Planting a new lawn can be a very rewarding process. The least expensive route to planting a new lawn is to plant grass seed. However, if you choose the wrong kind of grass seed, all of your time and money will be wasted.
Before you go out and purchase grass seed, you should know what type of grass will grow in your environment and growing season. Do you need a cool season grass or a warm season grass?
Cool Season Grass
Cool season grasses grow best in the spring and fall. If you are planting a new lawn with cool season grasses, it is best to sow your seed in the early fall. During this time the ground still has enough heat to germinate the seed. You can sow your cool season grass in the spring, but keep in mind that it will not have as much time to establish itself before the hot weather season. If you wait until spring to sow your cool season grass, do it as soon as possible. These grasses are popular in the Northern United States.
Cool season grasses include Bentgrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Rough Bluegrass, Tall Fescue, Creeping Fescue, Annual Ryegrass and Perennial Ryegrass.
Warm Season Grass
These grasses are meant to be planted in the late spring. Planting in the late spring allows the grass seed to establish itself and take root prior to the hot growing season. Warm season grasses are a favorite from Texas to Tennessee.
Warm season grasses include Argentine Bahiagrass, Pensacola Bahiagrass, Common Bermuda, Improved Bermuda, Carpetgrass, Centipede, St. Augustine and Zoysiagrass.
Sowing Tips
Whether you are sowing a cool season grass or a warm season grass, sowing seed is all the same. When you are planting a new lawn, you have to have a spreader. If you do not have one personally, you can rent one.
Make sure the spreader is set to the right spreader rate.
Pour half of your seed into the spreader.
Walk in one direction and spread the seed.
Pour the remainder of your grass seed into the spreader.
Walk in a crisscross pattern from the first spreading and spread the remainder of your grass seed.
You should apply a top dressing to your lawn. This will help to hold in moisture. This can be peat moss or any other organic matter. Top dressing is best applied using a cage roller and it should be applied in a thin layer.
If you do not want to apply a top dressing, you can rake the seed bed. Use a stiff rake and do not push to hard.
Next, you will want to roll the lawn surface. If you do not have a roller, you can easily rent one.
This step is the most important when it comes to planting a new lawn. You have to water your new lawn gently—but thoroughly. You want the water to penetrate to a depth of six inches. To prevent puddles and the washing away of seed, you may have to do this watering in intervals. For instance, three or four gentle waterings over a few hours may be what it takes to get your seed bed moist. It really depends on the type of soil you have, so monitor your watering efforts carefully. You do not want to over water. However, you want there to be enough moisture so the seeds germinate and do not dry out.