Tips for growing a green lawn

Don’t you just love seeing a luscious green lawn? Research tells us you are not alone – stress levels decrease when we see a green space, memory performance and attention are improved and feelings of anger, fatigue and depression can decrease. Overall our mental health and wellbeing is greatly improved in green spaces.

If you’re starting from scratch and want to grow your own lawn the first steps are proper preparation and investing in the right products for your soil type and climate. Lawns Club is here to help you with that.

Whatever type of seed you choose, the end lawn result is directly related to the preparation you put in before sowing your seed. There are several steps to ensuring a welcoming environment for your seed such as: 

• ensure lawn area has good drainage. Surface and sub-surface drainage is essential to a good lawn
• clear your soil from unwanted foreign material such as stones, roots etc
• know your soil type, is it clay-based, sandy or loamy? Add sand, manure or other additives to improve the soil quality or add a few layers of good quality top soil
• Test the pH of your soil and add fertilizer or lime to correct the pH if needed. Hostile soil conditions will hinder your lawn growth
• eliminate / control weeds with a weedicide or hand-weeding
• level-off your lawn area to avoid areas where water can pool
• ensure sufficient moisture for the new seed. 

There are several types of grasses to choose from and it’s important to understand what type of lawn you want and the climate in which you live. Turf loosely falls into three categories: functional (combat soil erosion, reduce mud/dust, reduce pollution), recreational (playgrounds, sporting activities) and ornamental (home lawns, public parks). Our focus is on ornamental home lawns but these can also be functional and recreational. 

Climate will dictate which type of lawn grows best as different grasses thrive in different conditions.

Growing your own lawn from seed can be rewarding. There are a number of things to consider when sowing a new lawn – seed quality, planting method and after planting care:

• Lawns Club will provide good quality viable seed that is not contaminated with weeds or other foreign material.  We’ll consider your climate in our recommendations.
• We will also recommend how much seed to use - too much seed is a common mistake when sowing a new lawn or patching. Seeds need room to sprout and although it seems counter-intuitive, more seed sown does not equate to a thicker lawn. Cramped seeds have to share the nutrients and moisture and cannot thrive. To avoid this, measure your area, either with a measuring tape or stepping-out the area, and follow the instructions provided – we will recommend how much seed to use for best results depending on the variety of seed you purchase. Don’t just ‘wing it’.
• Raking seed into the soil is important. Uncovered seed is vulnerable to becoming birds breakfast and can also dry out too easily. Rake your seed lightly into the soil, making sure not to damage the seed but to lightly cover and protect it. You may also choose to walk lightly over your sown area to press the seeds into the soil.
• After planting care includes using a starting fertilizer and sufficient watering. All seeds should be watered immediately after sowing but don’t drown them – rather water lightly for longer periods. Keep your lawn moist until germination then you can slowly decrease frequency.

With good preparation, the right seed and using proper sowing and after planting techniques you are well on your way to a lush, green lawn.