THE SHORTER, COOLER DAYS OF EARLY SEPTEMBER make it the ideal time to make permanent improvements to the condition of your lawn. In fact, turf experts agree that this is the best time of year to start a lawn from seed but time is limited.
The first step is a quick pH test on the area to see if the soil is acidic. If it is, apply enough pelletized lime to bring the soil back to neutral. The folks at your local garden center can help you figure this out. If you ignore this step and start seed in acidic soil, you’ll find that the seeds will sprout nicely but the grass will struggle to survive and establish itself. Since starting a lawn from seed is so labor intensive, don’t ignore this step.
Once the lime is broadcast it is time for the grass seed. The best idea is to choose a blend that is specific to your need be it sandy, shady or sunny. Rough up the surface of the soil with a metal rake and then broadcast the seed evenly over the area at the recommended rate. Most folks overdo it and put down way more grass seed than is necessary. One or two seeds per square inch is just right. Premium grass seed isn’t cheap so there’s no need to seed too heavily. Once the seed is down, I like to give the area another light scratching with the rake to put the seed in good contact with the soil.
Now there are only a couple of steps left, but they are the most important steps of all. Remember this, no matter how good your seed is, it won’t germinate unless the area is kept moist contantly. It can’t be allowed to dry out, even for an hour. If the area dries out completely, the seed dehydrates and dies and it won’t restart. If that happens, you’ll have to buy more seed and start all over again.
To help keep the seeds moist, you’ll want to lightly cover the seed. The most common material used is a very light layer of shredded straw. The straw should be left down when the grass sprouts through it. Some folks try to rake up the straw, and they end up ripping out the young grass they worked so hard to get started. The straw will rot away and you’ll never know it was there.
Even with the light layer of straw you’ll need to be vigilant...especially on any hot, breezy days. It might require light watering three or four times a day on some days. Just leave the sprinkler set up in the area for the month that it will take for the grass seed to sprout and grow some roots.
After a couple of weeks when the grass is up and growing, apply a starter lawn food to the area to get it well rooted before winter. A good starter food will be high in phosphorus. The middle number on the lawn food bag represents phosphorus...the nutrient in the food that stimulates root growth.
If you need to start a new lawn from seed or just need to do some spot repairs, time is of the essence. Remember, it takes about 6-8 weeks to get a lawn to sprout and mature to the point that it can withstand the winter ahead.
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