 New
Lawns
A good lawn is the starting point for any successful home garden. New
lawns can be made almost any time during the growing season though spring
and fall are preferred, with fall considered the best season in northern
sections of the country. However, no matter when you make a new lawn,
there are certain steps that must be followed if you want a deep root
system and a thick, healthy top growth.
- SPADE DEEPLY: Soil should be spaded to a depth of at least
6 inches. Drive the spade straight down with your foot and break each
spadeful of earth as it is turned over. Don't spade when the ground
is too wet. Soil is just right when you can crumble each spadeful
with a slap of the spade.
- PULVERIZE THE SOIL THOROUGHLY: If necessary, work in humus
material (such as peat moss), or sand, to condition the soil. Usually
a steel-tooth rake will break-up the soil lumps and give you a fine,
lump-free seedbed.
- PUT ON THREE POUNDS OF FERTILZER for each 100 square feet
of area and work it into the top inch or two of the seedbeds. This
assures an ample supply of all the elements grass must get from the
soil. Be sure to apply the fertilzer evenly.
- SEED WITH GOOD GRASS SEED: To get a good lawn started quickly,
you need a carefully cleared seed, low in weed content and high in
germination; fresh, live stolons or plugs in the case of grasses more
favorably established in this way. Sow seed at the rate of 4 to 5
pounds per 1,000 square feet of area. Plant stolons or sprigs at approximately
1 bu. to 300 sq. ft. If sowing by hand, sow half lengthwise and half
crosswise. Rake the seed lightly into the soil.
- SEED WITH GOOD GRASS SEED: To get a good lawn started quickly,
you need a carefully cleared seed, low in weed content and high in
germination; fresh, live stolons or plugs in the case of grasses more
favorably established in this way. Sow seed at the rate of 4 to 5
pounds per 1,000 square feet of area. Plant stolons or sprigs at approximately
1 bu. to 300 sq. ft. If sowing by hand, sow half lengthwise and half
crosswise. Rake the seed lightly into the soil.
- WATER WITH A FINE SPRAY: Water thoroughly, using a very fine
spray. Continue to water daily until seed germination is complete
or 'sprigs, stolons, or plugs take new root 3 to 4 weeks--then water
as needed but always thoroughly.
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