How To Plant Grass Seed
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If you have bare patches in your lawn, it is now time to overseed. Spreading fresh, quality grass seed over bare areas and where established lawn is thinned out is the best way to fill empty spaces but also to choke out weeds.
How to overseed a lawn
By building a thick, healthy lawn, weed seeds are shaded out. To properly overseed, apply a good quality triple mix, or lawn soil, 3-5 cm thick. Quality soil is crucial. Weed-free soil, like Lawn Soil, is best. The new soil provides a porous base that holds water for proper seed germination.
Now apply the seed. We always use grass seeds with IRON+™ technology. It germinates quickly, provides the best germination rate of any grass seed on the market and the iron helps to produce the deepest possible green colour.
To spread the seed, if it is a small area, you can simply broadcast the seed by hand. For larger areas, we would recommend a hand-held spreader. The bag will indicate how much seed to lay down by square foot or meter.
Rake smooth with your fan rake and step on the area to bring the seed into contact with the soil.
It is important to note that good quality grass seed does not germinate as quickly as cheaper blends. Often inexpensive grass seed will not withstand the hot and dry conditions we so often experience between July and August.
How to water your new lawn
After sowing the seeds, water once a day for the first week, once every two days for the second week, and once every three days for the third week. After germination takes place, water only when the soil has dried to one centimetre down. All of this is assuming that there is no rain: use your best judgement.
Once germination has taken place, after 4 weeks or so, water deeply but less often. Watering deeply and infrequently, applying about three centimetres once a week, is the key. Your lawn's roots will grow deeper in search of the water as it also travels downwards. In the hot days of July your lawn will have the roots to absorb water from deeper in the ground and the resilience to bounce back when evening temperatures cool come August.
