Seeding a Lawn

Article by: Paul Burke

When is the best time to seed?

Spring and late summer , Secrets To Beautiful Shade Gardens are the two best times to seed , Weathervanes - Monitor your Wind Direction with Beauty! your lawn. , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One Newly seeded lawns , Planning a Vegetable Garden require wet, cool conditions in order to be successful. These conditions occur in April and May and then again in late August and early September. Of the two, late summer, , Quickly Grow a Natural Privacy Screen or Sound Barrier early fall , Sunflowers is better to seed. , Ellepots/Paper Pots By planting at this time the seed , Lawn Maintenance is able to take advantage of the wet, cool weather, , How To Waterproof a Canvas lie dormant over winter , Decorative Garden Accents and then take advantage of more moist cool weather , With Outdoor Lighting You Can Enjoy Your Garden Into The Evening Hours in the spring. , US State Flags By doing this the turf grass , Choosing the Right Lawn Mower will be well on its way to creating a healthy, , How to Win the War Against Slugs and Snails strong root , Are Robotic Lawn Mowers in Your Future? system more able to withstand the heat , How to Win the War Against Slugs and Snails and dryness of summer. , 'Northern Encore' Tree Rose If you seed , The Endearing Language of Flowers during the summer , Lawn Maintenance months, your newly planted turf will have a hard time establishing itself. Keeping the soil , Decorative Garden Accents moist and cool is very difficult as well as expensive at this time of year. As the newly planted lawn , Are Robotic Mowers in Your Future? struggles to survive, weeds , Growing and Preserving Cut Flowers will quickly move in and take advantage of any areas that are bare or thin.

Preparing your site:

By starting from scratch you have a unique opportunity to ensure everything is done correctly to minimize problems you may encounter when seeding. Grade your site to prevent water , Finding the Best Pond Pumps from moving towards your house , Abatement Failure and Aborting Protocols foundation. Ensure your site is weed , Fragrant Fine Art: Give your Garden a Design That's All Your Own free before you begin seeding. By using a non-selective herbicide you ensure your site will be weed , BBQ Food is the Mental Cue that Summer is Here free. Any herbicide with glyphosate as the main ingredient will be effective. Ensure you follow the directions on the label before applying. By using a herbicide with glyphosate in it, you will see results usually within 7-10 days. These herbicides are adsorbed by the soil , Growing and Preserving Cut Flowers so there is little movement or leaching within the soil. , How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams They also break down in approximately two weeks. After this time period, seeding can begin. Ideally 6-10 inches of a good loamy topsoil is required for a good stand of turf grass. , Save Your Fish -- Heron-Proof Your Pond Unfortunately this is not always the case. If your soil , Save Your Fish -- Heron-Proof Your Pond is predominately clay it will be very difficult for water , How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams to saturate this type of soil. , How to Pick Up the Most Necessary Gardening Tools? Amend this type of site by adding peat moss or a good quality screened topsoil. Once you are satisfied with the grade and composition of your site, rake the area with a good quality garden , Japanese Beetles - The Plain Truth About Traps... And A Tiny New Winged Hope! rake. This will break up any large clumps of soil. , Lawn Maintenance Your soil , Planning a Vegetable Garden particle size should ideally be fine without being powdery. Remove any sticks or other debris from your site. By doing this you minimize your chances for fairy ring to develop in later years.

Which seed , Planting Bare Root Roses is the right seed?

When selecting a grass , Reblooming Poinsettia seed for your lawn , Can Robotic mowers Save the World or at Least You Money? you must take into account several factors. How much sun , Using the Right Hedge Trimmers in Lawn Care is present on your site? How much shade? What colour , The Great History of Roses are you looking for? How much foot traffic will use your lawn? Generally speaking grass , How to Win the War Against Slugs and Snails seed comes in a blend of 3-4 types. They are usually a blend of bluegrass, fescue, and ryegrass. By using the factors mentioned above, you will give your lawn , The Endearing Language of Flowers a good chance to thrive.

Grass seeds , Can Robotic Lawnmowers Save the World or at Least You Money? most commonly used:

Kentucky Bluegrass

Advantages

1: deep green , How to Prune Lilac Shrubs colouration

2: grows , Palm Trees For Sale by rhizomes, encouraging a thick stand of turf

3: over-winters well

4: resistant to many diseases , Artificial Flowers – Are They A Solution? e.g. Red Thread

5: many cultivars to choose from

Disadvantages

1: slow to germinate (25-35 days)

2: does poorly in shade conditions (powdery mildew)

3: needs regular watering and fertilization

Fine Fescue

Advantages

1: does well in shady conditions

2: requires less watering and fertilization

3: over-winters extremely well

Disadvantages

1: susceptible to Red Thread

2: slow to germinate (16-25 days)

3: does poorly in high traffic areas

Perennial Rye Grass

Advantages

1: germinates quickly ( 7-10 days)

2: resistant to diseases

3: good colour

Disadvantages

1: does not over-winter well

2: does poorly in shade conditions

3: grows , Weathervanes - Monitor your Wind Direction with Beauty! in bunches, not by rhizomes

Generally speaking if you are seeding in a sunny area, look for a blend that is predominately bluegrass with a smaller percentage of fescue and rye grass. , Can Robotic Lawnmowers Save the World or at Least You Money? If you are seeding in a shady area, use a blend with a greater percentage of fescue.

Seeding

Advantages

1: cost, seeding a lawn , Save Your Fish -- Heron-Proof Your Pond cost far less compared to using sod

2: custom seeding, by seeding you are able to use different blends for different areas within your lawn, , Planning a Vegetable Garden creating a healthier stand of turf

Disadvantages

time, generally speaking it takes 5-7 weeks for a newly seeded lawn , Are Robotic Mowers in Your Future? to become established, during this time it is essential to keep the soil , Japanese Beetles - The Plain Truth About Traps... And A Tiny New Winged Hope! moist enjoyment, during this 5-7 week period you must ensure little or no foot traffic is present on your site weeds, , 'Northern Encore' Tree Rose a newly seeded lawn , Imagine Your Own Orchid Garden In A Pond is a weeds , 'Northern Encore' Tree Rose best chance of establishing itself in your lawn Once your site is prepared you are ready to seed. , With Outdoor Lighting You Can Enjoy Your Garden Into The Evening Hours Although you can seed , Who Sells Flower Bulbs? by hand, a good broadcast spreader will do a better, more even application. For best results do two applications of seed. , Who Sells Flower Bulbs? Using half of your seed , Want Curb Appeal - Play Dress-up walk up and down to cover the entire site. Repeat this process in a perpendicular pattern to your first application. Your best bet for application rates is to follow the rates specified on the bag. A good rule of thumb to follow is 4-5 pounds of seed , How To Waterproof a Canvas per 1000 square feet. Most spreaders will have some sort of application guideline on them. Try opening the spreader halfway and apply at a normal walking pace. Ideally you want to see 2-3 seeds , Fountains of Refreshment per square inch. Choose a small test area and adjust your spreader until this number is achieved. Once you are finished seeding the site all you really have to do is keep the seed , Designing Your Flower Garden For Year-Round Beauty moist until germination. If you prefer you can lightly rake the seed , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One into the soil , Teak Furniture - The Proper Way to Care For & Clean It for additional protection. By top-dressing with additional topsoil (approx. 1/4 inch) you will ensure a safe environment , BBQ Food is the Mental Cue that Summer is Here for the seed , How to Prune Lilac Shrubs to germinate. The most important factor, however is to keep the seed , Growing and Preserving Cut Flowers MOIST. Water , Teak Furniture - The Proper Way to Care For & Clean It on a regular basis until the seed , Fragrant Fine Art: Give your Garden a Design That's All Your Own germinates. Generally 15-20 minutes per day will suffice. Water , Palm Trees For Sale in the early morning or late evening to receive maximum benefit from your watering. Once your lawn , Want Curb Appeal - Play Dress-up has germinated, let it grow , Decorative Garden Accents to a height of 3-4 inches before giving it its first cut. Usually this is after 4-5 weeks of growth. As stated before a newly planted lawn , Japanese Beetles - The Plain Truth About Traps... And A Tiny New Winged Hope! is an ideal environment , Patio Covers for weeds , No Dig Gardens - How to Build One to become established. Even your best effort in preparing your site does not guarantee weeds , Can Robotic Lawnmowers Save the World or at Least You Money? will not begin popping up. Weed , The Garden Beckons seed can remain dormant for many years waiting for an opportunity to germinate. Weed , Fountains of Refreshment seed may also be present in any topsoil you incorporate into your new site. Ensure your landscaper uses screened topsoil for your best chance of not having weeds , How to Prune Lilac Shrubs germinate this way. By mowing on a regular basis you will deter new weed , Sunflowers growth and your new lawn , Butterfly House in the Flower Garden will eventually choke them out. If you wish to use a broad-leaf herbicide, follow all directions on the label. Wait for at least 5 cuts before using a herbicide. This is generally 4-6 weeks after your lawn , Abatement Failure and Aborting Protocols has become established. As your new lawn , Patio Covers continues to grow, , Planning Permission Tips UK - Landscaping Schemes - Do They Add Value-Is It The Chicken Or The Egg? monitor its progress. Over-seed and top-dress any areas that are not doing as well as the rest of the lawn. , The Endearing Language of Flowers Generally speaking a new lawn , Finding the Best Pond Pumps will begin to look healthy, , The Endearing Language of Flowers thick and vigorous within two years, so have a little patience. By using good cultural practices, mowing, watering, and fertilizing you will have a healthy , Palm Trees For Sale lawn that requires little herbicide to remain weed , How to Prune Lilac Shrubs free.

Paul is a Certified Pesticide Applicator in the province of Alberta, Canada. He has over 15 years experience in the lawn , Can Robotic mowers Save the World or at Least You Money? care industry.

For more lawn , Want Curb Appeal - Play Dress-up care information, , Finding the Best Pond Pumps please visit http://www.fairyring.ca

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Seeding a Lawn

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