Yes, we’ve already warned you about this, but it is so important that it’s worth repeating. Optimal soil is absolutely critical for a good lawn; planting grass directly into heavy clay or loose gravel is a guarantee of failure. Your grass should have at least 4-6 inches of Lawn / Turf Soil or Compost Based Soil in which to grow..

Don’t go cheap on the seed; buy the best quality you can. First of all, the better seed blends provide the optimal combination of grass types for your area to ensure a good take and a long and healthy life for the lawn. Secondly, the better quality seeds will have higher germination rates, resulting in a denser lawn earlier on with less competition from weeds. And make sure to get an optimal blend for your particular region, taking into account growing season, cold hardiness, exposure and local moisture conditions.

On Planting Day:

It’s very important that all of the planting steps are completed in sequence wherever you are seeding a lawn. If you’re only seeding a small area, then you can work on it as a whole. However, if you’re doing a large area or an entire lawn, it may be wise to divide the lawn into manageable rectangles and work on these one at a time, from start to finish. Be sure to mark off these areas using string or wooden markers. For the “average” person, a manageable section might be in the neighborhood of 20’ by 20’.

The planting surface has to be absolutely flat before the seed ever touches the ground, or you’ll be left with an uneven lawn surface that’s a nightmare to mow. For optimal results, first till the entire area to a depth of at least 6” using a power tiller. Pack it down firmly with a roller, then loosen up the top 1-2” with a rigid hand rake, spreading the soil evenly around for a perfectly smooth and level surface. If necessary, repeat this process of tilling, rolling and raking for various parts of the planting surface until you have achieved perfection. Finally, once the entire surface is level, give it one final light rolling, and then lightly loosen up the top half inch of soil with a rake in preparation for planting.

First of all, make sure to apply the seed on a windless day. It is absolutely critical that the seed is applied evenly, or the result will be a horribly uneven looking lawn which will take longer to establish and will be more susceptible to weeds. The only way to guarantee this is to apply the seed using a spreader. Never disperse the seed by sprinkling from your hand – this is a sure-fire way to get uneven results. Plan to apply the seed densely, at the top end or even slightly higher than the application rates suggested by the seed company; there’s no harm in seeding denser that recommended, although costs start to increase quite dramatically with heavier applications.

To get optimal results, set the dispersion rate setting on the spreader to half the target rate of application. Seed the entire area in two passes; first in an “up-down” zigzag pattern going east-to-west, and then secondly in a similar pattern but going north-to-south.

Fill a wheelbarrow with primo-quality Topdressing Soil and keep it nearby. Using your hands, sprinkle a half-inch coating of soil atop the area you have just seeded. Be sure to apply the Topdressing Soil as evenly as possible. It has to be deep enough to hold the seed down against the wind and to conceal it from eager birds, who will be only too pleased to dine at your grass-seed buffet, but not so deep as to hinder germination.

You’ll water the entire planting surface for two reasons; to further set the soil and hold the seed, and to begin the germination process. The only way to water this is by applying a fine spray; either by hand using a fine spray nozzle, or using a low-force oscillating sprinkler. Never, ever use a jet of water or it will erode the soil and leave a crater in the lawn! You must apply the water lightly enough that it doesn’t pool or form rivers that begin to drain; these will erode channels into the future lawn surface which will require repair.

Care Prior To Germination:

It will take as long as 10-14 days for the seeds to fully germinate. Over this time, resist the urge to check things out and stay the heck off the lawn as much as humanly possible! Keep wandering animals and paperboys off the lawn too. If necessary, mark off the area with yellow tape or string, and post a large sign warning trespassers that they will be punished in unspeakable ways!

Grass seed requires even moisture to sprout, but will drown or wash away in excessive moisture. For this reason, you have to water lightly and water frequently until all the seed has sprouted. As with the initial watering, only use a light spray or mist to avoid creating any streams or channels forming and eroding the base soil. Be extra careful when placing the sprinkler or walking to a spraying location; wherever possible, stay off the surface and water from the periphery. Be sure to adjust this watering schedule for rainfall to avoid flooding the soil.

A properly graded and flat surface may be the substrate for the perfect lawn, but without the roots of grass absorbing water and binding the soil, it is the perfect recipe for erosion when it rains. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do about this short of covering the lawn with a tarp! If heavy rains do erode the surface and carve out drainage channels, immediately fill them in with a mixture of fresh topsoil and seed. Fight back at every turn, even if it results in uneven germination in places; this will correct itself over time.

Care After Germination:

Once the seed has sprouted, it will require less and less moisture to grow. Continue with the second-day waterings for a week or two following germination. Each week thereafter, increase the period between waterings by one day, until you are only watering once a week. Continue this rate for the balance of the growing season, or in the case of a fall-planted lawn, throughout its first full growing season.

New soil always comes with a healthy quantity of weed seeds, and more will blow in as your lawn grows. A newly sprouting lawn will be quite ineffective at inhibiting the germination of these weeds, and as a result there will be all kinds of weeds happily growing along with your new grass. You must resist the urge to pick, mow or treat any of these weeds with chemicals – it is critical that the grass be allowed to take with no interference at all. Don’t worry; the majority of these weeds are annuals anyway, and will not be back the following year, while your new grass will. And most of the perennial weeds will be eliminated in the future with regular mowing, which they cannot tolerate. Finally, the truly persistent survivors among the weeds can ultimately be controlled with chemicals or by other organic means a year or two down the road.

Yes, you have to let your new grass grow to an unsightly height before you ever attempt to mow it. For one thing, it needs to be allowed time to set deep roots without having to repair the top damage caused by mowing. For another, the combined compaction of your feet and the mower wheels will permanently mar the soft soil and will probably dislodge more than a few new grass plants. And when you finally do start mowing your new lawn, start very high, mowing it no lower than 3”. Reduce this by half an inch with each subsequent mowing, until you are able to mow it at your desired height. Remember, the longer you can wait until you mow and the higher you can mow it, the better it will be able to establish itself.

First Year Tips:

Your new lawn won’t be anything close to tough and durable for at least 2 or 3 years. Until that time, pamper it like you do your most delicate flowers. It won’t be ready for football or backyard barbeques for some time yet, so stay off it as much as possible. Pay close attention to frequent watering and fertilizing. Don’t apply any herbicides at all during its first full growing year; these will stunt the grass and actually favor the weeds! Remember, your best protection against weeds is a thick and well-established lawn.

Thin patches will appear throughout your lawn, despite your best efforts, so expect them and deal with them promptly. They are your sworn enemy, as they will allow weeds to germinate unchallenged and will begin to erode unevenly. Always fill them in with a mixture of good quality topsoil and good quality grass seed, tamping them down and watering lightly. Yes, they will germinate unevenly from the rest of the lawn and stand out, but this is only temporary.

Remember, you chose to seed your lawn to save money over sod. In doing so, you accepted the sacrifice that your lawn wouldn’t be lush, green and fully functional for a couple of years while it establishes itself. The first year, it will look positively nasty, with uneven germination, the inevitable rivers of erosion, and weeds growing taller than the grass! You must resist the urge to beautify your young lawn strictly in the name of aesthetics, and you must also resist the urge to wipe the entire slate clean and put sod! Trust me, in a couple of years you won’t be able to tell the difference!