It's that time of year when kids are back to school, leafs are falling and Speedos are now on sale! I put that last comment in there to see if you are really paying attention. If you didn't catch that I mentioned a banana hammock in the first sentence of a landscaping blog, you might as well go play Candy Crush. C'mon, it's probably what you are looking to do anyways. But for all you landscaping nerds out there looking for info, read on! I'm going to fill your brain so much stuff your going to forget that before you came across my blog you too were actually intending on playing Candy Crush as well! I can't blame you but I'm just still holding out from playing that game monopoly (pun intended) #GoingAgainstTheGrain
But really, now is a great time to seed for a great looking lawn. So here is a plan I have enacted out many times in growing new grass and found it to be quite successful:
- For seeding large bare areas, I have always chosen to not to rent a tiller but instead make all the adjustments above the existing soil. Meaning that instead of tilling up the existing soil, I make the necessary steps above the current soil. I simply spread the grass seed on top of the soil, add top soil on top of the seed (enough to where you cannot see anymore seeds on the ground) and then cover with straw. By doing this I'm basically doing the same process as someone who tills their soil first but get these added benefits:
- I'm modifying my existing lawn with enriched soil by using top soil on top off of existing soil. Over time, the top soil and existing soil will mix together and make the resulting soil stronger/healthier in the long-term.
- I'm saving quite a bit of money. It can be anywhere from $50 - $150 for tiller, ramps for loading tiller or delivery of tiller. Bags of offbrand top soil at Lowes runs about $1.50 - $2. With 10 bags of top soil your only running $20.
Fertilizer can be added to promote healthier grass. I have grown grass very well without any fertilizer but have also seen the amazing results of new grass with fertilizer so it's up to you want to do it. I've also heard many ideas of when to apply a fertilizer and have seen grass grow no matter when fertilizer is applied. Keeping the seed hydrated until sprout is the most important thing to remember. This is probably why 90% of seeds never germinate. They can run out of moisture in warm weather very quickly and once they do, they are done and can will never germinate. You don't need to pull a Bobby Boucher and give them some "high quality H2O," faucet water will do. Just give them a good soaking at least twice a day.
Comment with any questions. Thanks for reading!
