Style: April 01, 2021

38 Style | Gardening
WHEN TO SOW?
The answer to this is: do you want
nature to help you out with seed
germination? Yes. Of course you do, so
autumn, with its rain showers, is going
to be the best time.
The two things that grass seeds
need to germinate are warmth and
moisture. You want rainwater rather
than a baking sun that will dry out the
seeds and soil, but you don’t want it
to be too cold. Now is, on balance,
the best time.
Turf it
You can also lay an instant turf lawn,
often called ready lawn. As with
seeds, these huge rolls of turf come
in different varieties. Some use coarse
grasses, which could be great if you just
want to mow a strip for the kids to kick
balls around on. Look for a fine fescue
or a browntop if you want to lie on the
lawn in summer with a long drink.
YOUR NEW LAWN
Don’t mow your new lawn as soon
as you see that green glow where once
there was just soil. Wait until it has grown
to at least 5cm so the root system has
had time to develop. After that, use
sharp blades and set your mower to
the highest level. You can gradually lower
this level as the grass settles in.
Don’t walk on the new lawn until
the grass is well established.
This includes dogs. How do you teach
them this? I don’t know.
LAWN PREPARATION
Perfectionists will have started their lawn
planning in summer by spraying the area
thoroughly. After waiting patiently for the weeds
to die off and regrow, another spray takes place.
That way they are ensuring a good start to a
weed-free lawn. If you missed the memo to do
this, you can get busy spraying now. It takes two
to three weeks for the weeds to die off.
Raking and rolling is the name of the game here.
Remove the dead plants then rotary hoe or just
rake the area (depending on the lawn’s size) to
smooth the soil out. Then, compact the ground
with a roller or your boots. Water the soil.
SOW YOUR SEED
Sow seed on a fine day at the rate set out on the pack.
Scatter seed by swinging your arm in one direction, then
turn 90 degrees and repeat. That way you should get an
even distribution.
At this point you can scatter lawn mix or lawn builder
lightly on top. Rake the bed lightly to make sure the seed
is covered. Then, it’s a matter of watering. Often. Regularly.
Keep the soil moist on a daily basis during the crucial
germination period. Try to avoid making puddles with the
water from your hose or sprinkler as this can move the lawn
seed around.
Moist soil brings up the worms. Worms attract blackbirds.
Blackbirds seem to encourage sparrows. Watch out for
these birds eating your precious seeds. I put a net over the
seed, raised up on posts so the birds can’t reach the seed.
You’ll need this net and posts if you have a cat, too.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE
The idea is to make sure your patch of soon-to-be-lawn
doesn’t dry out until the grass has become established. After
the seed has germinated, you can water less frequently. But
now you have to water for longer each time. Think of the
roots growing. At first you wanted water on the surface
to encourage germination of the seed, but now you want
the roots to grow down in search of moisture, making for
longer, stronger, deeper roots.