Here are all facts required for best Planting Grass Seeds in the Lawn

Introduction to lawns

• Having a green coloured lawns with fresh grass is charming and eye-catching, ain’t it? The main challenge is to seed the lawns with grass seeds. Lawns are made by two methods- seeding and sodding. Both the methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Seeding is the method that takes time whereas sodding is a costly method.
• The type of seeds of grass is more varied than in sodding- which are pregrown beds of grass that just need to be fixed in the lawns. To grow grass on the lawn by seeding few things are required to be kept in mind that you need to grow.
• A lawn is an area of soil-covered land planted with grasses and other durable plants such as clover which are maintained at a short height with a lawnmower (or sometimes grazing animals) and used for aesthetic and recreational purposes.
• Lawns are usually composed only of grass species, subject to weed and pest control, maintained in a green color (e.g., by watering), and are regularly mowed to ensure an acceptable length.
• Lawns are used around houses, apartments, commercial buildings and offices. Many city parks also have large lawns areas. In recreational contexts, the specialised names turf, pitch, field or green may be used, depending on the sport and the continent.
  • The term “lawns”, referring to a managed grass space, dates to at least than the 16th century. With suburban expansion, the lawn has become culturally ingrained in some areas of the world as part of the desired household aesthetic.
  • However, awareness of the negative environmental impact of this ideal is growing. In some jurisdictions where there are water shortages, local government authorities are encouraging alternatives to lawns to reduce water use.
  • Researchers in the United States have noted that suburban lawns are “biological deserts” that are contributing to a “continental-scale ecological homogenization.” Lawns maintenance practices also cause biodiversity loss in surrounding areas.

A fully grown grass lawns.

Best time for growing grass on lawns

• For growing the grass on the lawns, you must know about the best time of the year. The ideal time for planting the seed on the lawn is towards the end of the summer when there is ample rainfall and the temperature doesn’t reach its extreme heat. In this time of the year, the growth of weeds also lessens, thus allowing the grass to grow properly.
• The other best time for seeding is the spring season. At this time of the year is less favourable for seeds growth because of the approaching heat from the summer season. The seeds get very little time to mature and weeds during that time also hinder the growth. To grow the seeds in this season, weed control applications should be used minimally, at least not till the lawn is mowed 2-3 times.

Buying the Best Seeds of Grass

A person holding grass seeds for seeding the lawns.

• To grow the best lawns, superior quality seeds are required. The best quality grass seeds are approved and rated by the National Turf Evaluation Program (NTEP). These grass seeds are specifically bred for the vibrant green colour and they are also resistant to disease and insects and can even tolerate droughts to some extent.
• Yes, these grass seeds are slightly more expensive than the non-rated ones but the investment of time and hard work will all go in vain if the lawns does not turn out to be green and beautiful.

Preparation of the Soil

The seeding of the grass is preceded by preparing the soil for planting the seeds of the grass. Few lawns in which plantation is done are completely new and others have few grown blades of grasses in them. Both of them need to prepare the soil in different ways.

• Steps for plantation in completely new lawns-

1. Firstly the top of the soil needs to be loosened. The loosening of the soil should be done 2 to 3 inches from the top.
2. The next step should be removing sticks, stones, and other unwanted components from the soil.
3. The clumps of soil then need to be broken into smaller pieces. The soil should not be broken into fine particles.
4. Levelling the lawn area to avoid water collection should be done in this step.
5. The use of weed killers must be avoided while planting the seeds and even after that.

• Steps to Overseed an existing lawns-

1. Firstly the existing grass needs to be mowed as short as possible.
2. Then the next step requires loosening only one-fourth inches of the soil where there is no grass.
3. The next step involves the removal of dead grass and unwanted components like sticks and stones from the soil.
4. Levelling the lawn is the next step to avoiding water collection in the lawn. To level the lawn, use the existing soil, as the externally added soil may contain weed seeds.
5. The next and the last step is to fertilize the bare spots of the lawns after the overseeding.

Planting the Seeds

• After preparing the ground for the seed plantation, the seeds need to be planted. The seeds are thrown manually by hands in small areas. For a lawn spread in a wide area, mechanical seeders or lawn spreaders are often used.
• The thing to be kept in mind while seeding or overseeding is that the seeds need to be only 16 per square inch. The overcrowding of the seeds will reduce the growth of the grass and will make them nutrient deficient as well.

Care of the Grass seeds and Soil

The most crucial part of seeding a lawn is taking care of the seeding. An unattended lawn tends to die quickly. As per the variety of the seed, the grass lawns germinate within 28 days. Following are the things required to care for after seeding-

Grass starting to germinate after seeding.

1. The newly planted grass needs starter fertilizer in them that is specially made for development in the seedlings.
2. The herbicides are not to be used in freshly planted seeds as they don’t grow after their excessive use.
3. The newly seeded lawns or areas need extra protection. They are to be protected by roping or applying a layer of landscape fabric. After the seeds germinate, some of these coverings are required to be removed.
4. Proper hydration is required in newly seeded lawns. The grass bed should be kept moist to increase the speed of germination.
5. The watering should be light and at least once a day. The beds need to be watered regularly to keep the grassroots moist.

Follow the steps carefully and keep a regular check on the ground. Good luck with the new and green lawn!

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-by SHAMBHAVI  (Content writer Intern)

02-11-2023