 Lawns are a major part of most home landscapes.
 The three main reasons for lawns:
 They add beauty to the landscape
 They are used as play areas for sports such as baseball or
football.
 They provide excellent cover to help control soil erosion .
 When establishing a new lawn the present condition
of the lawn has to be analyzed.
 Is there top soil?
 Is drainage adequate?
 Is the slope too steep to mow?
If you are planting a lawn after something was just built
there is usually a rough grade on the area– the rough
grade is done by the builder to make sure the house or
property does not get water in the basement.
 6 inches of top soil is optimal when establishing a new
lawn.
 The slope of the land should not be more than 15%.
 When preparing the area for grass seed it is important
to remove rocks, big dirt clods.
 You want to plant the seed on a smooth firm surface.
 A soil test should be completed before adding any soil
amendments such as fertilizer or lime to see what the
soil is missing before anything is added to the soil.
 Tests can be done by purchasing one at a garden
center, companies will do this as well as extension
offices.
 A complete fertilizer with a high phosphorus content is
recommended for establishing a new lawn.
 Controlled release starter fertilizer- is fertilizer that is
released over a period of time.
 Controlled release fertilizer would be good to use.
 Fertilizer should be spread east west then north south
on a lawn to get complete coverage.
 Lawns can be started 2 different ways from seed or
from sod (grass that has already been started)
 When selecting seed for the lawn remember the
following:
 Percent germination- what percentage of seed will grow
 Inert matter- sand, pieces of seed, and other items that
will not grow– these are undesirable.
 Weed seed- a weed is any plant that is growing where it
is not wanted.
 Purity- the break down of the different seed by
percentages.
Grass Variety
Pounds per 1,000 square feet
Tall Fescue
6-8
Red or fine Fescue
3-5
Bluegrass mixes
1 ½-2
Bluegrass fescue mix
2-3
Perennial ryegrass
5-6
 Seed may be planted by hand or with a mechanical
seeder.
 Cover the seed lightly with hand raking
 Mulching or covering the area--- this is a very
debatable topic some people prefer cover over the
seeds while others claim it hurts the grasses ability to
grow quick and readily.
 Water is very important in new grass. If it germinates
and is allowed to dry out the seed will die.
 There are some types of grasses in which seed will not
work either the seed is not available or the seed does
not produce plants that are true to type.
 These type of grasses need to be planted by spot or
plug sodding, strip sodding, sprigging, or stolonizing.
 Most of these grasses are southern grasses used in
areas like Georgia and Florida
 Sod- consists of grass and grass roots in a thin layer of
soil that is removed from areas in strips.
 It is then rolled and transported to the area to be
sodded.
 Sodding is justified on steep slopes unless coverage is
needed immediately.
 Spot sodding or plugging- is the planting of small
plugs at measured intervals. The closer the plugs are
planted the faster the lawn grows.
 Strip sodding- is planting the strips of sod end to end
in rows that are 1 foot apart.
 Sprigging- is the planting of individual plants,
runners, cuttings, or stolons at certain spaces.
 Runners- sprigs of grass that are obtained by shredding
solid pieces of sod.