Here it is, you have a beautifully prepared chunk of land that you want to put grass on but the question is still bothering you. Should I seed or sod? This question is not hard to answer you just have to be honest to yourself when it comes down to a couple of questions. You should ask yourself if you can afford to do the option of sod. If you do not have the money to do sod then do you have the extra time to put into doing seed?
If you are on a budget seeding is the way to go. Seeding does have an initial start up cost (especially if you have never done it before). The tools required are not too expensive but are a necessity. If you really wanted to you could probably rent some of them to help lesson some of the costs. But the basics I would recommend you buy are a decent seed spreader, a round point digging shovel, a spade shovel, and a good garden rake. I do want to note here that seeding is a lot more time consuming than laying sod. You do need to make a judgment call here to determine if you have the time in your day to put into this method. There are alternatives to putting in all that time. There are several ground covers on the market that you could use that require little or no mowing. But to save time costs you money, so make your choices carefully.
Planting seed is best done in the late summer or early fall. The cooler temperatures and added precipitation allow for accelerated germination of the seeds. Different grasses grow in different climates. To make sure you choose the proper seed, make sure you talk to a sod supplier or nursery that knows the growing conditions and temperature of your area so he can suggest the right type. This is not a part of the lawn you want to cheap out on here. This is a great example of you get what you pay for. Considering the seed is the cheapest part of the lawn anyway, so what if you spend a few more bucks. You will be rewarded with a nice healthy lawn year after year.
Starting a lawn from sod is by far the fastest way to have a lawn. The truck pulls up, unloads and you start rolling, right? Well sort of. You will have that lawn right away but there is still a lot of work to make sure it looks good year after year. First thing to know is you have to lay your sod in either the spring or the fall. Never lay sod in the heat of summer or the end of the season. The heat can burn the sod and the cold will kill it if the roots have not had a chance to take hold yet. Sod is a great alternative to seed on sloping areas too. Seed tends to wash down the slope from watering and raining.
So it all comes down to Both sides have their pros and cons but whichever way you decide to go with your lawn(if done properly) will give you a beautiful and healthy lawn you can be proud of.
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Saturday, March 21
Soil Prep For Your New Lawn
So you have decided to redo your lawn. There is nothing more important to your new lawn as how well you prepare your soil. This one part of the whole process can negate any future efforts if not done properly. In this article I will try to help you through these steps to aid you in having a luscious green lawn.
The benefits to preparing your soil properly will pay you back tenfold with good uniformity and density to less use of fertilizer and water. Let’s not forget the most important part, less maintenance. There is a bit of a balancing act involved with growing a beautiful full lawn that you need to know in order to prepare your soil properly. The four factors in this balancing act are; air, water, nutrients, and sunlight. The sun typically will take care of its self so all you need to worry about is the air, water, and nutrients. These three factors all come from the soil which you are responsible for. Too much or too little of any of these and you will have problems sustaining a nice green lawn. Unless brown is more your color.
Now let’s start to work. The first thing in soil prep for your new grass will be removing the existing overburden on the land. Weather it is rocks, weeds, or an existing (albeit frustrating) lawn, you have to remove it in order to get the ground right for planting. This is where most people get cheap. I cannot stress this enough, if you do not want all your hard work and efforts in planting your new lawn to be in vain then you have to prep your soil properly.
For a new lawn the recommended depth of new soil should be between 4-6 inches. So to start you need to remove all existing sod and any material in the soil that is 2 inches or bigger (ex. Stumps, rocks, debris). If you are doing a small plot then you could accomplish this step with nothing more than a spade shovel and a rake. But for a full large lawn you may want to go down to your local rental shop and ask to rent a few things. First you will need a sod cutter to remove all existing sod and roots. This will help prevent old grass and weeds from growing through your new lawn.
Once you have all the overburden striped off the land then you will need to have your soils pH tested. You can usually have this done at a local nursery or garden center in your area. While you are there you should ask them what type of soil you have as well. This bit of information will help you in deciding what amendments (fertilizer, lime, sulfur) you will need to put in your soil in order for your roots to grow into it well. Most likely you will need to add something to your soil in order to have an ideal bed to plant your grass on. Due to differences from place to place when it comes to soil type, temperature, and precipitation, I will not get into the different types of soils and amendments in this article since you can get all this info from an expert in your area.
Now it is time to go back to the rental store to rent a tiller and water/lawn roller. First you should start by tilling all the compacted soil in the area you stripped earlier, remembering to pull out any rocks or debris that are over 2 inches in size. After tilling is done you should rough grade the land so there are no low spots that will collect water. When rough grading you need to take into account the slope of the land. Make sure your lawn is not going to drain water to your house and if it does you need to fix this problem. If substantial grading is required you may need to consult with a local landscaping company so you get this part right. In some municipalities it is illegal to divert water runoff onto someone else’s property so you may need to put in a retaining wall and/ or drain tile to deal with excess water runoff/build up.
Next step is to start spreading out a starter fertilizer and soil conditioner. Once again your garden supply store or nursery will best suited to tell you how much you will need for your climate and soil conditions. On a side note, if you have enough, compost can be used for a really good soil conditioned and it will save you money at the same time.
Once all soil amendments have been added you will have to go back to the till and till the amendments into the soil. Now that your amendments have been added, a little more rough grading will fill in any of the low spots your may have missed on the first pass. With that part done the last step is to roll the area with the water roller to compact the soil to a light firmness.
Your nursery or garden supply center may suggest to you that you will need to add topsoil to your yard in order to get the proper soil conditions. If that is the case you may be able to just till the ground and add your soil. This method should get rid of the need for amendments in your lawn. Like before, your nursery or garden supply center will know best for the area and you should listen to their recommendations over any other.
Thank you for taking the time to read through my article and I am sure with a little hard work and determination you too can have a lawn your neighbors will envy.
The benefits to preparing your soil properly will pay you back tenfold with good uniformity and density to less use of fertilizer and water. Let’s not forget the most important part, less maintenance. There is a bit of a balancing act involved with growing a beautiful full lawn that you need to know in order to prepare your soil properly. The four factors in this balancing act are; air, water, nutrients, and sunlight. The sun typically will take care of its self so all you need to worry about is the air, water, and nutrients. These three factors all come from the soil which you are responsible for. Too much or too little of any of these and you will have problems sustaining a nice green lawn. Unless brown is more your color.
Now let’s start to work. The first thing in soil prep for your new grass will be removing the existing overburden on the land. Weather it is rocks, weeds, or an existing (albeit frustrating) lawn, you have to remove it in order to get the ground right for planting. This is where most people get cheap. I cannot stress this enough, if you do not want all your hard work and efforts in planting your new lawn to be in vain then you have to prep your soil properly.
For a new lawn the recommended depth of new soil should be between 4-6 inches. So to start you need to remove all existing sod and any material in the soil that is 2 inches or bigger (ex. Stumps, rocks, debris). If you are doing a small plot then you could accomplish this step with nothing more than a spade shovel and a rake. But for a full large lawn you may want to go down to your local rental shop and ask to rent a few things. First you will need a sod cutter to remove all existing sod and roots. This will help prevent old grass and weeds from growing through your new lawn.
Once you have all the overburden striped off the land then you will need to have your soils pH tested. You can usually have this done at a local nursery or garden center in your area. While you are there you should ask them what type of soil you have as well. This bit of information will help you in deciding what amendments (fertilizer, lime, sulfur) you will need to put in your soil in order for your roots to grow into it well. Most likely you will need to add something to your soil in order to have an ideal bed to plant your grass on. Due to differences from place to place when it comes to soil type, temperature, and precipitation, I will not get into the different types of soils and amendments in this article since you can get all this info from an expert in your area.
Now it is time to go back to the rental store to rent a tiller and water/lawn roller. First you should start by tilling all the compacted soil in the area you stripped earlier, remembering to pull out any rocks or debris that are over 2 inches in size. After tilling is done you should rough grade the land so there are no low spots that will collect water. When rough grading you need to take into account the slope of the land. Make sure your lawn is not going to drain water to your house and if it does you need to fix this problem. If substantial grading is required you may need to consult with a local landscaping company so you get this part right. In some municipalities it is illegal to divert water runoff onto someone else’s property so you may need to put in a retaining wall and/ or drain tile to deal with excess water runoff/build up.
Next step is to start spreading out a starter fertilizer and soil conditioner. Once again your garden supply store or nursery will best suited to tell you how much you will need for your climate and soil conditions. On a side note, if you have enough, compost can be used for a really good soil conditioned and it will save you money at the same time.
Once all soil amendments have been added you will have to go back to the till and till the amendments into the soil. Now that your amendments have been added, a little more rough grading will fill in any of the low spots your may have missed on the first pass. With that part done the last step is to roll the area with the water roller to compact the soil to a light firmness.
Your nursery or garden supply center may suggest to you that you will need to add topsoil to your yard in order to get the proper soil conditions. If that is the case you may be able to just till the ground and add your soil. This method should get rid of the need for amendments in your lawn. Like before, your nursery or garden supply center will know best for the area and you should listen to their recommendations over any other.
Thank you for taking the time to read through my article and I am sure with a little hard work and determination you too can have a lawn your neighbors will envy.
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