Have a patch of grass that is dead and needs to be planted from scratch? This could be from having a big pool on your lawn this past summer, or due to neglect and now having dead grass. No matter how it happened, planting new grass seed is an easy job that you can do on your own.
Till The Lawn
The first thing that you need to do is till your existing lawn so that it is ready to accept the seed. Having soil that is as hard as concrete is going to never give those seeds a chance to take root and grow. If you have a large yard, the best way to do this is with a rototiller. You are going to want to dig up several inches of soil so that the top layer and the soil that the grass roots grow into is loose.
Pick The Right Grass Seed
It's important to pick the right kind of grass seed for your lawn. The big thing you are going to be looking at is how much sun your yard gets during the day where the seed will be planted. If it's in the sun all day long, pick a seed that is designed for the sun. If the grass grows in the shade, pick a type of seed that is designed for the shade. While either type of seed will grow, know that the wrong type of seed will likely die once it is fully grown and in its everyday environment.
Evenly Distribute The Seed
It's important to go heavy when you put down those initial seeds on your lawn. When using a spreader, use the heaviest recommended setting to lay down the most seed possible. When you go back over the lawn to fill in those bare spots, you'll want to use the lightest recommended setting on your spreader. Avoid using your hands to spread the seed because you will likely spread it in an uneven pattern that will result in missing spots of the lawn.
Water The Lawn Properly
The key to getting that grass seed to germinate is to give it the right amount of water. Plenty of water is needed at the start, but not too much water where the seeds are covered in pooling water and rot. The goal during the first week or two is to prevent that seed from getting dry by using light watering several times a day. Once you have actual grass growing, you can dial back how much watering you do, but you should still water regularly to keep the grass growing.
Contact a local lawn care service to learn more.
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