Planting a new lawn is not difficult; most homeowners can do a good job. If your site requires major alternation, sometimes is better to call someone who has more equipment, experience, and expertise.

Lawn establishment – Preparing the soil base

• Site should be free of weeds
• Contour and slope of a lawn will be determined by fixed installations such as foundations, driveways, walks and streets
• The lawn grade should slope away from the foundations
• Rocks and debris should be removed before and after soil is worked
• Work soil over to a depth of 3-6 inches
• Periodic soaking and drying will enable the soil to settle naturally
• Level the lawn by scraping soil from high spots and filling in holes and depressions
• Prior to seeding or sodding, the soil should receive a shallow cultivation
• The bed should be firm, but not packed

Seeding

• Initiating a lawn through the introduction of plant units that are capable of developing into other such plants
• Accurate application of seed is essential for uniform density and prevention of waste
• Seed should be applied using a drop spreader
• Seed should be mixed into the top 1/4 inch of soil by lightly dragging the back of a garden rake over the seeded area
• When covering seed on a slope, work across the sloping ground, as this will help prevent washing out of seed
• If available, a thin uniform mulch cover will conserve moisture and reduce seed loss due to wind, water and birds
• Clean straw, shredded bark, wood shavings or peat are all acceptable mulching materials
• Seed bed should be kept moist for 21 days
• Avoid over-watering the seed bed

Note: Establishing a lawn in this manner helps prevent thatch from becoming a problem

Advantages

• seeding is an excellent way to establish a desirable stand of turf by selecting a suitable mix of grass types for the situation
• less expensive than turfing

Disadvantages

• seed may take 4-6 weeks to establish an acceptable stand of turf
• during this delay, weeds may infest the area

Overseeding

• overseeding will reclaim a neglected or ravaged lawn
• overseeding is introducing a desirable grass species into a thin lawn

Preparing the Overseed Bed

• turf should be cut to a height of 2 inches
• area must then be raked vigorously with a garden rake or power brush
• if possible, mechanical core aeration should be performed to expose the soil surface
• seed can be distributed with a broadcast or drop spreader
• water as needed to keep area moist for 21 days