Having a beautiful and healthy lawn is something that most gardeners try to accomplish during the spring and summer in addition to a healthy vegetable and flower garden! We’ve talked a little bit about the importance of mowing and having your tools serviced in the appropriate time so as not to miss out or sabotage the growth of your lawn, but a topic we haven’t broached is planting new grass seed.
Plant your new grass seeds on the same day as you are planning on fertilizing your lawn. The seedlings will absorb the nutrients from the fertilizer and it will make for healthy grass straight from the get-go. But don’t make the mistake of mixing your fertilizer and seeds in you fertilizer spreader. Mixing them could cause patchiness in your yard from uneven distribution or patches. You also risk the chance that too much fertilizer could saturate an area and “burn” the grass, causing it not to grow.
If you are preparing an area for planting that does not already have existing grass you should consider the following tips:
- Loosen the top 2-3 inches of soil
- Remove debris (sticks, stones etc.) from the area
- Break up larger soil clumps
- Level the areas where excess water might collect
- Do not use weed killers before or after planting seed
For seeding a lawn that already has grass consider these tips:
- Mow grass as short as possible
- Loosen top ¼ inch of soil in bare spots
- Remove debris or dead grass
- Level any uneven areas
After you’ve planted your seeds and fertilized you should cover with a quarter inch of soil. Even though this is the time of year where weeds can become unruly, do not spread weed killer on areas where you plan to plant grass or over top of the seeds after they’ve been planted.