Growing and maintaining your lawn can take a lot of time and effort, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. With the right tools and knowledge, you’ll be able to improve your lawn with ease. Whether you have to apply fertilizer or plant new grass seeds, this guide will help you tend to your lawn in the most practical manner.
1) Know the Best Conditions
While there are various ways to plant grass seeds, they are all affected by the same conditions. Even if you plant them properly, they won’t grow well if the soil has a poor quality. Grass seed will thrive if you prepare a seedbed, which is free from pesky weeds and is adequately tilled and firmed.
The seeds need to be surrounded by good soil for seed germination to occur without any problems. Any debris such as twigs and stones should be immediately removed from the area. Likewise, ensure that there are no sizable clumps of soil. However, a soil that is too fine won’t be good if you are growing a new lawn. So if you see any small clumps of soil, those are fine.
Likewise, applying fertilizer cannot be done at a random moment. For example, using a fertilizer while it’s raining or even just after rainfall is not recommended since the product will just be carried away instead of being absorbed into the soil. Thus, efficiency begins by know when to use fertilizer or plant new seeds in your lawn.
2) Acquire the Right Grass Seed
Source: mousey
Aside from getting the conditions right, you also have to use the right grass seeds. When you go to a store, look for grass seeds that have a certification from the National Turf Evaluation Program (NTEP).
A rating like that indicates that the grass seed has been meticulously evaluated without any sort of bias. These NTEP-certified grass seeds are bred to provide you with lush and green grasses that are tolerant to drought and are highly resistant to diseases and pests.
Here’s a video discussing the importance of choosing the best grass seed:
3) Use a Decent Spreader
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Whether you want to fertilize or plant grass seeds, you should use a spreader to do it as quickly as possible. Still, you have to find the right model that suits your preference. For one, the spread rate setting should be easily adjustable. This is important since you want the product to be evenly distributed in your lawn. If one section doesn’t have enough of the product, it will ruin the overall appearance of your lawn once the grass grows.
Now, there are two types of spreaders: broadcast spreaders and drop spreaders. Both of these types will help you to spread fertilizer or grass seed in your lawn. Consequently, they are both push-powered and have a hopper containing holes at the bottom section.
Using a gauge, you can change the size of the holes to change the spread volume of the product. Furthermore, both spreader types have a level that you can use to allow or stop the fertilizer or seeds from being distributed in the lawn.
If your property is pretty huge with a minimum size of at least 4,000 square feet, you should definitely use a broadcast spreader. They can cover your lawn with fertilizer without causing any striping issues. This works by using a drive wheel that also rotates an impeller plate as you push the spreader. Once the shutoff plate has been opened, the spreader drops the fertilizer or seeds in an arc measuring 180 degrees and with a width ranging from seven feet to 11 feet.
In contrast, a drop spreader is meant to be used by people who have small or average-sized lawns. The coverage of this type of spreader is dependent on the hopper width, which is typically around 20 inches.
Instead of covering a big area as fast as possible, a drop spreader focuses on a more controlled or precise application. If your lawn has sidewalks and any other areas that should not be covered with the product, you can use this to adjust the spread pattern to avoid any lawn striping. You can read more about the spreaders here: http://sumogardener.com/best-lawn-spreader/
Overall, efficient fertilizer application and seed planting are largely dependent on the soil condition, the products themselves, and the tools you use. We hope that this guide helped you in improving your lawn. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a comment.