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by | May 19, 2022 | How To

How to sow a lawn

How to lay a seeded lawn properly: Step by Step

By David Gordon – Baywide Dingos, Napier NZ

There is a bit of an art in sowing a good lawn and getting a consistent 98% strike each time. So much depends on the watering, but if you follow these step by step guidelines you should be well on your way to a good lawn. This method assumes you can hire a Dingo and seeder yourself or have someone do the excavation and drilling for you. In my opinion you need to drill the seed in with some form of seeding/tilling machine or tractor. The method of spreading the seed on top and raking it in will work but the birds will love you and it is very susceptible to pooling and seeding washing off.

Preparing and Seeding Lawns

There are two methods of preparing a lawn. Using the existing dirt already on site or importing a fine layer of good soil on top of average dirt to ensure a better finish. The ‘topsoil scam’ I call it.

Lawns using a fine layer of good soil on top

  1. Dingo operator to import dirt ‘fill’ and level to 50mm below the level of the intended lawn height
  2. Dingo operator will then level this fill material with the levelling bar.
  3. Rake into small piles all the loose debris and stones from the average soil
  4. Get the Dingo operator to pick up all the piles of debris and place offsite
  5. Blow all the nibs/concrete free of stones and rubbish so as to not infect the new soil
  6. Dingo operator to place good topsoil on top of the fill material and in the garden areas (if any)
  7. Dingo operator to level lawn with level bar
  8. Whilst waiting for Dingo to level lawn:
    – Compact with feet and aluminium rake, all edges close to the house where the machine can’t go
    – Level garden soil with spade and tidy with narrow rake
  9. Rake the good soil just levelled by machine, ready for Hydroseed OR Dry-seeding
  10. Blow all nibs again to ensure all dirt is off them (be aware of where the dust is going)

Lawns using existing soil

  1. Dingo operator to rotary hoe and level existing soil to the intended lawn height
  2. Rake the lawn roughly removing all the loose debris and stones
  3. Get the Dingo operator to pick up all the piles of debris and place offsite
  4. Blow all the nibs free of stones and rubbish
  5. Compact with feet and aluminium rake, all the edges close to the house where the machine cant
  6. Rake the soil just levelled by machine, ready for Hydroseed OR Dry-seeding,
  7. Dingo operator to place topsoil in the garden areas (if any)

Dryseeding

Dry seeding is just as effective as hydroseeding but requires more work to establish. It is the most economical method to the homeowner or developer. The following is the correct sequence to seeding a lawn to ensure optimum growth:

Use the spreader 1st:

  1. Lightly rake in or roll again depending on desired finish
  2. Apply and final light coating of seed with a spreader
  3. Rake the lawn flat again
  4. Roll the seed/drilling in if your seeder/driller doesn’t have a roller
  5. Using a seeder or tractor drill, fill it up with seed as well. Drill the entire lawn overtop of the soil/seed you have just seeded.
  6. Apply a generous covering of seeding making sure to get all edges and corners
  7. Fill the spreader again 3/4 full only with seed
  8. Empty the remaining fertilizer back into the bag
  9. Apply a generous covering of fertilizer to your pre-raked lawn
  10. Fill the spreader half full only with fertilizer

Final Preparation notes

  1. Rake the lawn using steel finishing rakes (finer finish)
  2. Take care not to disturb too much of seed, but make sure you achieve a high standard of finis
  3. Blow all the edges, driveways & nibs but be very careful not to blow any seed off

Hydroseeded Preparation

For Hydroseed, there is no need to apply fertilizer or seed. The preparation is the same but we only rake the lawn soil once. Make sure the finish is of a high standard for that single raking.

  1. Rake the lawn using the steel finishing rakes (finer finish)
  2. Blow all the edges, driveways & nibs

The Hydroseeding boys with do the rest, just add water!

Water

The problem we see with dryseed is lack of water initially or the water not soaking in and washing off the seed. Hydroseed is easy as it keeps its moisture in. It is really easy to dry the seed out causing it to fail and ‘crack’. The key to a good lawn is sufficient water – LITTLE AND OFTEN!

Use a sprinkler not by hand – the sprinkler always has more patience.

Using a light mist morning and night, keep the lawn constantly moist for the first 2 weeks – take care not to let the water pool or run as this will wash away the seed. We can’t stress this enough – if your lawn dries out it will affect the strike result. The best sprinklers are the ‘flip-flop’ type but make sure you don’t set the sprinkler to go to each extremity as this may water blast the seed off and cause pooling.

If possible, avoid walking on the newly sown lawn. If you have to walk on it to move sprinklers around wait until the surface can be walked on without sinking in.

You should expect to see the first signs of growth within 10-20days. The actual time taken will depend on environmental factors such as soil temperatures and amount of water and sun available in the first 2 weeks. Once the seedlings appear, you can reduce the frequency of water but increase the amount applied each time. This is because of two reasons: The seed has taken root and can’t be washed off by pooling or over watering and secondly, longer less frequent soakings encourage the grass to root deeper in the ground creating a more hardly plant.

Good luck! See the other sections for how to look after an established lawn.