How to Start Grass Seeds
When you plant grass seed you are fighting the elements, including wind and the hot sun, and you are also fighting other forces of nature such as birds that like to eat grass seed. It is not difficult to plant and grow grass seed; it just requires patience and persistence. The critical part of a successful grass growing project is the very initial stages that help the seed to germinate and get the growing process started. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- NTEP-rated grass seed
- Soil tiller
- Seed and fertilizer spreader
- Gardening rake
- Hay
- Garden hose
- Lawn sprinkler
Instructions
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Measure the square footage of your lawn and then head to the lawn and garden store to purchase seed. According to Greenview Fertilizer, one of the ways to select a higher quality grass seed is to purchase one with an NTEP rating. The National Turf Evaluation Program is an independent organization that rates lawn products. The bag should have a chart on it that will indicate how much seed is needed for your size lawn. A rule of thumb for most seed varieties is 16 seeds per square inch of soil.
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Till your soil so that there is at least a three inch layer of loose soil in which to plant. Try to avoid having large clumps of dirt. Anything larger than a baseball should be broken down. It is okay to have some larger pieces, but you will need a lot of spaces for the seed to get into, so try to minimize the large chunks. At the same time you do not want the soil to be too fine or it will not be able to protect the seed from the wind.
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Distribute seed in the seeding area. If the area is less than 100 square feet, you can spread the seed by hand. Be sure to spread the seed evenly. For larger areas, use a seed and fertilizer spreader to make sure the entire surface gets covered.
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Work the seed into the soil gently with a gardening rake. Do not work the area over too much. You only need to drag the rake over the area once so that the white seeds are no longer visible.
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Cover the area thinly with hay to protect it from too much sun and from scavengers.
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Hook up your garden hose to a lawn sprinkler and water your new seed every other day, or as often as necessary to keep the soil damp so the seeds and the new plants do not dry out. Move the sprinkler around to make sure the entire area gets soaked. The point is to moisten the hay and the ground underneath, but avoid over-watering. If you are getting large puddles of water, you are watering too much.
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Tips & Warnings
Once you see the seed beginning to sprout you can remove the hay.
Do not allow anyone to walk on the seeded area until the grass is tall enough to mow. Most grass is ready to mow when it reaches three inches in height.
