Successful Seeding Tips for your Lawn

If you are creating a new lawn this spring, or just filling in some bare patches, assure your success by following these steps:

• Prepare the soil. Loosen the soil an inch or more deep and level/smooth it with a rake. This will become the foundation for the new lawn you're seeding. If you leave it lumpy and uneven now, that is how it will be after the grass grows in.
• Place seed uniformly with a drop spreader for large areas and a hand-held spreader that you crank for small spaces.
  If seeding a large area, set your spreader for seed, and make one pass going north to south and a second pass across the area, walking east to west. Your goal is to have approximately 10-15 seeds per square inch.
• Create good soil to seed contact. This can be achieved by either using a roller filled part way with water or, for smaller areas, gently tamping in the seed.
• Water and then keep the soil surface moist. "Gently" is the keyword when it comes to watering. You don't want a deluge - or a thunderstorm - to wash your seeds away. Apply a light layer of clean straw (don't use hay) on the soil surface to protect the seeds while still allowing sunlight and moisture to penetrate. Don't use peat moss - it soaks up moisture like a sponge. You don't have to water deeply, just be sure to sprinkle the surface once a day. Also, be sure to adjust to the weather. If you are faced with windy, dry days, it is okay to water more often.
• Don't be afraid to mow. When the cool season grass is three inches tall, start mowing. If you have a warm season grass such as zoysia or Bermuda, mow when it reaches two inches tall. Mowing will help the grass grow in thickly.

Good-luck with your new lawn! Remember, early spring and fall are the best times to get that lawn started if you have cool season grasses (live in northern states). For grass in the South, (warm season grasses) late spring and early summer are your best times to start or patch a lawn.