Seeding a Patchy Lawn

From pulling off a total lawn reset to giving some attention to overlooked spaced in your landscape, grass seeding is an option that most people can pull off on their own. Compared to installing sod, seeding is a breeze. In this post, we are going to take you step-by-step through a simple grass seeding project.

You'll want to start by clearing out any existing vegetation from the desired area. Sometimes, brown patches in your lawn will still harbor ground cover plants in the soil. A non-selective weed killer will do a good job at killing any weeds that are present, but it will also kill any grass present, as well. So, exercise caution when applying herbicide. It's best to don protective clothing and apply the herbicide only to the selected area. Some brands of weed killer can take longer than others to kill the vegetation, but two weeks should be plenty of time for just about any weed killer to do the job.

When you have the area clear and ready, follow these steps.

1. Thoroughly rake the soil. If you need to, add more soil to barren or rocky areas.
2. Put down any fertilizer you would like to use.
3. Spread the seed. If you are working with a larger area, consider using a handheld, or even push-behind spreader. You'll want to spread the seed in two rounds to ensure better overall coverage. Once it's down, rake the area again.
4. Lightly water the newly-seeded area.
5. Apply a light layer of soil. Be sure it is soil and not hay; the latter may contain weeds, which can really undermine your grass growing goals.
6. Roll the entire area with roller. You can often rent a roller from a local home-improvement store.
7. During the next few weeks, be sure that the new grass seed is getting enough water. You'll want to water lightly to avoid washing away the seed. A good misting several times a day should be sufficient. If it is particularly sunny and/or hot, you may want to water even more frequently.
8. Watch for birds. If you find that birds are getting through your layer of topsoil and eating your seed, consider putting landscape netting over the area for as long as need be.

There are a number of factors that can influence the overall health of your lawn, including new seed. Some of these factors include exposure to direct sunlight and foot traffic. In such cases, you'll want to give extra attention to those areas to keep that grass lush and healthy.


In Conclusion
Keeping your lawn looking great year after year takes work. Now and again, you may have to re-seed certain areas. With the steps listed above, though, you should be well on your way.

For all of your commercial lawn maintenance needs, feel free to contact E.P.M. online or call us at 517.990.0110 today!

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