How to Landscape With Grass
- 1). Decide what color you want the lawn to be. Dark green is the top choice, but there are also lighter shades of grass available. Kentucky bluegrass and zoysia grass are dark green, whereas bent grass and rough bluegrass have a lighter hue.
- 2). Look at the planting area during all times of day. Watch to see when the sunlight hits the yard. Most grasses grow best in sunny areas, but there are shade-tolerant species. Saint Augustine, for example, prefers full sun but can also tolerate shade.
- 3). Examine your maintenance availability. Some grasses require more mowing, water and fertilization than others. Some turn brown and dormant in the winter, while others remain green year-round. Annual ryegrass stays green in the winter but dies in the spring or early summer. According to the University of California at Davis, Saint Augustine grass is considered moderate maintenancem and ryegrass is moderate to high maintenance. Fescue is low maintenance and doesn't even need to be mowed.
- 4). Run a rototiller over the soil to loosen it to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Remove weeds and other debris, and break up soil clumps larger than an inch in diameter.
- 5). Spread starter seed fertilizer (high in phosphorus) over the yard. Fill a mechanical or hand spreader with the amount of grass seed specified on the package.Walk it across the yard to evenly distribute the seed. Rake it lightly to cover it with an eighth or quarter inch of soil. Water and keep it moist until germination occurs.
- 6). Water the soil to make it moist. Lay down a piece of sod along the border of the yard. Handle it gentl, pushing the sections against one other as closely as possible. Cover the entire lawn with as many large pieces as possible. Cut sod to fit irregular spaces. Push a half-full roller over the new sod. Water until the grass is soaking wet.
- 7). Plant grass quickly through hydroseeding. Get a contractor (see Resources) who will come spray the grass seed over the yard. He will also apply a starter fertilizer high in phosphorus to promote root growth. Water the hydroseeded area twice a day to promote germination. Keep it moist and wait until the grass is 3 inches high before mowing.
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