You will experience great satisfaction from preparing the soil, scattering the grass seed, watering, and then watching the little blades of grass emerge. It is a whole lot cheaper, but you must have patience. It’s well worth the wait.
For drought-tolerant lawns, it is best to use a fescue seed. Why? Because they are individual little plants that sink their roots deep into the ground, requiring less water when the heat hits in Utah’s July and August. You can’t purchase sod of pure fescue grass because the plants don’t bind together like other grasses like Kentucky Blue, which weaves its roots along the ground forming a tight-knit; thus, it can be cut in sheets of sod. If you haven’t trained those lawn roots to sink more in-depth, you’ll feel like you can never get enough water on them during the heat of the summer. And you can’t; the roots are too close to the surface.
Ask the specialists at Western Gardens for what seed will work best for your specific area – shade, sun, sun/shade. You may be able only to top-dress an older lawn, or you may want to begin from scratch. April and late September/early October has the perfect cold temperatures for planting new grass.
Here are the items you need:
*Rake for leveling and lightly raking in the seed. You may need a shovel if you have a lot of soil to move
*Grass seed – Follow instructions on the package
*New grass fertilizer – Ask our experts for which is best for your situation. Do not put any weed control products on your new lawn. Wait until you’ve mowed it three times.
*Peat moss – to light sprinkle over the top of newly planted seeds. It helps them to not dry out so fast.
*Water source – fine sprinkles from a hose attachment work well when needed. Rain is a good source in the spring.
*Some type of barrier around the planted area to remind people not to walk on your newly planted seeds. i.e., String, caution tape, yarn, etc.
Within several days to 10 days, depending on the temperatures, your babies will sprout, and you’ll begin to notice a green fuzz popping up! Children have a wonderful time anticipating the first blade and then watching the miracle happen.
Photo Credit: WensLens
After your lawn grows tall enough to mow, go for it, but tread lightly. Still not time to run and tumble on the lawn. Let it grow some more and mow again. Repeat. After the 3rd mowing, time to enjoy your work of art all summer long. Important note: Do not use any chemicals on the lawn until after the 3rd mowing, then follow good lawn management practices as your lawn gets more and more established. Read more about your newly seeded lawn and excellent treatment tips here.
After the first year, be sure to follow excellent watering guides by “training your lawn.” Read how to do it and view WHY in this post.
Download this PDF for 5 easy steps Instructions on how to plant your new lawn from seed. CLICK HERE
Wendy Pettit
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