How to Make a New Lawn

A good lawn is the starting point for any successful home garden. New lawns can be made almost any time during the growing season though spring and fall are preferred, with fall considered the best season in northern sections of the country. However, no matter when you make a new lawn, there are certain steps that must be followed if you want a deep root system and a thick, healthy top growth.

Spade deeply: Soil should be spaded to a depth of at least 6 inches. Drive the spade straight down with your foot and break each spadeful of earth as it is turned over. Don't spade when the ground is too wet. Soil is just right when you can crumble each spadeful with a slap of the spade.

Pulverize the soil thoroughly: If necessary, work in humus material (such as peat moss), or sand, to condition the soil. Usually a steel-tooth rake will break-up the soil lumps and give you a fine, lump-free seedbed.

Put on three pounds of fertilizer: for each 100 square feet of area and work it into the top inch or two of the seedbeds. This assures an ample supply of all the elements grass must get from the soil. Be sure to apply the fertilzer evenly.

Seed with good grass seed: To get a good lawn started quickly, you need a carefully cleared seed, low in weed content and high in germination; fresh, live stolons or plugs in the case of grasses more favorably established in this way. Sow seed at the rate of 4 to 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet of area. Plant stolons or sprigs at approximately 1 bu. to 300 sq. ft. If sowing by hand, sow half lengthwise and half crosswise. Rake the seed lightly into the soil.

Roll the lawn: Roll to imbed seed and assure perfect contact between seed and soil. A tamper or wide board is used on small areas when roller is not available. This step is essential and should not be omitted.

Water with a fine spray: Water thoroughly, using a very fine spray. Continue to water daily until seed germination is complete or 'sprigs, stolons, or plugs take new root 3 to 4 weeks--then water as needed but always thoroughly.


Source from:
Backyard Gardener - www.backyardgardener.com