Starting Your Lawn

Lawns provide extra living space for the family and act as a framework to accent your flower beds. Preparing the site, choosing the correct seed mix and keeping a good maintenance schedule are the keys to a successful lawn.

Where to Begin

Evaluate the site and consider how you will be using your lawn. Our lawn seed mixes are blended, depending on site and use. Lawns in shady areas will require a mix that can withstand low light levels. Other grasses are specially formulated for high traffic areas.

Grass Types

Each of our custom grass blends vary depending on the type of area the lawn is to be grown. The ingredients are specially formulated from the different types of grasses listed below.

BLUEGRASSES (Poa spp.): Excellent sod-forming grass, but will not withstand poor-draining or acidic soils. Should not be used heavily in West Coast mixes.

CHEWINGS FESCUE (Festuca rubra var. commutata): Tolerates close mowing in cool climates, and has a low water and fertilizer requirement. A good choice for shade.

CREEPING RED FESCUE (Festuca rubra var. rubra): A fine textured grass with deep green colour. Grows well in shade or very dry soil, so a good grass for dry, shady lawns.

PERENNIAL RYEGRASS (Lolium perenne): A grass that germinates fast and establishes quickly. Good for both shade and cold tolerance.

Site Preparation and Sowing

Proper site preparation will save you time and money in the future. Do not short-cut this one-time procedure, it will only contribute to a poor-quality lawn if you do. The following is a step-by-step plan for preparing and seeding your lawn.

1. PREPARE THE SOIL

Remove debris from the site and turn the soil to a depth of 20 to 25 cm (8 to10”). Then improve the soil by topdressing with a topsoil that contains at least 30% sand to ensure excellent drainage.

2. TREAT THE AREA FOR WEEDS

The easiest method is to force the weed seeds to germinate by watering after step one and waiting two weeks to see what germinates. Then weed out any emerging seedlings. By doing this, you minimize the number of seeds that will germinate in your new lawn.

3. LEVEL THE AREA

Roughly grade the site by filling in holes and smoothing out mounds. Make sure to grade so that water drains away from the house (establish a 1% grade, which is a 30cm/1’ drop for every 30m/100’). A long string and a level are useful in determining slopes.

4. ROLL THE AREA

Use a roller to firm up the soil. This creates a more uniform planting depth and improves soil contact with seeds. Water the area well after rolling to settle the soil. Rollers can be rented from tool rental companies, and they are usually filled with water to weight them. Fill roller 2/3 to 1/2 full with water. For small lawn, compact the soil by laying a board down and walking on it.

5. APPLY FERTILIZER

Like all plants, grass requires food to grow. Apply a seed starter fertilizer, such as GARDENWORKS Turf Starter 13-26-6. This will stimulate good healthy root growth of the seedlings.

6. CALCULATE THE LAWN AREA

You need to calculate the square area of your lawn (length x width = square area). Approximately 1 kg of lawn seed blend will sow an area of 35m². See the Seed coverage chart on the bottom of the page for more information. Spread the grass seed evenly by using a hand spreader, this is important to prevent a patchy looking lawn. Sow half the seed in one direction and the second half in the opposite direction for best coverage. Mixing seed with sand or peat moss will make seeding easier.

7. COVER THE SEED

Rake lightly and cover with a thin layer of soil.

8. WATER

Water lightly and frequently to keep soil moist until grass is green.

8. MOW

You can mow your new lawn once it has reached 7.5cm (3”) in height. Set your mower at 5cm (2’) and make sure the blades are sharp. Keep off the new lawn until after the first mowing or turf is well established.

Click here to download a printable PDF.