Can I sow the seed on my lawn anytime? It is a ubiquitous question, especially the beginners make. However, grass seeds are pretty sensitive, and you cannot sow them anywhere anytime. You should choose the best time to sow the seeds, and more importantly, you have to prepare the soil for the seeds. The germination rate is often very low without proper ground/soil preparation for grass seeds.
That’s the reason I felt the necessity to write about soil preparation. This part is not basically very easy, and maintaining the sequence of a few steps is very important. I hope you will spend a few minutes learning about this fact to make a perfect start for your lawn.
Step-by-Step Instruction: Soil Preparation for Grass Seeds
The soil on the ground is like the basement for your lawn. So, the better the soil quality of the lawn, the better outcome you will get. That’s why you must be very careful about the ground preparation for Grass seeds. We have talked to many professionals to learn about the best way for it. And finally, we have got the most effective way to prepare the soil for seeds. Let’s check the process step by step.
1. Choose the Best Time to Start for A New Lawn
The first thing you should consider is the best time to start. And the inappropriate time can lead the lawn to be a complete disaster. Basically, grass seeds are very sensitive, so you have to maintain the timing for them carefully.
However, you should choose the time to start when the temperature is not too high or low. Indeed, you should not start it in summer or winter anyway. We suggest starting either in spring or in autumn. Eventually, September and October are the best months to start.
So, if it is not the right time for you, we suggest you wait if you want to get the best outcome. Starting at the wrong time can lead you to great disappointment. So, be cautious about the sensitivity of the seeds and start at the right time. And if it is the right time for you, just follow the next steps to prepare the ground for the grass seeds lawn.
2. Remove the Existing Plants
If nobody cleaned your lawn recently, there must be weeds, grass, or many unwanted plants. And to start a new lawn, your first step should be cleaning it. You have to clean the entire area where you plan to create a new lawn. Make sure that there should not the last piece of plant material.
Before you start removing the plants, you have something to do. First, you have to spray the area with an effective weed killer. A Glyphosate-based weed killer can be a great example in this case. You can also choose any other anti-weed solution.
Remember that the weed killer will prevent the new lawn from getting continuous weed. However, you should wait for 2-3 weeks after applying the weed killer to activate it. You can utilize the time you get before removing the old lawn, plants, or weeds by planning and getting prepared for the new lawn.
However, after 2 to 3 weeks, the whole area will die off, and the color will be brown. And now, you can clean the area using a spade or mower. If the area doesn’t have a lot of dirt or weed, just pick them up by hand; for that, you don’t have to use the weed killer.
3. Check and Fix the Ph in the Soil
The next step is to check if the soil is good in condition to give you a full-grown lawn. In this case, you have to check the pH of the ground. It is initially very easy to check the pH of the soil at home. For that, you will only need half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda.
Now, just collect a cup of soil from different areas of your lawn and divide it into two portions. Add one to the vinegar and another to the cup of baking soda. Now, check which mixture makes a reaction. If the mixture with vinegar makes a reaction, consider it alkaline soil, and if the baking soda is the reason for the reaction, you should call it acidic soil.
There are different ways to improve the ground soil’s pH level. Generally, acidic soil has a pH level that is less than 7, and alkaline soil has more than 7. Almost all types of lawn grasses generally prefer the level from 6.5 to 7. That means grass seeds love slightly acidic soil. You can use the pH testing kit to get an accurate result for your ground soil. We will talk about it in another content next time.
However, when you have a clear yard with soil that has a good pH level, you can start the process of the ground preparation for grass seeds. And if the soil is already soft and fertile, you can start. But it would be better if you use any soil improver to improve the quality of the soil.
4. Spade the Soil
Roativating the soil is an important step you should not ignore. After clearing the area and removing all the plants, grass, and weeds, you have to turn the soil over. You can complete this step with a gardening fork, spade, or mechanical rotavator.
Now, you have to dig at least upto 15 cm. But the ideal depth for digging is 20 cm to 25 cm. You need to add more soil unless enough soil is available to dig for 15 cm.
And for any kind of cultivation, debris is really harmful. So for preparing the soil, there should not be any debris. Stones, rubble, roots, etc., are harmful too. So remove them as much as you can.
5. Level the Lawn
An uneven, bumpy, or rough lawn is infuriating and hazardous. Moreover, mowing on a bumpy lawn is a difficult task. So leveling or flattening the area is a must in the ground/soil preparation for grass seeds. The lawn will look better if you can flatten the soil while laying it.
Though you have already got rid of all unwanted plants and weeds, the ground can still have lots of humps and hues. You can use a fork or a mowing machine to get rid of all of them so that you can get no uneven parts on the ground.
6. Heel the Soil for Treading
Treading the soil after making the lawn even and consistent is essential too. So, the next task is to tread the soil. It helps the soil to be rigid. At the time of rain, the ground will settle, and soon the lawn will be uneven as well as bumpy unless this step is done.
This step is really the easiest one. You can tread the soil with some small steps. You should keep laying on the soil with your body mass over the heels to firm up the soil. Repeatedly keep doing the step in various directions. And one more thing you should remember is if any place can sink, add the soil mixture to that place and tread the area again.
7. Leave the Area for a Few Weeks
Most beginners skip this part and probably don’t know how essential it is to wait for a while after treading the soil. Meanwhile, you have to water the ground regularly. It is an integral part of the ground/soil preparation for grass seeds. It’s because the soil will get softer with frequent watering, and then it will help the seeds germinate quickly.
Eventually, you can heel the ground twice a week to make the soil softer and more consistent. Also, you can use a heavy roller to get a better result. However, every time you water the ground, make sure not to water it again within 48 hours.
8. Apply Pre-Seeding Fertiliser
In most cases, the soil naturally is not very nutrient, so the germination rate often fluctuates. In this case, you can feed the soil some chemical pre-seeding fertilizers. It is not mandatory, but it is very effective for a better seed germination rate and grass growth. You can choose any of the best pre-seeding fertilizers and use a fork to apply them perfectly.
9. Rake the Area Firmly
Once the soil is ready after using all the necessary fertilizer, you have to rake the area again. Make sure to rake the entire area and 25mm of the ground soil for the best result. If you want to use turf, you have to rake the land deeper. And if you want to use grass seeds, just sow them now.
10. Water the Soil
You are in the final step, and it’s time to water the land properly. The seeds are already sown, so you have to let them get enough water and a good temperature so that they can get the perfect environment for germination. Water the ground once every two days and keep the soil moisture.
That’s it; the seeds will take one or more weeks to germinate. After that, you have to take proper care to have a full-grown lawn. It may take a lot of time, but you will definitely get it successfully if you manage to make an effective soil/ground preparation for grass seeds.
FAQ
Q: Why is preparing the land essential for grass seed?
A: Land preparation for grass seeds is essential, especially for the successful germination of the seeds. If the seeds don’t get the perfect soil environment, they may not germinate properly. Also, the grass needs a good soil quality to grow properly. For that, you have to prepare the soil with a few essential steps like watering it, raking, heeling, adding soil improvers, and so on.
Q: Why do I need to prepare the land for grass seeds?
A: Generally, you will need a pH kit, fertilizer, soil improver, sufficient water, spade, rake, fork, and anti-weed solutions to prepare the soil for grass seeds.
Q: How long does it take to prepare the soil for seeds?
A: Initially, it will take about a month to prepare the soil for seed. Most steps are quick and don’t need more than a day. You have to wait a week or more after applying the anti-weed solution and soil improver. That’s the longest time you need in the process.
Q: Is it essential to use a soil improver while preparing the soil for seeds?
A: It is essential to use a soil improver while preparing the ground, but it is not mandatory. If you think the soil is not quite good in quality and fertile, a soil improver can help you get the best aftermath.
Final Thought
Every single step of the ground/soil preparation for grass seeds is essential. We suggest you follow the steps sequentially and I am sure that you will get a very effective result. After preparing the soil and sowing the seeds, the seeds will take a while to germinate. Make sure to water the land that time regularly.
Hopefully, you have understood why you should be careful while preparing the soil for seeds. And also, you know what to do about that. Still, if you have any questions left, don’t keep them in your mind. Write down the fact in the comment section and let me help you to solve it. Thank you for your support.