Seeding the lawn

Submitted by tired_gardener on Tue, 04/29/2008 - 22:49.

Gardening

Today I choose to write about something I know almost nothing about. Seeding the lawn. I'm telling you this, because I want to make it clear that I'm not an expert. I am giving a place to start, if you are interested in seeding your lawn. I am working on doing this myself, so it is also where I am starting.

I have read several other sites with information on this. They are listed at the bottom. I have also consulted my local garden center, Portland Nursery.

Seed or sod?

First, you have to decide if you are going to lay sod, or seed. If you are doing sod, you will need another article. This article is on seeding. If you don't know the difference. Sod is grass that is already growing. It usually comes in a roll and you roll it out onto your lawn. Seed is just that. Seed. Sod is easier and quicker to start, but it is also a lot more expensive. Here at the tired garden, we don't just care about it being nice looking, we want it environmentally friendly and cheap as well.

Sod is not as environmentally friendly as seed because it is heavier. Heavier things take more energy to transport, therefor more gas is used. Even if you buy organic sod, it still needs to be transported and the machines that cut it and roll it need to get their energy from somewhere.

Preparing the soil

First we need to prepare the area the seed is going. Dig up any grass or weeds that are currently there. Get the roots too. Don't use an herbicide, since we are seeding organically, we do not want to kill the microbes in the soil. Herbicides may make getting the grass out easier, but it will also kill the bacteria and other benificials in your soil. You want a good live soil.

If your soil has already been heavily poisoned, you may need to rejuvinate it. You can let it sit and go to weed, or you can dig in some good organic material, such as some compost. Even if you have not had poisons added to it, it is still a good idea to add some compost. Most soils need more compost and it wont hurt, even if you apply too much. Dig it into the soil.

Test the soil. You can buy a soil test kit, but it is better to get a sample and send it in the your local extention office for testing. This test will tell you what you need to amend with. Check the seed you are using to see what PH it likes. Usually it is between 6.0 and 7.5 PH.

Organic Seed from Shop.com Applying seed

Now that your soil is ready, it is time to seed. Apply more than the package calls for. This is called overseeding and is key to having a lush organic lawn. The more grass you have, the less space for weeds and the more grass you will have. It is a wonderful cycle. Keep a lush lawn and the weeds have trouble getting started. Follow the packaging guidelines otherwise.

Take care of the lawn

Mow high. You should never cut more than 1/3 of the blade off at a time. You cut it short and it stresses the plant out. It will actually grow faster if you cut it too short, because it is trying to grow up tall enough to get some light. It needs the sunshine to get its energy and if you lop it too low it doesn't get enough. It is also more likely to get sick and weeds to come up. We don't want that!

Water heavy and infrequently. Let the yard sit for a while before watering it. If it looks like it really needs a drink, the blades are starting to curl, but are not yet turning brown, water it. You need to give it about an inch of water. Once a week is usually about right. Too make sure you give it the right amount, put a containter in the path of the water. When it gets an inch of water in it, you have watered enough. Heavy, infrequent watering premotes deep roots. The grass needs to go down further to keep getting the water. This chokes out the weeds as well.

Fertelize. Grass needs nitrogen. If you have a lot of clover in your yard, it needs more nitrogen. The clover can get the nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil. Add more nitrogen and the grass can grow better and choke out the clover.

references

About.Com: How to start a new lawn from seed

washingtonpost.com: A Course in Growing Lawns Organically at Gallaudet

Organic Lawn Care For the Cheap and Lazy