The best way to start a new lawn
Don't rush into it.
Some people take whatever falls in their lawn.
When you start a lawn some people will take, or buy, whatever falls in their path and throw in on the soil with some water and hay. Sometimes this works out just fine.. But if you care about your lawn, then you need to take the time to prepare your site, and your soil. Not to mention choosing the right kind of grass for your area and soil. The steps are not difficult, and if you follow simple guidelines and organic lawn care tips, you should have the best looking lawn in your neighborhood with out much effort.
A serious customer will take into consideration some important factors before growing a new lawn:
Climate, cost, durability, maintenance, appearance, and the difficulty of the start up process. Your going to want to choose a grass that is suitable for the climate you live in. If you live in a warm climate you are going to want a warm climate grass. If not so warm of a climate, something that can survive cold winters or drought riddled summers. Consult your local lawn care expert or garden center and see what has the best results for your area with minimal maintenance. Or perhaps you don't mind the maintenance and are on the hunt for a particular type of lawn, knowing the climate factors is the key to having a successful green filled lawn.
Ask yourself, what will it be used for?
Before you run off and buy sod or grass seed, ask yourself a simple question. What is my lawn going to be used for? What conditions will it face? Does the local football team gather at your home on Saturday afternoons? Do you care about the texture and color of your lawn? Knowing the conditions it faces will help guide you in the proper selection of your new lawn. Does it need to recover quickly? Should it resist the wear? Or is it simply going to be untouched? The answer you come up with will help you and anyone that you consult come up with the proper selection of grass for your lawn.
Warm Season, or Cool Grass?
If you live in the Northern US or Canada you will need a cool season grass. Cool season grasses include bluegrass, fescue, or rye. Each of these grow best in the fall, going dormant and sometime brown in the summer if it is not properly cut and watered. If you live in the south, you need to look at warm season grasses. Warm season grasses such as Bahai, Buffalo, St. Augustine, Buffalo grow excellent in the hottest part of the summer months.
Do local research first.
However, across the country it is tricky to find the appropriate grass. Elevation, droughts, climates all play a giant factor in your lawn. Be sure to consult with a local landscaping, lawn care, or nursery before you rush into your purchase. Don't throw your investment out the door.
Which Grass Type? The Bunching Grass, or the Creeping Grass?
This may sound uninteresting, but it is an important factor in the final results produced by your labor. Creeping grass spreads through the root system, while bunching grass can only be reproduced threw new seeds.
Creeping grass.
However, across the country it is tricky to find the appropriate grass. Elevation, droughts, climates all play a giant factor in your lawn. Be sure to consult with a local landscaping, lawn care, or nursery before you rush into your purchase. Don't throw your investment out the door.
Bunching grass.
Bunching grass only reproduce through seeds, though individual plants also increase in size as new tillers sprout around their circumferences. Despite their name, (another, similarly misleading term is "clump" grasses) these grasses do not necessarily grow in hummocks, and they won't automatically make a lumpy lawn.
However, bunching grass do tend to spread more slowly than creeping grasses, so a lawn started from seed will take longer to get established than would a lawn started with a creeping grass. On the other hand, bunch grasses do not tend to invade flower beds and sidewalk cracks as aggressively as do creeping grasses. Creeping grasses, especially those with stolons, are also more prone to thatch build-up.
Sods, Plugs, Sprigs, or Seeds?
Just about everyone knows you can start a lawn with sod or seeds, but many people, especially those in northern states and provinces, have never heard of a third option, plugs, much less a fourth, sprigs. Plugs are tiny pieces of sod - a clump of grass with roots and dirt still attached -- that, when planted at evenly spaced intervals on a lawn, will gradually fill in those spaces to make a smooth, complete surface. Sprigs are even smaller than plugs, being just what they sound like - a small sprig of grass with its root runner. That runner (a rhizome or stolon) includes a couple of nodes that will develop roots below and shoots above, when they're in contact with dirt.
