Like all things in life a good foundation is key to success. With lawns and plants it important to put in the hard work before you plant or sow. Lawn seed will establish faster and will grow to a better lawn if the soil underneath has been well prepared
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- Lawn Seed
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- Sowing Lawn Seed
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- Lawn Seed Tools
The is a job that can only be done once and if done right it will serve you well for the coming years. So we will outline the steps involved in preparing your soil for sowing lawn seed:
Timing:
You can sow lawn seed between the months of April to September, but you can prepare the ground all year round IF the weather and soil conditions suit. It is essential that the soil is dry at time of ground works otherwise you will create a mucky mess that will never be level and will likely become compacted and water logged
Weed killing:
Perennial weeds need to be killed off before digging the soil. You can use a general weed killer at least 4 weeks before ground works. If weeds persist then a second application would be recommended
Cultivation:
Generally start in mid-March and you just need to cultivate the top 6 inches of soil. Lawn seed needs 6 inches of good quality top soil to grow well. You can use a rotavator, shovel or tiller to prepare the soil. When doing this you should remove the first layer of rocks, stone and roots. Basically remove anything to the size of your fist and bigger at this stage
Levelling:
Once the ground has been dug to a depth of 6 inches you will need to go over the area will a wide landscape rake. The aim here is to create a flat and level soil surface without any hump or dips. At this stage you should remove any stones to the size of a 2 euro coin
Leave the soil for 1 week to settle down and find its natural level and then come back and create a seed bed
Seed bed:
Using a spring rake just lightly go over the ground and loosen the soil again picking out any stones to the size of a 2 euro coin. If you notice any hump or hallows at this point you will need to rectify. The seed bed should be light and loose so that the lawn seed can knit into the soil
Sowing lawn seed:
Once the seed bed is created you can sow your seed. Sow approx. 35 gram of lawn seed per metre. Next give the area a light raking – this is to cover the lawn seed with topsoil and finally light go over the area with a roller
Lasting either water the lawn in or pray for rain