9 replies to this topic

[pumpkintoter]

ive got a spot smack dab in the middle of my front lawn about 12ft by 12ft where the people that lived before us had a pool. i want grass there now which would be easier sod or seed?  this is the first lawn ive actually taken care of would i need to till it to plant? or just aeriate it?

[MH81]

I would rake it, broadcast the seeds, and rake it again.  Probably throw some hay on it to hold it all together until it grows up thru.  Don't mow it right away either, it needs to grow a little and get rooted well.  After a couple of missed mowings, go ahead and mow it.  The Hay will either mulch up or decompose.  Had my whole side yard dug up last year while we were getting City Sewage and this worked well for me.

[pumpkintoter]

thanks MH81 the ground is pretty hard from that pool you think raking it will be good enough?

[MH81]

Well, if you aerate 1st, it'll give you more seat time.   :thumbs:

Grass is pretty hardy stuff... anything that'll grow up thru the pavement will eventually take hold there.  I'd say go ahead & poke some holes in it & then do the rake routine.

[JD DANNELS]

I think it depends a lot on the type of soil you have. If it is clay or gets hard as a brick the compaction may make it hard for seed or sod to take root. In which case you might want to till it a bit. If you have good soil that's not too compacted you may not need to.
I much prefer seed myself so long as it's not a slope that will wash away before the seed takes root and has enough growth to stop erosion. Sod may give you quicker results, but it requires a lot of tending and watering. And in my opinion it's pretty expensive. Some sod farms around here won't sell to an individual. They want the labor for installation.
And more often than not, you have to seed over it to fill in where it slips and leaves openings.

Kind of a funny story, At the office where I work , they have pea gravel along the sides of the building. And grass along all the sidewalks.
They use so much ice melt every winter that it kills the sod for about 18" along all the sidewalks.
Then have a crew come in and resod that dead area and pay dearly for it every spring,and my daddy would have kicked my butt if I had done such sloppy work.
Were it up to me, it seems so logical  to carry the pea gravel pattern along those sidewalks once and save the money,I just have to laugh every time they do it.

[pumpkintoter]

ive got pretty good soil there and its nice and flat i think ill just go the seed route.. will it require constant watering?

[MH81]

Quite a bit, the hay or straw on it will help hold some water in tho

[chris597]

Areator is a great thing for seeding. It's almost a waste of seed with out it!

[NUTNDUN]

Covering with straw will also help keep the seeds covered so the dang birds don't eat em all up.

[RustyTub]

I just did a new lawn with Seed and in the research I have done I have found out that the quality of seed really makes the difference. this year I put down high quality seed and have had excellent results. Last year I did some patching in my front lawn with cheapo seed and I got 1 blade of grass to every 10 weeds that grew. so this year I raked the ground put in new seed and actually use twice the recommended amount and it is starting to fill in nicely. Also If you have chickens keep them locked up they love seed. I found that out and had to go buy seed again.

I now can't wait to mow my new lawn this will double my seat time!!!!