Make sure you have adequate time for ground preparation. Ideally, you should plan ahead and prepare your site at least three months before you intend to sow the seed. Thorough the site preparation is the key to establishing a healthy lawn. The best time to start is early summer for an autumn sowing.

Starting to prepare the soil:

The best soil for a healthy lawn is a well-drained, Sandy loam soil with a depth of 15 cm or 6 inches to 20 cm or 8 inches, though 30 cm or 12 inches is best. If your topsoil is poor or shallow then new topsoil should be added, this can be transferred from other areas of the lawn or you can buy a good topsoil from your local garden center.

If you are particularly sandy, you will need to incorporate some well-rooted, organic matter to help retain water and nutrients. On heavy, clay soils, drainage may be needed to improve incorporating roughly two parts sand to everyone part of soil.

If the soil drains badly then it is better to install some form of drainage. The most rewarding but also labor intensive project is to dig trenches in a herringbone pattern across the lawn; these connect to a main drain through the lawn towards the lowest part. Alternatively you can dig down to the sub-soil, add a 15cm or 6 inches of layer to rubble followed by a 5cm or 2 inches layer of grit or coarse sand and finally replace with a 15 cm or 6 inches layer of topsoil.

Leveling the site:

If you require a flat surface, drive pegs 10 to 12 feet apart, adjusting them by means of long straight edge and spirit level. Leveling large areas, or creating a particular slope, use an engineer’s level and intervening pegs. Where leveling involves more than a trivial alteration in contours, first take off the top soil to a depth of 6 inches and put it on one side.

Next, remove the sub-soil as necessary, excavating material from high places to fill hollows. After making the sub-soil perfectly level, restore the topsoil evenly over the entire area. Making sure that the topsoil is uniform over the whole site. Shallow patches of topsoil will show up later as there will be marked variations in the appearance of the turf, because grass will not thrive in those areas.

Rake the area to a level surface and then firm in the soil gently using a garden roller or simply by walking on the turf and firming using your feet.

When the area is quite flat and even, rake over it again to make a fine loose soil at the top, the ground should be firm but not compacted.

Remember the Land Sabbath

Leave the prepared site for three to four weeks to allow dormant weeds to germinate. Using a hoe, you can clear these weeds or you can just use a systemic weed killer.

Fertilizing

A week before you start to sow the seeds, add some fertilizer to the area at the rate of a handful per square yard. Growmore is a granular feed that you can scatter before you start to gently rake it into the surface.

Getting the Right Lime Requirements

A slightly acid soil reaction (pH 5.5 to 6.0) favors the finer grasses, but undue acidity is undesirable especially at sowing time. Where the reaction is pH of 5.5 or lower, apply no more then ¾ lb. of chalk or ground limestone per square yard.

Now it’s Time to Start Sowing

The best time of the year to sow seeds is from mid August to late September but it can also be sown from middle of March to early May.

The progress of spring-sown lawns is greatly influenced by weather conditions, and in some years when it conditions are cooler there may be a little delay in germination. If the summer is dry, watering demands will be higher then normal.

It is also important to choose the right day. The topsoil should be dry with moist soil just below the surface and the weather should be fine and calm. Mark out the area into square yards or meters. Shake the box and mix up the seeds and weigh out the seed to cover each square meter or yard. You can add sharp sand to the seed to make it spread easier, but to ensure you mix the seed well. Sow the seeds by scattering them first one way and then the other direction.

Sowing too thickly gives a patchy germination and seeding too thinly spreads will require a re-sowing. After sowing is completed, rake over the area to insure that you do not bury the seed.

Once the seeds have been sown, they will need to be protected. The best way is to build a fence to block off the site from animals and people. To discourage any flying animals from eating the seeds or landing in the blocked off area, tie some black cotton to short sticks and criss-cross the cotton over the area, suspended at least 7.5cm or 3 inches above the soil.

The late season sowing should produce seedlings that start to appear 7 to 21 days after sowing. During the early stages of growth, carefully weed the area by hand where possible, removing any weeds before they flower. As the grass continues to grow, it will stifle further weed growth. Seedlings are very susceptible to drought so during dry spells, keep them well watered, although take care not to over water. When the new lawn is 5cm or 2 inches high, cut with a rotary mower, down to 2.5cm or 1 inches.

Carefully rake up the clippings. Follow this procedure for the first three weeks to four cuts. Heavy usage should be avoided for the first 12 months.

Many of the weeds that spring up in newly sown lawns are annuals such as groundsel, goosefoot, chickweed, mayweed, and shepherd’s purse and although they may appear to retard the growth of grass, they do not survive regular mowing. However, you must not allow annuals to take seed.

Perennial weeds such as plantains, dandelions, and buttercups can be uprooted by hand but on the lawns avoid damaging the grass by treading on boards.

When the grass is 3 to 4 months old, a selective weed killer can be applied. Do not use lawn sand preparations until the turf is one year old.

To retain a lush green lawn and a uniform quality, a lawn should be mowed and rolled when necessary, aerating regularly, brushed and raked, top-dressed, weeded and kept free of pest and fungi.

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