There are tons of reasons why you might find yourself planting lawn seeds and putting a ridiculous amount of time, money, and effort into making your yard as green and full as possible — maybe you just did some major construction on your house and your yard suffered a bit, or maybe you live in an area that just doesn’t seem conducive to natural grass growth. Regardless of why you’re creating a new lawn, here are some basic tips on planting grass seeds so that your hard work pays off in the end:
- Getting the soil ready is the first you should take before using grass seed. This might mean that you just need to aerate your soil and till out the weeds, but if the ground is particularly dry and difficult, you might need to put in a little more work. If the soil doesn’t seem to hold water well, it’s a good idea to spread out some peat moss or mulch, along with fertilizer, before planting any seeds.
- After you’ve spread out the grass seeds evenly and they’re firmly in place, the next thing you need to focus on is water — which sounds simple, but it’s a bit complicated and it’s very, very important for growing new grass seeds. Landscaping experts usually recommend that you water the area twice a day, but a more general rule is to keep the soil moist. When you notice the dirt drying out and turning a lighter brown, it’s time to add some water.
- And once your grass seed finally starts sprouting, don’t wait too long to trim it. Many people hold off mowing a new lawn because the grass seems too fragile, but as long as you use a sharp blade that cuts the grass leaves cleanly and as long as you don’t cut the grass too short, then mowing your lawn will actually help it continue growing.
Now we’re asking you for some help — if you’ve grown a new lawn before, what tricks did you use that we might have left out here? Be sure to share your own tips in the comments section!