Chesterfield: (636) 220-9991
Since we live in a region that experiences all four seasons, our lawns are exposed to the summer’s harsh heat and winter’s frigid cold. From season to season, these extreme conditions can have a negative impact on your lawn!
Homeowners in Missouri choose various methods for restoring and maintaining a healthy lawn. Reseeding your yard is an effective method for restoring vitality to a lawn that might have bare spots or be dying.
Seeding is used to achieve a lawn with denser, healthier grass and a fuller appearance. Successfully seeding grass does require a bit of effort, but the result is a yard that is more resistant to pests and disease.
Whether you’re seeding grass on a new property or trying to liven up well-worn spots, it is important that you make the right seed choice, plant at the right time, and care for the grass seedlings properly. Midwest Lawn Co is here to help you make informed decisions and provide seeding services that result in a healthy lawn for you and your family to enjoy.
Seeding can be used to grow grass where there is none at all or enhance the look of your lawn. By seeding your yard for denser grass, the aggressive weeds and invasive plants won’t have as much room to grow and take over your yard.
The first step to improving your lawn by planting grass seed is to prepare the site through proper grading. Proper grading helps ensure water drains away efficiently, so make any necessary adjustments to the grade prior to planting.
Slope the lawn area away from homes or buildings, but don’t create incredibly steep slopes that can cause lawns to become dried out. Smooth the site well to avoid depressions that might create wet spots and consequently promote disease.
Remove the old sod completely if you plan to replace the entire lawn. Once you have done so, you will still need to prepare the soil before planting grass seed. To do this, test your lawn’s soil to determine your soil’s pH and nutrient levels.
Your soil’s pH is an essential part of having a healthy lawn, and if a soil test indicates that your lawn’s pH is outside of a healthy range for seed growth, amendments will have to be made. The specialists at Midwest Lawn Co will be able to help you with testing soil samples and altering soil pH if necessary. They may recommend implementing elemental sulfur or lime, depending on whether levels are too high or too low.
Results of the soil test will also indicate your soil’s nutrient needs. A high-quality lawn fertilizer may be required to restore the nutrient levels necessary for seeds to grow into healthy grass.
Soil that is exceptionally compacted, rocky, or sandy will impact the germination of seeds and your yard’s overall condition. Before planting seeds, remove rocks and incorporate compost or other organic matter into the soil to improve aeration, water penetration, and nutrient retention.
Seeding preparation can take anywhere from four to eight hours, depending on the size of your lawn, so set aside the appropriate amount of time for the process. Schedule time every three to four years to retest the soil and make the appropriate adjustments.
To promote healthy seed germination and growth, it’s important to take time to prepare the soil and site of seeding. It is also critical that you choose the type of seed that is right for your conditions.
A healthy lawn starts with high-quality grass seed that will grow well in your climate zone. The greater Chesterfield area is considered to be in the transition zone that divides the Northern and Southern regions of the U.S. Here, summers are hot and winters are brutal, so you need grass that can withstand the extreme conditions of the seasons.
You want beautiful grass that won’t die after one season, and fortunately, you have many different grass seed types to choose from. With a spring and fall growing season, cool season grass seeds grow well in the north, while warm season grass has a single-summer growing season and grows better in the south. Since we live in the transition zone, cool or warm season grass can be grown.
Cool season grass is known for being green year-round. It can get browner and go dormant in drought and heat, but will become a vivid green in the spring. Grass seeds used in the transition zone are primarily cool season Tall Fescues or Kentucky Bluegrasses, which are very adaptable to the varying Missouri climate.
For residential and commercial properties, you may also use Bermudagrass, Zoysiagrass, and other warm season grass seeds. Warm season grasses typically go dormant and brown in the cold winter months, but they can generally withstand the elements.
As new seedlings become established, timing is also an important component of successful germination and healthy growth. Seeding in the spring is not unheard of, but requires special applications to prevent weeds, while enabling seeds to germinate properly. To give new seedlings sufficient time to prepare for the heat of summer, fall is the ideal season for seeding. Whether you seed in the spring or fall, you will be planting during the most active growth periods.
For cool season grass, you can plant seeds in the spring if temperatures are constantly between 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, which coincides with the optimal soil temperatures for cool season grass seed germination.
For warm season grass, seeding should be performed once daytime temperatures have consistently stayed around 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and there is no risk of any late spring frost in your area.
Once you have determined what type of seed you will plant and when you must select the appropriate spreader. For small lawns and tight areas, a drop spreader can be sued to drop seeds straight onto a path the width of the spreader as you move across your lawn. For large lawns where precision is not the priority, a broadcast or rotary spreader will spread the seeds by fanning them out in all directions for more consistent coverage.
When you’ve finished spreading the seed, a rake should be used to lightly work seeds into the soil. To guarantee the seed-to-soil contact needed for the new seed to thrive, pass over the seeded area with a roller after you’ve raked. Set aside two to four hours for seeding, depending on the size of the lawn you are seeding.
To ensure that new seedlings become established, it is necessary to water new grass seed two to three times daily with a light spray. Newly seeded areas need to remain moist, but not soggy, so stop watering when puddles begin to form.
Once the seeds germinate and grass seedlings start growing, water the seedlings less frequently but more heavily. As the grass becomes taller and more mature, taper off until you are watering twice a week in the spring and summer. Adjust the amount you water your new grass based on rainfall so that your lawn is getting approximately one inch of water per week in some form.
Your grass seeds may take one to three weeks to germinate, and a month to 10 weeks to take root and become established. When your new seedlings grow to about one inch high, you may notice some bare patches where seedlings aren’t growing. Reseed these spots on a regular basis until your lawn has reached the desired level of thickness.
For a thick, naturally healthy lawn, it may be necessary to fertilize your grass three to four times annually, depending on your soil. The average lawn takes one hour to fertilize, but taking the time to do so will ensure healthy grass growth.
New grass will be tender for its entire first season of establishment, so avoid foot traffic as much as you possibly can. Once it grows to about three inches high, you can begin to mow your young grass. Do not mow more than one-third of the grass blade in a single mowing or you can stress your grass and put it at risk for disease.
If you’re worried about stressing your new grass or risking exposing it to weeds and lawn disease, consider hiring a specialist at Midwest Lawn Co to mow and care for your yard.
Taking the right steps to seed and maintain your new grass can be labor-intensive, especially during the preparation phase, but it will go a long way. If you simply don’t have time for seeding, fertilizing, and monitoring, but you want to have an attractive, lush lawn to enjoy with family and friends, then contact the professionals at Midwest Lawn Co.
We are here to help you choose the best grass seed, invest the time required to plant seed properly, and transform your yard into a beautiful outdoor living space. Our professionally-trained team can provide the equipment, maintenance, experience, and skills for every stage of the process, from analyzing soil, spreading seed, aerating, and mowing the new grass.
The Chesterfield, Missouri lawn care professionals of Midwest Lawn Co here are to help you with all of your lawn care needs. Our many services will ensure that you have a well-groomed, healthy, and beautiful lawn.
To inquire about our services and receive a free estimate, call us today at (636) 220-9991 or feel free to fill out a contact form on our website.
