Grass planting, Site preparation
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| Grass planting, Site preparation |
To prepare site we can apply both lime and a complete lawn fertilizer. Lime neutralizes a soil’s pH level. Most grasses need a neutral soil pH in order to thrive. Apply lime at roughly the rate of two tons per acre.
Apply the fertilizer and lime at the recommended rates and according to directions. Work the fertilizer and lime evenly into the earth and then level the soil.
Sow the seed into the cultivated area. The amount of seed required will depend upon the variety, and recommended planting-rate information can usually be found on the seed company’s website or on the bag of seed itself. After sowing the seed, rake or lightly harrow the seed into the soil, covering it by no more than 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Keep the area well watered until the seed germinates and the seedlings have grown sufficient to establish a lawn.
Preparation will be a little different when reseeding. Begin by mowing the existing grass down as closely as possible. Next, aerate the entire area with a lawn aerator. This will loosen the soil, providing both room for the roots to grow and necessary oxygen to the roots. You will probably only need lawn aerator for a half-day, unless you plan on using it to aerate multiple or extremely large lawns.
Often lawns succumb to undesirable weeds or grasses. In this case you’ll need to eradicate the problem areas. During any growing season spray the area of undesirable weeds and grasses with a nonselective herbicide labeled for lawn use.
