A beautifully manicured and lush green lawn is the pride of many a garden owner. However, grasses are heavy feeders that need to be supplied with sufficient nutrients so that weeds have no chance of coming to light. Lawns must therefore be fertilized regularly. Since fertilization is also essential when planting a new lawn, the question arises:
Contents
- 1 Is it possible to sow and fertilize lawn at the same time?
- 2 Tip #1: When should the lawn be seeded?
- 3 Tip #2: How to fertilize the lawn?
- 4 Tip #3: When is the best time to fertilize the lawn?
- 5 Tip #4: What is the best lawn fertilizer?
- 6 Tip #5: What alternative is there to the classic fertilizer?
- 7 FAQ
- 8 How deep does lawn seed get into the soil?
- 9 Is it possible to sow too much lawn?
- 10 When is freshly seeded lawn dense?
- 11 Are coffee grounds a good lawn fertilizer?
- 12 Should you fertilize first and then scarify?
- 13 Author
Is it possible to sow and fertilize lawn at the same time?
Sowing and fertilizing the lawn at the same time is possible at any time. However, the garden owner does his greenery good if he gives himself and the lawn a little time. If he fertilizes first and then sows, the lawn will thank him for it.
On average, it takes about ten days for the soil to absorb the fertilizer. Only then is it optimally available to the seeds.
However, fertilizer is only applied between April and October, when the outside temperature is at least eight to ten degrees Celsius.
With the following tips, a healthy and green lawn will grow and thrive:
Tip #1: When should the lawn be seeded?
Nowadays, in principle, lawns can be sown or reseeded all year round. In order to have a beautiful and dense lawn in summer, sowing in spring is the ideal time. It is best to wait until there are no more night frosts. Thus, the optimal temperature for germination of lawn seeds is between 14 and 25 degrees.
Depending on where you live, it is possible to sow new grass as early as April. In mountainous or colder areas, it is safer to wait for the so-called Ice Saints in mid-May.
After sowing, water regularly. However, the seeds must not be drowned or allowed to dry out. Nevertheless, it can happen with spring sowing that bare patches appear in the lawn. Then simply reseed immediately, no matter what the temperature.
When establishing a new lawn, a starter fertilizer is worked two to three centimeters deep into the soil about ten days before sowing. When establishing a lawn, autumn is also a good time. The freshly leveled soil can still settle and unevenness can be leveled out before seeding the lawn.
Sowing in autumn, i.e. in September or October, is therefore advantageous if it is neither too cold nor too hot. Until the first frost comes, the seed can germinate and develop into hardy blades, as there is still sufficient heat in the soil.
Experience has shown that sowing in the fall is more effective than in the spring. In both cases, the soil should be as dry as possible when sowing, and only then watered. In addition, it should be as windless as possible when sowing so that the seed is not blown away.
Tip #2: How to fertilize the lawn?
When fertilizing the lawn, a distinction is made between a new lawn and a lawn that has already had a few years of life. A new lawn is happy to receive a special starter fertilizer. This is worked into the soil two to three centimeters deep one to two weeks before sowing. The starter fertilizer ensures that the seeds and seedlings are well supplied with nutrients from the very first second, just like a baby.
Before applying the first fertilizer prior to seeding the new lawn, the subsoil must be thoroughly
cleared of weeds, stones, roots or bumps. If the area is heavily weeded, the gardener will help with a special weed killer.
The future lawn is raked as smooth as possible with a rake. Then give the soil at least a week to settle. Holes and unevenness can be easily leveled out afterwards.
Tip #3: When is the best time to fertilize the lawn?
For lawn seeds to germinate, the soil temperature must be at least eight degrees Celsius. The optimum air temperature is between 14 and 25 degrees, i.e. in April and May. This is also the best time to fertilize the lawn for the first time.
The perfect time for the first organic fertilization is after the second or third lawn mowing. To do this, let the grass grow to a height of eight to ten centimeters, and then mow it to a height of four centimeters. After fertilizing, the lawn should not be mowed for about ten days until the nutrients have reached the roots of the grass.
Ideally, the lawn receives two to three applications of fertilizer per year, with the last application in October. If the lawn needs more attention, fertilizing can also be done four times per gardening season. For the last fertilization, a special autumn fertilizer is recommended. It has a high potassium content and makes the grasses winter-hardy.
Tip #4: What is the best lawn fertilizer?
A lawn as a so-called strong consumer needs many nutrients to thrive optimally. Only with a sufficient supply of nutrients can it hold its own against competition from mosses and weeds. An organic fertilizer with a long-term effect strengthens the greenery and perfectly prevents weeds, moss or lawn thatch.
Regular fertilizing also saves tedious scarifying or sanding.
Tip #5: What alternative is there to the classic fertilizer?
A commercially available, classic fertilizer in granule form takes a good ten days to penetrate deep enough into the soil to reach and nourish seedlings or the roots of the lawn.
Alternative products have a germination accelerator or are available in the form of coated seeds. In a coated seed, the fertilizer coats the seed and provides it directly with the nutrients necessary for successful germination and healthy growth.
FAQ
How deep does lawn seed get into the soil?
Grass seeds have their optimal germination at a depth of one centimeter. Therefore, the seeds are sown on the prepared soil, which is then rolled or pressed firmly. If the seeds are too deep, they will not get enough light to germinate.
Is it possible to sow too much lawn?
When seeding, you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions, which specify how many grams of seed should be spread per square meter for optimal germination.
If too much seed is placed on one spot, not all seedlings will develop. As a result, they die, the lawn becomes matted and makes the soil impermeable to water and air.
When is freshly seeded lawn dense?
It usually takes one to three weeks for freshly seeded turf to germinate and grass blades to develop. Until the lawn is dense depends partly on the lawn mixture used, and partly on the external conditions. Most seeds germinate from a temperature of around ten degrees.
Are coffee grounds a good lawn fertilizer?
Coffee grounds make an excellent fertilizer for many garden plants. For the lawn, the dried grounds help suppress moss and various weeds. So frahling lovers do their greenery good if they collect the coffee grounds, let them dry and spread them regularly on the lawn.
Should you fertilize first and then scarify?
Between April and October, the lawn can be fertilized up to four times per season. According to the European Lawn Society, it should also be dethatched once a year in the spring and once more in August or September.
Before the first dethatching, the green should be at least three years old. In order for the aeration to stimulate the formation of new shoots of the lawn, fertilizer is applied approximately ten days beforehand.
