A green and lush lawn is the pride and joy of most homeowners and landscapers. Nothing beats the feeling of soft and cool grass under your feet. Spring is coming and soon it will be time for warm weather barbecues and get-togethers. Unfortunately, wet winters can take a toll on healthy grass and if you want to plant new grass in areas that have a lot of traffic, it can be hard. Read on to learn about growing grass in high traffic areas.
Start by making sure the soil is prepared.
To start the process of planting grass in a high traffic area, check the moisture level in your soil. Pick up a handful of soil, gently squeeze it and then release it. If the clump breaks into small pieces, it is at the correct moisture level. If the soil is too wet, it will not break into those clumps. After determining the soil has the correct moisture level, you should add 4 to 6 inches of compost to settle into the soil for several days.
Make sure the soil is aerated.
Heavy traffic can compact the lawn’s soil. This crushed air pockets and decreases the grass health by decreasing the amount of oxygen, nutrients, and water that can move through the soil. This can limit the grasses’ ability to take in vital minerals and moisture. If you’re unsure if your soil is compacted, here is a list of signs.
- Pooling of water in low lying areas.
- Stunted growth of plants.
- Areas too hard to dig with a shovel or trowel.
- Water running off the soil in high areas.
If your lawn is displaying any of the things listed above, you should aerate your lawn with a core aerator. This removes plugs of sod and soil from the compacted ground so that water and nutrients can move down and reach the roots of the grass.
Select the right type of grass for a high traffic area.
Certain types of grass do better in high traffic areas than others. Valley Green carries three types, Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass. Because these are all cool season grasses, they are durable and tolerant to shade and drought. It is best to seed these types of grasses in spring or early fall.
Change your lawn maintenance schedule to encourage the new grass to grow in high traffic areas.
One of the easiest things you can do help growing grass in high traffic areas is to keep it as tall as you can. Keeping the blades long provides more cushion when they are being stepped on. You should also change your mowing patterns. Avoid following the same path with your mower so you can avoid unnecessary trampling of the growing grass.
Grass is the most fragile after heavy watering or rain. When the grass gets soaked, it can easily get torn up and wrecked. Change up your irrigation schedule so the ground will be dry when the lawn sees the most traffic. After heavy rain, try to keep people and pets off your lawn until the soil has had adequate time to dry.