Seeding Tips for Your Landscaping

Making It Grassy

Patchy, bare, and dying lawn grass is a sore to the eyes for your backyard landscaping. Here are some seeding tips for a healthy-looking lawn.

Understanding seeding types

It is critical to understand the various types of seeding:

Reseeding involves planting new seeds on bare dirt.

Spot seeding involves planting seeds in specific barren areas.

Overseeding is when you fill in the sparse or thin areas of your lawn.

Choosing the right seeds

Consider the type of grass to seed your lawn with, depending on your location and the climate, light conditions, landscape preferences, and your budget. You can choose:

  • Tall grasses are good as a decorative element behind flower beds.
  • Perennial grasses are good to add around maple trees.
  • Warm-season and cool-season grasses to choose from for different types of regional weather.

Preparing the soil

Remove existing grass with a shovel or sod cutter if you are reseeding the entire lawn. Using herbicides to kill off the existing grass may take one or two weeks to kill off the old grass completely. Then, till the ground to aerate the soil for better air and water penetration.

Seeding the lawn at the right time

Late summer or early fall is when it is best to seed your lawn. During this time, seeds have less competition with crabgrass and other weeds, require less water compared to planting in the summer, and the soil is still warm enough for seeds to germinate before winter.

Keeping the seeds moist

Keep the lawn moist by misting it once a day, or more if the weather is hotter, for the next two weeks to let the seeds germinate. However, remember not to water it too much.

Holding off on mowing

It can be tempting to mow the lawn with the older grass growing taller than the newly spot-seeded parts. However, you have to wait until the new grass is 3 inches tall to start mowing again.

Fuller grass makes your landscape look lush and healthy. Call JVL Landscaping for your landscaping needs in Milford, MI at (248) 206-8875 today.