This is done to improve your lawn's overall look and health, thicken your grass, minimize weeds, fill in bare or damaged areas, or convert to another type of lawn grass. Dig or till the area. It takes time but pays dividends in giving a flat firm finish. Ready for wildflower planting. You should take your time and be as thorough as possible. If you’ve forgotten to add your pre-seeding starter fertiliser you can add it now or just prior to seeding or turfing. Rake the soil to a fine finish. Making the soil for an ornamental lawn too alkaline is detrimental to the finer grasses and will promote weeds and weed grasses. Unfortunately, existing turf will not break up readily thereby making it harder work to rotovate or dig. Your goal is a firm, weed-free, well-drained soil that’s clear of rocks, rubble and clay lumps. Adding 6” or 15 cm of new soil. Keep the soil damp at all times, but never provide sufficient water to wash away the grass seeds. It’s important to get the chemical nutrients into the soil before laying turf or sowing grass seed. Water the Lawn. I often see sand layered at about 1” deep on top of prepared ground prior to seeding or turfing. You can sow grass seed in spring or autumn. Your fertiliser should be incorporated at the end of this stage. Different types of grass seeds require different amounts of irrigation. Watering will also settle the ground so if you haven’t heeled it properly it gives you an opportunity to correct it before seeding or turfing. With the tiller, apply it to the … This may seem unnecessary hard work particularly if your next step is to dig or rotovate the area. How to Prepare a New Seed Bed for Grass. Knowing this will indicate how you need to improve the soil quality. Generally, Autumn is the best time for laying turf or sowing grass seed. The final step is to build up some moisture in the soil if things are dry. Puddles form in low spots so these are the areas that need attention. It's easier to fix soil problems before your new lawn is in place. There’s nothing complicated about it but it does take time and hard work if you want to create the best finish you can. If possible, protect the area from birds and domestic pets, chicken wire is ideal but probably impractical except for small areas. Sow a grass and wildflower seed mix at 4 grams to the sq metre. For example, a seeded Bermuda grass lawn must be lightly watered three or four times a day. For normal family and utility lawns, this step isn’t really necessary. However, using a rake to level the soil will only get you so far. Should I spray Roundup again and till soil after weeds are gone? In my humble opinion this does nothing for drainage, may well affect the grass negatively and at best is a poor substitute for a properly prepared and smoothed surface. Sports Grass Seed. Grass seed – sowing, preparation and aftercare If you want a good-looking lawn but don’t want the hassle or expense of buying and laying turf, try creating it from seed. Choose one that breaks down on contact with soil like Elixir’s Glyphosate Weed Killer Concentrate. Once you prepare your seed bed and hand rake the area you can apply the grass seed starting fertilizer. You need to tread every square inch of the prepared area so make sure you’ve got plenty of Radox because you’ll need a good soak afterwards! Conversely, sandy soils may well need some moisture to maintain the texture. Read more. This will create a surface which is as flat as possible. So, add a pre-seeding fertiliser to the soil. You need to do this through a combination of scarifying and cutting. In order to create the best looking lawn you can, you should allow yourself plenty of time to prepare the ground. This does take more time and also adds to the expense of creating a new lawn. Thoroughly remove any old grass and weeds, either by hand or by using a weedkiller spray. When you should sow grass seed. Most plants prefer a neutral soil, meaning on a scale from 1 to 14, the pH will have to be around 7. Sow March to May or August to early October. Do this a few days before seeding so that the surface is dry enough to rake without sticking to your shoes during the seed sowing stage. Do not use residual weedkiller, as it can remain in the soil and will prevent the grass from germinating. Don't hesitate to get in touch for any help or advice. This, too, is very important. You can sow Lawn UK lawn seed mixtures at any time from late March to mid-October providing that in periods of unusually dry weather the seedbed is kept constantly moist until the grass is about 6cm (2.5 inches) high. This step isn’t strictly necessary if you’re laying a family or utility lawn. For quantities that are less than this incorporate as follows: The process of tilling the ground will have brought weed seeds to the surface which will germinate into your new lawn. Using Sand. Heavy clay soils benefit the most from the addition of sand but they are also the hardest to blend. If the bed of soil below that is still heavy clay then go further or call in a professional to lay drainage. The flatter you can make the area, the better your lawn will look when it’s laid. Paddock Grass Seed. Dig or rotavate to a depth of at least 15cm (20cm – 25cm is even better) and remove as much debris as possible – rubble, roots, stones etc. The team at Turfonline offer advice on choosing and sowin g grass seed, and guidance around how long it takes for grass seed to grow. Even if you don’t create your new lawn until October, the hard work will have already been done. Treading is really the only way to firm up the soil and you need to be thorough. Dig or rotovate the site to a … Agricultural Grass Seed. On the other hand, perennial rye seeds need water twice a day. Grass seed is generally rather sensitive to temperature, so choosing the right time of year to plant it is important. This involves treading the soil with very small steps with your weight over your heels to firm up the soil. The amounts should be given to you by the laboratory that did your soil analysis. Whatever type of wildflower seed you sow the key to success is in the preparation. If you rush the prep, the final result won’t be very good. Do this a few times in different directions. On l… The Best Time of Year For Preparing Ground For Turf or Grass Seed, How to Prepare the Ground For Turf or Grass Seed, Step-by-Step, Step 1: Remove Old Turf, Plants and Weeds, Step 3: Decide Whether You Need a Soil Improver, Pruning Amelanchier – The Serviceberry Or Juneberry, Pruning Azaleas & Rhododendrons – When & How To Prune & Dead Head, Pruning Acers – How & When To Prune Japanese Maples, Pruning Mock Orange – Philadelphus – How And When To Prune, Pruning Hydrangeas Macrophylla – Mopheads & Lacecaps. Spray Grass – New Lawn Fast at a Fraction of the Cost of Turf. The quality of lawn you are constructing will determine how far you go with this process. I'm a professional gardener with degrees in Horticulture & Landscape Gardening. The soil pH is very important when planting grass seed. Make sure you wait for the right time of year to plant new grass seed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Use a rake to break it … If you’ve got the energy and inclination tread again in a different direction, rake to level and repeat one last time. Then start seeding. If you rush and make a mess of the preparation, even the best grass seed or the best turf won’t help. If a dry period occurs in this period, use a gentle watering technique (a garden sprinkler or hose with a fine spray attachment pointed skywards) to keep the top of the soil moist. We supply grass seed for lawns, landscaping, paddocks, sports and agriculture, plus a range of fertiliser, spreaders and wildflowers, all at great value prices. As such, I advise you to improve your soil if you can. Less depth, say 10cms is okay but if you’re going to the trouble of digging it up you might as well do it thoroughly. Once you’ve cleared the area and killed any remaining weed, grass or plant seeds, you need to turn the soil over. Once you’ve levelled the soil, it’s time to tread it, or ‘heel it’ as some people say. Although it means hard work and physical exercise, the basic fact of life is that the better you prepare the seedbed, the better your lawn will be. Using seed instead of turf has several advantages; other than the cost, there’s a huge range of seed mixes available, and seed is much better for those hard to reach areas such as corners and slopes. This is crucial if you are creating a lawn from seed because you can only water lightly and gently once the seed is in otherwise you’ll start washing it out. You can do it quicker but the results won’t be nearly as good. Prepare the soil by skimming off any old grass, removing large stones and weeds, and then roughly levelling. Our easy to follow guide outlines the steps you may need to take to get the best results. Improve the soil. Use your feet to firm the soil for grass seed (you don’t want it to sink or settle once the seed is in) and then rake again to loosen the surface. I use Rolawn’s GroRight Lawn Establishment Fertiliser. 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