Are you ready to have an amazing lawn this year? It takes some planning and decision making. Being informed on what you want and how you want it done goes a long way. The lawn service will help with the timing and what you need to do in what order to do it. Typical seasons to grow new grass are in the early fall and spring when temperatures remain mild, but it is possible to establish a lawn during the heat of summer. Planting grass by seed or sod in summer requires some extra care to ensure that the seedlings have enough moisture for healthy growth. It is critical to choose active, summer-growing grasses for your yard to have a successful lawn installation. Mickey’s Lawnscapes outlines the steps to seed your lawn.
Proper Soil Care Helps the Seed Germination Process
When you are looking to seed an area that is all soil and you want to use seed instead of sod you need to prepare the soil first. The soil will most likely be too tight for the seed to get deep enough in to grow. The seeds need to be able to get in the soil so the roots can take hold and the grass can grow. One of the mistakes that many people make is breaking down the soil too much. You want to be sure that the soil is ready. Work it down about three inches from the top but you want to leave different sizes of soil. Each of the seeds need to have a spot to get lodged into so they can grow so be sure there are large enough pieces to keep the seeds down.
Rake the Soil & Add Fertilizer
After you have agitated the soil you want to level out the area with a garden rake. The rake needs to be used to not compact the soil but to level out the ground so there are no low spots. The low spots are where the water will start to collect and that will drown the pieces of seed. The high level spots are just as bad for your lawn when you mow it. The lawnmower will cut down the high spots and that could damage the roots as well. The next step is to fertilize the lawn so that it has the right nutrients as well.
Plant Grass Seeds or Lay Sod
You want to be sure that when you spread the seeds out you take your time. You want to make sure it is as even as possible as well as don’t skip any spots as well. There are some seed spreaders that you can use or you can use your hand to spread them out. A professional has the tools to spread it out evenly and in the right area to maximize the growth of the lawn. An alternative to the seeding process is using sod. Most warm-season grasses are available in sod form so that you have healthy seedlings applied to your fresh soil. Similar to the seeding process, a lawn roller worked across your sod helps the roots establish in the ground. Especially with summer heat, you want the sod’s roots to have instant access to soil nutrients and moisture to overcome the stress of installation and hot temperatures. As a result, your lawn’s establishment is much faster compared to a seeding strategy.
Landscape Design & Construction, Lawn Maintenance & More in Amagansett, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow, Calverton, Cutchogue, East Hampton, East Hampton North, Greenport, Jamesport, Laurel, Mattituck, Montauk, Nassau Point, Northville, Northwest Harbor, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southold, Springs, Wading River, Westhampton Beach in East End of Long Island, New York
Mickey’s Lawnscapes offers a wide variety of lawn maintenance services including sod installation and overseeding. Call us to care for your lawn today!
