SEEDING
GUIDELINES:
You can start a lawn from scratch with seed, by planting plugs,
or by planting sprigs. When
you start from scratch, prepare the soil first. If the lawn area
has lots of holes and hills-a building lot with a new house on it
will have these-have a professional smooth out the dirt surface
with a backhoe or blade mounted on a tractor. You can, of course,
do this job yourself with a spade, hoe, and wheelbarrow, but plan
on spending lots of time and effort. Even if you do the spade work,
a final grading by a pro is a good investment.
After
leveling, remove all loose debris (sticks and stones) and prepare
the soil for seeding. The earth should be tiled about 3 to 4 inches
deep to loosen it. Then let the soil settle for a week or so. If
it doesn't rain in this period, sprinkle the dirt with water to
help settle it. But go easy. You don't want to turn the soil into
hardpan.
After
the soil has settled, fertilize the entire area with a quality new
grass fertilizer. New grass fertilizer has a high phosphorus content,
which helps establish a strong root system. Now sow the grass seed.
Use a spreader with controls for seeding rather than broadcasting
the seed with your hands or with a whirling mechanical device. A
spreader distributes the seeds evenly over the ground, giving you
correct, consistent coverage without waste. We do recommend that
you over seed slightly, as detailed above.
Divide
the lawn into quarters and do one quarter at a time. After the seed
is applied to one section, rake it down into the soil. Try to cover
as much seed as possible with a reasonable amount of raking. Then
do each of the other sections in the same way. It's much easier
to keep track of your work by doing the seeding this way.
Water
the earth lightly with a garden hose and nozzle on the light spray
setting. You want the ground damp, but not muddy. Keep watering
daily and don't skimp on the water. If it rains, you can skip the
watering procedure. However, we can't emphasize too much that plenty
of water is needed to help the grass seed germinate.
Seed
germination requires sunlight, moisture, and warmth. You can provide
one of the three. If the seeds are not watered, they can't germinate-even
if the other conditions are there.
Cut
the grass when it reaches a height of about 3 inches. Keep the mower
set between 2 and 2 1/2 inches until the lawn is fully established
(about two years); then you can lower the cutting height to 1 1/2
inches for most grass. From 30 to 40 days after planting, use a
quality starter fertilizer to fertilize the soil again.
As
the lawn becomes established, continue to fertilize it, usually
between February and April and again between August and October.
PLUGS
AND SPRIGS:
Plugging and sprigging are two ways to establish a lawn without
starting from seeds. Sometimes they're the only way to establish
it, depending on the type of turf grass to be grown. Typical grasses
are Zoysia, St. Augustine grass, Bahia grass, and Bermuda grass;
some of these may be planted from seed as well as plugs and sprigs.
The steps:
First,
smooth and rake the soil so that all high and low spots are leveled.
Then let the soil settle for a week or so. Go back over the soil
with a rake, making sure all debris is removed. Rocks larger than
golf balls should be removed; any rocks smaller than this are okay.
In fact, small rocks are desirable since you want a soil mixture
that has small and large particles to help prevent erosion.
After
the soil is settled and raked, fertilize the soil, using a quality
starter fertilizer. Spread it at the rate suggested on the fertilizer
bag.
If
you are sprigging, plant the sprigs at the intervals recommended
by the retailer; generally, sprigs should be placed at 6 to 10 inch
apart in cultivated soil.
If
you are plugging, dig holes 3 inch deep for the plants at 8- to
12-inch intervals. Set the plugs firmly in the holes. After setting
both sprigs and plugs, press the soil with your fingers to compact
it against the root system. Water the area frequently so the earth
stays damp, but don't make it muddy. In about 30 days, cover the
area with another shot of starter fertilizer, applying the fertilizer
at the rate recommended on the fertilizer bag.
LAYING
SOD:
Putting down freshly cut sod over a cultivated ground base probably
is the quickest way to establish a new lawn. It is also the most
expensive. Therefore, sod generally is used to fill bare spots quickly
or to prevent soil erosion on freshly graded slopes and little hilly
areas.
The
first step is to cultivate the ground as you would for new seeding.
Level it and remove all debris. Then fertilize the ground with a
quality starter fertilizer applied at the rate suggested on the
package label.
Start
the first strips of sod up against a straight edge; a 2X4 or a line
stretched between two stakes will work okay. Butt the ends of the
sod lengths tightly together. As you progress along the area, stagger
the ends and edges of the sod strips so there are no four-corner
joints. A good pattern to follow is a brick wall with a running
bond configuration. On slopes, peg the sod with two 1X2 stakes for
each strip to prevent slippage.
Immediately
after the sod is in place, water it and keep it damp for several
weeks. Don't skimp on the water, but don't drown the grass either.
The water gives the root system a chance to meld with the soil.
It is best to over water for the first week or so and then go to
a normal watering regimen, since sod needs more water after it is
first laid on cultivated ground. If during this watering period
you spot a square of sod that is dying, remove it and replace it
with a new section.
When
the grass has grown about one third over its length when you first
laid the strips, mow the grass to a 2-1/2-inch height. After four
weeks, give the sod another starter fertilizer feeding. Then follow
with regular mowing and feedings.
SEEDING
BARE SPOTS:
You can buy quick-cover grass seed to hide bare spots in the lawn.
These covers consist mainly of annual ryegrass which sprouts fast,
but dies out after the growing season. You also can seed with a
quick cover plus a regular grass seed. The annual ryegrass helps
the regular grass seed grow better because it protects the tender
leaves from the sun.
To
prepare bare spots, loosen or slice the soil to a depth of about
1/2-inch Then apply lots of seed to the bare area. Cover the seed
by pulling the back of a rake over the area; the idea is to work
the seed into the ground. Water the spot for at least a week-14
to 18 days is better-to give the seed time to germinate. Water is
essential. After this period, feed the area with starter fertilizer,
if you haven't done so at the time of seeding.
