How to Plant a New Lawn

lawn tips

Different lawns have different uses and the first thing to do when learning how to plant a new lawn is to think about what yours will be used for.

Your lawn might have a lot of use as a pathway or area for children or animals to play on. For this kind of lawn you will need a mixture of tough grasses like ryegrass and some finer ones. If your lawn is for ornamental use only, you can use fine grasses. If your lawn is to be in a problem area, such as somewhere shady or wet, you will need a mixture of grasses, including some which can adapt to the conditions. Knowing how to plant a new lawn is relatively straightforward as long as you decide which type of grasses you need first.

Your can use either lawn turf or lawn seed to grow your new lawn. Lawn Turf is faster and it doesn't matter what time of the year you choose as long as you can water it plentifully in the hot summer months. Seed is cheaper and you can choose your own mixture of grasses.

Preparing the Ground for Your New Lawn

The first thing to do when preparing for how to grow a new lawn is to get rid of any lawn weeds or plants in the new lawn area. You can spray the weeds or pick them out by hand. Next, you need to move the soil around to get good levels. The soil should not be too wet or too dry when you start sowing or turfing your new lawn. The soil should also crumble when touched. If the soil is very dry, water it well 2 days before sowing your grass. It if is too wet you need to spread grits over surface. If your soil is rich in clay, you can spread a couple of inches of sand over the surface before raking it in.

You should fork the seedbed over the soil to a dept of 4 inches and then rake it in several directions. This breaks the soil down. You can hire a rotovator for the day if you want a large area of lawn. Only rotovate the top inch of the soil. Compact the soil with your feet or a roller. Anyone who knows lawn growing will advise you to remove any visible stones from the seedbed before sowing.

how to seed a new lawn

Mark out the area in 3 feet squares with strings and canes. Sprinkle the lawn seeds so the squares are evenly covered. Rake them in and use a roller or your feet so the seeds make good soil contact.

Using Turf

The best way to use turf is to lay a strip of it around the edge of the area, where the edge of the new lawn is to be. Lay the turf inside this marked off area. How to plant a new lawn advice includes making sure the joints overlap rather than meeting. The turf should be well butted together to ensure no gaps if any pieces shrink. Using long pieces of wood will help to firm the turf on to the soil. You should also use a wooden tamper or roller to compact it.

Watering

New lawns need watering but when it is very new, water little and often for the best results. You need to keep the whole area moist, which is good advice if you want to know how to plant a new lawn.

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