How To Start A New Lawn

There are occasions when a lawn is just so bad that nothing short of starting over is going to help. This brief guide will tell you what you need to do to start a new lawn. It assumes that you have a bad, existing lawn.

The best time to grow a new lawn is in the fall. If it is not fall, then you should wait and use the time to condition the existing lawn.

If the existing grass is heavy enough you'll want to mow that down as close to the ground as possible. If there are weeds present you'll want to remove them as well, probably best done by hand. Do not use grass killer on the lawn.

The condition of the soil under the existing lawn is probably the single most important part of the overall health of a lawn. When starting a new lawn you'll want to take plenty of time to make sure the soil is in good condition. You should consider having your soil tested. You can take the soil to a local garden center to have it tested or purchase a test kit of your own. The soil test will tell you how much fertilizer you'll need to add to your lawn before seeding. It's very difficult to perform this step after the lawn has taken hold, so take the time before.

If you find that the soil condition needs to be improved, you'll want to add fertilizer and possibly lime. The soil test should indicate what you need. You'll want to work the fertilizer into the top 4 to 6 inches of your lawn. Do this by tilling the surface of the lawn.

If you decide to not fertilize and till your soil, you should consider core aeration which will expose more of your soil to the seed.

Choose a good quality seed that is right for your area and soil type. You'll want to spread the seed in multiple passes, each in a different direction to make sure you don't get striping. If possible, spread a quarter-inch of compost over the entire new lawn.

After you seed, you need to make sure the lawn gets adequate watering. If the rain does not keep your seeds wet, you'll want to water your entire new lawn for short periods of time several times a day. Once the seeds have germinated, you'll want to cut back on the watering. Cut back to once a day, then once every other day and finally once a week.

Make sure you do not mow your new lawn until it's ready to be mowed. The vacuum created by a mower can suck up newly planted grass seeds.

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