Grass Seed Planting Tips
It doesn’t matter if you make the decision to replace your current lawn with a whole new lawn, or are simply trying to improve the lawn you have now. As with almost anything, particularly if it has to do with gardening, there are several grass seed planting tips that are basics for anyone when it comes to planting grass seed for a beautiful lawn.
Picking the right kind of grass seed
One of my simple grass seed planting tips: do some research into what grasses are local to your region. Like any kind of plant, grass seed has a climate where it is most comfortable. And since grass grows everywhere, you need to pick the right type of grass seed for your climate. Your results will be so much better and with less effort then if you plant the wrong kind, such as water loving grass in a hot dry climate like Southern California. Bermuda grass is a good example of a grass that is great for warm climates and would do poorly in the northeast or a cooler climate. On the other hand, Kentucky blue grass, or buffalo grass would grow just fine in a cool climate, because those are native for them. I will show you a couple of examples elsewhere in the site to get you started. There are also some excellent books that will help you research your options for you area.
Developing a maintenance schedule for feeding and weeding
This grass seed planting tip may sound like a no-brainer but you would be surprised how many people just expect their lawn to look great without any effort. Feeding a lawn with the right fertilizer at the right time can really encourage growth and strengthen your lawn so that weeds don’t have a chance to show up and thrive in your lawn. A liquid organic fertilizer that is “slow-release” will feed your lawn at a steady pace as it needs it. In addition, if you add compost to your lawn top in the fall (especially if you get snow in the winter) your lawn will thank you for it with lush growth. And don’t forget to do a deep raking of your lawn in the spring and fall to ensure that the lawn doesn’t evolve heavy thatching. It is far easier to control it with this twice yearly tip then to try and control it after the thatching has begun to control the look of your lawn.
The right mower makes all the difference
For a smaller lawn, say less than 1/3 acre, especially if you are not in a region that gets a lot of rain, a cordless electric mower is a great solution, and more eco-friendly than a gas mower (less noisy too, usually). They don’t work well on wet lawns, or hills but for a small urban lawn they are fine. On the other hand, a reel mower is cheap, quiet and will give you a great workout! They also give you great mulch if you don’t use a bag behind them and are so simply designed that they are almost indestructible. Not for someone with an acre or two of lawn, but if you have a small patch in the front, this is the perfect mower.
The ultimate bad guy for lawns – crabgrass – and how to get rid of it
Believe it or not, one of the best ways, and it is organic, to get rid of crabgrass is corn gluten. An Iowa State university researcher found this out by accident while researching the properties of corn gluten. This non-toxic product works in such a simple way: it dries out the seed of the weed as soon as it cracks open to sprout. You can get it unprocessed (needs a spreader as it is very fine), granulated (can mix with water and use on patches directly as a paste) or pellitized (which you can broadcast by hand, making it very easy to distribute).Far better than chemicals for your lawn (and anything else that lives near your lawn) and is just as effective.
Tags: DIY grass planting, DIY lawn care, grass seed planting tips, lawn care information, lawn care tips, planting grass seed, tips on how to plant grass seed
