First-time poster on this forum with a lawn-planting question.
I am putting in a new lawn. I decided to be a cheapskate and forego putting in turf, and planting seeds instead. However, i've spent approx. $500 so far and a boat-load of time watering [see below] and am wondering whether my money would have been better spent on turf [@ $1.20 per square foot].
Anyway, I live on the coast and the native soil is somewhat sandy, so i laid down a layer of planting soil first.
Then i put down seeds of a "fescue" [sp.?] varietal of grass, suitable [per the label] for "heavy traffic" like my kids playing on the lawn that is to come.
Then i put down topsoil to cover the seeds [approx. 1/4"].
Then i added corn starch to the topsoil covering the seeds, on advice from a neighbor that the corn starch helps the topsoil to retain water.
It's begun to grow. I find that i am having to coax the buried seeds to grow and emerge from the topsoil covering them, with 3-4 heavy waterings per day. But it's working.
The lawn has grown and begun to thicken in many areas [so far, favoring shade] and is expanding into the perimeter [sunnier areas] and growing outward. I find that the full-grown blades of grass provide shade for the adjacent outlaying areas and enable the lawn to advance outward.
The questions are:
1) am i missing anything to get this thing growing?;
2) how do i know when the young lawn is ready for mowing? Once in awhile i'll walk on the new lawn to pull a weed or something, and it leaves footprints in the new blades. Also, the soil beneath the grass feels very loose and non-compacted. It seems like the pushing new blades are loosening the soil as they come up through it. At present, i think the wheels of a lawnmower would put big wheel-ruts into the new lawn.
Anyone? Any feedback appreciated. Once again, i thank the hornfans community for its wealth of collective wisdom [with the exception of the West Mall savages -- ha ha].
Thanks All.
I am putting in a new lawn. I decided to be a cheapskate and forego putting in turf, and planting seeds instead. However, i've spent approx. $500 so far and a boat-load of time watering [see below] and am wondering whether my money would have been better spent on turf [@ $1.20 per square foot].
Anyway, I live on the coast and the native soil is somewhat sandy, so i laid down a layer of planting soil first.
Then i put down seeds of a "fescue" [sp.?] varietal of grass, suitable [per the label] for "heavy traffic" like my kids playing on the lawn that is to come.
Then i put down topsoil to cover the seeds [approx. 1/4"].
Then i added corn starch to the topsoil covering the seeds, on advice from a neighbor that the corn starch helps the topsoil to retain water.
It's begun to grow. I find that i am having to coax the buried seeds to grow and emerge from the topsoil covering them, with 3-4 heavy waterings per day. But it's working.
The lawn has grown and begun to thicken in many areas [so far, favoring shade] and is expanding into the perimeter [sunnier areas] and growing outward. I find that the full-grown blades of grass provide shade for the adjacent outlaying areas and enable the lawn to advance outward.
The questions are:
1) am i missing anything to get this thing growing?;
2) how do i know when the young lawn is ready for mowing? Once in awhile i'll walk on the new lawn to pull a weed or something, and it leaves footprints in the new blades. Also, the soil beneath the grass feels very loose and non-compacted. It seems like the pushing new blades are loosening the soil as they come up through it. At present, i think the wheels of a lawnmower would put big wheel-ruts into the new lawn.
Anyone? Any feedback appreciated. Once again, i thank the hornfans community for its wealth of collective wisdom [with the exception of the West Mall savages -- ha ha].
Thanks All.
