It is believed that you can’t establish a lush green lawn quickly. You can easily learn how to grow an attractive lawn and boost the value of your home if you are careful about certain factors.
Few methods will help you to give better results. Without spending money and simply adopting some regular lawn maintenance practices you can easily grow grass.
If you follow smart lawn-care tips then your pocket will not be affected. If you follow these five basic steps then I am pretty sure you can have a beautiful lawn on the fast track.
Choose The Right Seed
When you grow grass from seeds it will not cost you too much. Before buying the seeds it is better to walk around the neighborhood and see what type and variety of grass they are growing.
You can get all the necessary information about the variety from them. They will also tell you about how much care is involved and you will get an idea about how much budget and effort you need for maintenance.
Temperature is a very important factor in the growth of any type of grass seed. You must choose the right variety of grass seeds for your lawn. An attractive lawn of about 50 m square can be grown from a small box of seeds.
If you want your long seat to grow quickly then you must sow the seeds at the right time. The ideal time of showing the seed is in early autumn or spring. You should check the grass seed variety whether is suitable for growing in a warm climate or cool climate.
Generally, average grass seeds take 8 weeks for the germination process. If you choose fast-growing grass seed then the duration of seed growth will be 5 weeks.
Before buying the seeds, you must calculate the number of seeds you need. The packaging of the product will show you the coverage rate so it is better to read it before purchasing.
Before choosing the variety of grass seeds, you should do some research because each variety has its pros and cons. For instance, if you choose buffalo and zoysia for your garden then you will find both are shade-tolerant varieties.
The Fast-Growing Cool-Season Grasses
The ideal time for planting the cooler varieties is in the early fall or Early Spring. The suitable temperature for growing cool-season grasses is between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The following variety of grass can be grown in the winter season.
- Tall fescue
- Perennial ryegrass
- Creeping fescue
- Bentgrass
- Kentucky bluegrass
The Fast-Growing Warm-Season Grasses
As the name implies, warm-season grasses grow well in warm weather. The best suitable temperature for growing warm species is between 75 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm-season grasses do best in hot climates. The ideal time for sowing the seed is in the late spring or early summer.
- Zoysia grass
- Bermudagrass
- Carpetgrass
- Centipedegrass
- Buffalo grass
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Planting The Grass Seed
After choosing the variety of grass for your garden the next step is planting the grass seeds. There are three options for planting seeds in the ground.
- Traditional seeding
- Hydroseeding
- Sod
Traditional seeding is the simplest way, in this method, you put down the seeds and fertilize your ground. If you choose hydroseeding then it involves putting everything down at once.
This is a cost-effective way of growing grass for large areas. A sodded lawn is an instant lawn. In this technique, you have to only put down the chosen variety of sod.
But this option is very expensive and in this article, we are talking about how to grow grass fast and cheaply. The best, easy, and cheap way of growing grass is traditional seeding.
The steps of sowing the grass seeds in the ground are the same for warm-season grasses and cool-season grasses.
STEP 1: TEST
Before proceeding, testing the soil is very important. A test will show the pH of the soil. It will also help you to determine what type of nutrients you must add to the soil to make it richer. You can buy a soil test kit from any local home improvement store.
The information you get from the test will help you to decide what type of fertilizer and amendments you can use to optimize growth because you have knowledge about the phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen level in the soil. This test will also give you an idea about what type of weeds will grow on your lawn.
STEP 2: PREP
After the soil test, the next step is preparing the soil. First, you should remove existing grass, weeds, rocks, and any kind of debris from the ground to make it clear. Now add the amendments according to the need of your soil to balance the pH.
If you find the soil of your ground is compacted then you must use a tiller. When you till the ground then the soil becomes loose and ideal for growing grass.
Because the roots of the grass can’t grow easily in compacted soil. Compacted soil is very heavy and dense. This is the reason that the roots and the water can’t penetrate easily.
Some gardeners use aerators to open the pores and reduce the compaction of the soil. This machine will puncture the ground and loosen hard soil.
STEP 3: FERTILIZE
Before sewing the grass seeds in your ground you must fertilize the soil to make it more fertile. It is better to use pre-seeding fertilizer at this stage. You can also use starter fertilizer after sowing the seeds. Both are good as they make the soil more healthy.
STEP 4: SOW
After preparing the soil now you can sow seeds in your garden. Before sowing the seeds, you should water the soil to make it moist. For sowing the seeds you have to dig the soil the ground over to a depth of 20 to 25 cm.
For every 250 to 400 square feet of area, you can buy a pound of grass seeds. It is better to buy more seeds than you need.
Now you have done everything, this is the time to spread the seeds by using a seed spreader for large areas for even coverage. You can also do it by hand for small areas.
When you are spreading the seeds then make sure there is good coverage. It can be done by sowing half of the seeds from right to left and another half from left to right.
This is the time to rake the soil after spreading them because it will help to mix the seeds in the soil. When grass seeds contact the soil they will help to germinate it.
NOTE: You should avoid throwing the seeds on the ground because in this way grass will not grow well. If you want to grow a healthy lawn then it needs your time, attention, and care.
When you grow the lawn with seeds then you can control choosing the seeds. Another advantage of this way of planting is that this is a cheap way of growing grass.
STEP 5: TOPDRESS
Now apply a thin layer of organic matter, such as leaves, straws, and peat moss. It will help in the germination process of the grass seeds because it will help to retain the moisture in the soil and reduce the growth of weeds.
Weeds are unwanted plants and they can steal essential nutrients from the soil. You should avoid spreading soil over the grass seed because this practice will not provide a healthy environment. As a result, the seeds will suffocate and they will not sprout.
STEP 6: WATER
Now the newly planted seeds need a suitable amount of water. When you maintain the frequency of water according to the weather conditions then it will help in the germination process and rapid growth.
Keep the soil moist but you should avoid over-watering. For the first week or two you must water 2 to 4 times a day for about 10 minutes. You can reduce the frequency of water with time. Before watering you must check the soil if it feels dry then you must water it.
Beginners think what is the best time of watering the plants? The answer is that you can water in the early morning or in the early evening because the heat is at the minimum level.
This is the best time to penetrate the water in the soil and the roots of the grass will absorb it easily. When you see the young seedlings are established then you should water when it is needed. If the weather is cold then you must reduce watering to only once a week.
STEP 7: MOW MORE OFTEN
If You want to increase the density of your loan then you must frequently move your garden. You must make a lawn mowing schedule to keep the grass healthy.
There are different types of lawnmowers available. You can buy it according to your preference, for instance, the size of your lawn and the time you have.
Robotic mowers help you to move the lawn very quickly. On the other hand, a self-propelled walk mover is best for uphill and sidehill mowing. A riding lawn mower is perfect for large areas. Following are the mowing tips you should apply when you are mowing your lawn.
- You should mow the grass when it is dry. It is better to mow the grass in the morning or in the afternoon when the heat stress is low.
- Make sure the mower blades are sharp and balanced. Avoid using dull blades because it can increase the chances of spreading disease.
- The mowing pattern is very important because the new growth will develop according to the cutting direction.
- When the weather is cool and dry then use must reduce the frequency of mowing because at that time the growth rate of the grass is very low.
- Mowing height is different for different types of grasses. Generally, the maximum height of the grass can be three inches. If you are mowing newly seeded grass then make sure the blades are tender and you mow the grass one inch taller than its recommended height.
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How Do Maintain Brand-New Grass?
For the fast growth of the grass, soil health is very important. If you add all the desired nutrients to the soil then you will get better results. The young grass seedlings need more food. It is better to feed your new lawn every 4 to 8 weeks.
When you see the grass is about 3 inches then you can mow the lawn. Never use the lawnmower frequently because your hard work can be destroyed.
Always keep the blade of the mower slightly higher. This will help the young seedlings to absorb more food and water from the soil. If you are reseeding your lawn then you have to do extra hard work.
If you want to improve the health of the soil then you must aerate the soil to make your lawn more attractive. A perfect lawn is a result of your hard work so keep your pets away from the grass.
The reason is that their urine contains a high amount of nitrogen. This nitrogen is not good for your newly planted grass.