Hey everyone, hope everything is going well! I’ve been busy in the lawn the past few weeks, with the main focus being zoysia seed in backyard. The first half of my backyard has been a problem area since I’ve moved in, about 2 years ago. Its mostly dirt and weeds, with very little turf. Since there was no substantial turf in this area I decided to re-seed the entire area (about 1,000 sq ft) with Zoysia seed. I was debating on whether or not to sod, use plugs, or seed and ending up choosing seed. I didn’t go with sod due how much money it would cost and I didn’t go with plugs because I wanted the entire area to be grown in sooner rather than later. Since I went with seed I’ll go ahead and take you through the steps of how to plant new seed.
Here’s how you plant new seed:
- Kill existing Grass and Weeds – Since I didn’t have any grass in my seeding area I just used weed killer and sprayed it on everything. If you do have existing grass then use something like roundup so it kills everything,
- Remove Dead Grass and Weeds – Put your mower on the lowest setting and scalp the group, essentially removing all the dead grass and weeds.
- Till the ground – Using a tiller, either rent or buy, till the area where you are laying seeds. There are some pretty cheap electric tillers on amazon if you don’t want to rent one. In some cases it could be cheaper to buy one. Here’s a link to the one I used, which did really well, even in my rocky soil: https://amzn.to/2I4s0hS
- Prep The Ground and Starter Fert – Rake out any debris from the freshly tilled area. Get any rocks, twigs, dead grass/weeds out of the area. After that go ahead and lay down starter fertilizer. Starter fert is essential in promoting germination and root growth, so make sure you do this! Link for Scotts Starter Fert: https://amzn.to/2Wyu4YN
- Put down the seeds! Make sure you’re using the right setting on your spreader. If you’re unsure what setting to use (some bags won’t tell you) then put it on one of the lower, if not the lowest, setting and keep spreading until it runs out. This ensures you’ll get an even spread and not run out of seed.
- Rake it in – Lightly rake the new seed into the tilled soil. You don’t want to rake the seeds in too deep, just enough to be covered.
- Peat Moss – I personally like putting peat moss over new seed. It helps retain water and protects the seed. Grab hand fulls and lightly sprinkle over the new seeds. Again, you don’t want to cover them with too much soil and peat moss, no more than 1/4 inch.
- Water, water, water – Once everything is done it is time to water the area. Continue to keep the area watered, don’t let the ground go dry as this can dry out the seeds. Zoysia seeds to stay moist, so you need to water 4-5 times a day. You must keep watering until the seeds start to germinate and the grass reaches 1-2″, which take 4 weeks as Zoysia is a slow grower. I recommend getting a timer so you can still water your new seeds when you’re not at home. Link to the one I am using, which has served me well so far: https://amzn.to/2WvbnW4
Hope this helps and good luck with your new seed!