Gardening Advice
Spring Bulbs: What & When to Plant
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During the warm months, it’s only natural to spend more time outside. And when you have a garden, what better place to catch some sunshine, play with your dog or make barbecue? But sometimes, after winter or a long and hot summer (which Australian summer isn’t really?), you might notice your lawn doesn’t look too appealing.
Bald patches taking up more space than the greenery is not only unappealing, but they make room for moss to grow in the lawn, along with different weeds. Without addressing this problem quickly, with time, it gets harder to repair. So consider overseeding your lawn timely and rejuvenate it for good. Here’s how.
he best time to reseed your lawn is in either spring or autumn. Both have different reasoning behind it, so here’s how to choose according to your needs:
Early spring is the suitable time for most grass types. It’s also the time when most people start noticing the first bald patches as the new grass sprouts, hence preferred time to act. If you decide to overseed your lawn in spring, make sure you choose appropriate grass type and always follow the given instructions. If you succeed, you’ll have all summer to enjoy your green lawn and brag to your friends about it!
On the other hand, even after a successful spring and summer, at the beginning of autumn, your lawn can look worn. Maybe you used your garden a lot, and there was foot traffic, or dry patches appeared both from the sun and uneven irrigation. If you choose to overseed in autumn, do so before the first frost, as the germination temperature of grass seeds is between 15-25 C°. Autumn seeding produces tougher grass that can withstand harsher temperature changes. The plus side of oversowing in early autumn is that nature can help you out a little with rain, resolving any irrigation concerns.
After choosing the appropriate time for overseeding and you got your preferred grass seeds, it’s time to get to work. Roll up your sleeves, and let’s go!
This way you make sure your grass has a nice soft bed to grow without any obstacles getting in its way. Remove rocks and debris. For the weeds – you can pluck them by hand, but if you decide to treat them with a no-grow serum, wait at least a week (or the amount of time stated on the product you use) before you start the process of reseeding.
Mow it close to the ground. The optimal height is around 2-4cm, anything below that you’re just doing more damage than helping.
First, if your lawn is non-existent, you should rake the top 5cm of the soil to prepare the seedbed. If there’s some grass, but it’s patchy, use a garden fork to loosen hardened soil. You can’t expect much success without this step, as grass grows best on softened and aerated soil.
Wherever the soil is exposed, add a mix of loam and fertiliser (optional). Healthy soil is important for a good-looking lawn, so make sure you check our Soil Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Soil Types.
Don’t wait too long between the steps, as weeds can quickly grow in all the bare patches.
After that, level the soil and rake it one way, so it leaves furrows for the seeds behind it.
Just moisten the soil, avoid sogging it. Some people skip this step but here’s why you shouldn’t. By doing this, you prevent the seeds from moving around when you first water them. A lot of people make the mistake of seeding over very dry soil and when they water the lawn afterwards the seeds move as they can’t hold to anything (even with furrows), resulting in once again unevenly seeded lawn. This can also happen due to heavy rains.
As we already learned, every grass type is different, so use its recommended seed rate. You can mix the seed with lawn food or add a fertilizer afterwards. Apply the seed with a crosshatch pattern (like a grid type). This way you secure even growth.
This step is optional but it will kick-start the seeds by giving the much-needed nutrients. Be careful not to overdo it if you already added lawn food to the seeds.
Keep the soil evenly moist until the seeds sprout. It’s recommended to do so around 4-6 times a day, depending on the weather conditions. Water your reseeded lawn using a light spray, avoiding washing the seeds around. If you let the seeds dry out, you’re most probably getting a patchy result (again).
The germination should take anywhere between 10 days to one month, depending on the soil, seed type, fertilizer, and more.
Hopefully, after all that, you finally have the green lawn you wanted! But the work doesn’t end here, as the lawn now has to be maintained that way, Regularly by cutting the grass, weeding, and watering. Don’t let that hard work go to waste. Maintaining your lawn green can be a chore, so that’s why there are professionals you can hire that can happily do that for you. Spare yourself the time and energy and call a professional to take care of your lawn.
Fantastic Gardeners are here to the rescue! We can bring your lawn back to life and keep it healthy.
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