Spring is here and Valley Green is getting excited about our busiest season. The warm weather has encouraged many people to venture out and begin the process of spring clean-up. When all the snow has melted, many homeowners and landscapers notice that the lawn may need to be reseeded in certain spots. Preparing soil for grass seed is one of the most common things to do on the spring lawn care chore list. Our grass seed is one of our most popular products and we also carry the items needed to condition the soil for planting. Our article this week will focus on preparing soil for grass seed.
Preparing Soil for Grass Seed
Clean up the soil. Rake away debris, weeds, and old mulch. This gives you the opportunity to closely inspect the condition of the soil where you want to plant the grass seed. Soil that is compacted or too saturated will not germinate well. Cleaning out the weeds will also lessen the chance of them spreading seeds or regerminating. Weeds can steal vital nutrients from the growing grass. Grass seed also needs light and oxygen to germinate so removing debris will increase exposure to both of these.
Test the soil. A soil PH test will determine if your soil is too acidic or has too much alkaline. If your soil test result comes out to below 7, it means your soil is too acidic. A result of over 7 means your soil has too much alkaline. After getting your test results, you’ll have to apply a soil conditioner. Lime is usually the best option for raising the PH level of your soil. Aluminum sulfate is used to lower the PH of soil. Check out our selection of conditioners.
Make sure you have the right tools on hand to work the soil. To get the best planting result you’ll want to have a tiller, rakes, shovels, a spreader, and fertilizer on hand. After you utilize the tools to work the soil, the spreader can be used to apply the fertilizer. Depending on the type of grass you plant, you may have to fertilize again. Also, don’t forget to water the grass seedlings regularly.