A lawn can transform a home, but bald spots, whether from heavy traffic or bug infestation, can make it look shabby. It can be difficult to revive the weakened sections of your yard, but it is not impossible. Just follow these tips on how to reseed grass into your yard.
Grass Seed Tips
Prepare Your Yard for Reseeding
Before you begin trying to reseed your yard, remove any objects from your yard. This includes lawn ornaments, children’s toys, and any dead grass or leaves. Next, ensure that grubs or other parasites are not the cause of the bald spots by digging up the top part of the soil. If the patch of lawn comes up easily like an old rug, you likely have a grub problem. You must get rid of the infestation before you move onto the next step.
Breaking Up the Soil
Next, break up the soil with a hard-toothed lawn rake or garden cultivator and aerate it if overly dry. You will need a manual core aeration tool, which acts as a drill when you step on it like a shovel. It puts tiny holes into your yard, allowing the bottom parts of your soil to get water and air.
Putting Out the Grass Seed
Before you put the grass seeds down, add about two inches of compost top the ground. This will help restore nutrients to the soil and promote healthy grass growth. Make sure that you mix up the soil well. Then, taking your rake, turn it upside down and even out the surface of the soil.
Next, you can take your new grass seed and sprinkle it evenly over the area. Make sure that you use enough grass seed to fill the gaps but do not put too much down. Too many seeds will begin to compete with each other over resources, such as optimal soil, water, and sunlight. You will then want to lightly rake the seed to a depth of about ½ inch. Do not rake too hard, as the rake could easily damage the seeds or push them away from the bald spots.
Bonding the Seeds to the Soil
Take a roller, or you can use your feet, and compact the soil so that the seeds become bonded inside. This will prevent birds from simply picking up the seeds and eating them as a snack. As another bird prevention, install reflective tape or pinwheels mounted on short stakes. The light flashing off these materials will intimidate the birds, sending them elsewhere to find their next meal.
Proper Care for the Growing Grass
As your seeds begin to grow, make sure the area is lightly watered. Keep them moist throughout the day to encourage healthy growth. The seedlings will take about 10 days to sprout. Once sprouted, make sure that you avoid going over that area with a lawnmower, until the grass reaches the same height as the rest of the yard.
For homeowners in Texas, cover the growing area with a sheet of burlap. This will provide shade and keep the seedlings from drying out.
Sod Growth Tips
Sod can help turn your bare yard into a luscious green lawn fairly quickly, but much like grass seeds, there are some steps on how you can encourage its growth.
Do Not Walk On the New Sod
Sod needs time, much like grass seeds, to establish its roots in the earth. It is really hard for your sod to grow if there is traffic constantly walking overtop of it. The first month is the most vulnerable time for your sod, so it is extremely important to avoid walking overtop of it. If you have to walk over it, make sure you walk gently and avoid running.
Make Sure Your Sod is Getting the Right Amount of Water
Sod needs to be kept moist in order to promote healthy and full growth. It is highly recommended for the first six weeks that you water your sod at least once a day. If it is pretty hot consistently outside, which in Texas it is, you will want to water it twice a day. Once your sod has established its roots, you can cut back your watering to once a week.
Mow Your Yard Regularly
For newly planted sod, it is recommended that you wait until the grass reaches about 3 to 4 inches before you mow it the first time. Your grass should remain between 2/12 to 3 inches tall.
Use Fertilizer
Fertilizer is packed with nutrients that give your plants a boost. For the best results of your sod growth, you should fertilize your plants for the first six weeks after you have planted them. After that though, you may only want to fertilize your sod once or twice a year. Too much fertilizer on your sod can cause water pollution from run-off and weaken it.
Once you have a fresh new lawn, match it by creating the landscape of your dreams. From water features to stonework, and outdoor living areas, Landscape by Design has all the answers. Contact Landscape by Design today for a consultation and get ready to create your own outdoor paradise.