra seeds all over your lawn. Grass will grow more wispy in overseeded areas because the seeds there have to compete for limited nutrients.
- 2Protect seeds with top soil. Use your hands or a cage roller to cover the entire planting area with a thin layer of top soil. Newly planted seeds need to be protected until they take root.
- 3Water the soil. Set your garden hose to "spray" and water lightly. Make sure it can become thoroughly moist.
- Don't use too strong a stream of water or you may wash away the seeds.
- Newly planted seeds should be watered daily until the grass sprouts and grows to about ten centimeters.
- 4Keep people and pets off the lawn. Grass seeds should be protected from being stepped on for the first few weeks after planting. Consider placing a sign, rope, or flag to fence off the planting area. If pets and other animals roam the area, you can build a temporary fence to protect your yard from harm.
Take care of grass
- 1Continue watering. After the grass grows to a height of about ten centimeters, it no longer needs to be watered every day. Water deeply a few times a week. Just make sure the soil is completely soaked.
- If the grass starts to turn brown or looks dry, water it immediately to give it a new lease of life.
- When possible, let nature take care of the grass. Don't water again after a heavy downpour or the grass will drown.
- 2Mow the lawn. Mowing your lawn actually helps the grass grow thicker and stronger. If the grass grows too tall, it will become stringy and tough. Cut the grass for the first time when it reaches 10 centimeters high, and continue to cut it thereafter.
- If you leave grass clippings in your yard, they will act as natural mulch and help the grass grow stronger.
- Consider a push mower instead of a power mower. Push mowers are better for grass health because they cut the grass neatly rather than shredding it, which can make the grass more susceptible to disease. What’s more, push mowers make your lawn look like it’s been professionally mowed, and the mowers don’t emit pollutants.
- 3Feed the lawn. After about six weeks, when the grass has grown tall and strong, give it another dedicated fertilizer to help it grow. This will ensure that the grass can continue to thrive for the rest of the season. Every year, fertilize it at the beginning of its growing season.
Tips
- If you are reseeding a patchy lawn, try to find out why grass did not grow in the patch before. Is it a soil erosion problem? Poor soil? drought? flood? The answer to this question may make a big difference in the methods you use during the seeding process. A local lawn expert can provide you with a wealth of information on this subject.
- Birds especially like to see people sowing grass seeds outside. This means that every break you take while planting is a chance for the birds to feast for free. The earlier you plant your seeds in the soil, the better your chances of keeping them in a set area.
Warning
- Be sure to limit walking on your newly planted lawn. A 150-pound adult walking over it can easily cause the seeds to sink too deeply into the ground and the grass will not grow.
You need to prepare
- Grass seeds
- Fertilizer
- Surface soil
- Cultivator or seed planter (optional)
- Lawn mower
- Garden hose
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