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:

1. 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,
2. Remove Dead Grass and Weeds – Put your mower on the lowest setting and scalp the group, essentially removing all the dead grass and weeds.
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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!

Hey everyone, hope your week has been great. I was hoping to provide everyone with some good news about my seedlings, but mother nature took its toll during the week. A few days after planting them we had a quick, but nasty, storm come through the area. The rain was ridiculous and the winds were strong. It got so bad I had to run outside in the storm and start digging a trench around my newly planted plants so they didn’t wash away in the storm. Needless to say most of my seeds and peat moss got washed away too. I’m thinking of getting Scotts patchmaster instead of putting more seeds down. It comes with mulch and starter fert mixed in, so I won’t have to do everything again.

Hey everyone! I had a lot on my to-do list this week, including some tasks for the garden thrown at me by the wife. I’ve spent the past few weeks digging up clumps of fescue, which resulted in some bare spots in my lawn. These clumps were pretty bad, it was impeding the growth of my turf and they just looked horrible, so I decided to launch an all out war against the fescue and dig it up. With the new bare spots in the lawn it was time to put down some new seed, you know, to avoid those letters from the HOA!

My front lawn is a mix of Zoysia and Bermuda, so I was debating between the two. I personally love Zoysia grass, but its hard to grow from seed and more expensive than Bermuda. Zoysia also takes longer to germinate and requires much more attention because it needs to be watered 4-5 times day. I ultimately chose to go with Bermuda because of the price and ease. I also plan on seeding an area in the backyard with Zoysia, so I didn’t want to deal with the difficulty of germinating Zoysia in multiple areas.

Planting from seed can be intimidating, but if you follow these steps its pretty simple:

• Prep the ground – Get a metal rake and rake up the dirt on the surface. This promotes good seed to soil contact. If you’re like me and have dug up some of your yard, you may need to get some topsoil and throw it down.
• Put down the seed – Read the directions on the bag to determine what setting you need your spreader on and put it down.
• Top dressing – I recommend peat moss. Its cheap and effective. Peat moss will not only protect your seed, but help protect it from heavy winds and rain. It also holds water really well, so you can visually tell if your seeds need water (when its dark its good, when its lighter it needs water!) Just grab it by the handful and sprinkle it over the seeds. You want to lightly cover them, but don’t put down too much over them.
• Starter Fert – Find a good starter fertilizer, I recommend Scotts starter fertilizer, and put it down over the seeds. This is essential so that the new seeds get the nutrients required for growth.
• Water, water, water! – Water your seeds immediately when you’re done. Your seeds will need water daily, sometimes more than once a day depending on your seed type. Keep water your seeds daily until your second mowing, and remember you don’t want to mow your new grass until it hits at least 3″.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated on the progress of my new seedlings!

Welcome to The Lawn Warrior’s blog! I started this blog to share tips and techniques that I’ve learned over the past few years, as well as document my lawn’s journey from one of the worst lawns on the block to the best.

When I first moved into my house a few years ago I didn’t realize how bad my lawn was until summer rolled around. I had bare spots, spots with weeds only, spots with random grass growing in, it was awful. I had never owned a house before, so I was never really worried about how my lawn looked. Once the first homeowners letter came in, threatening me with a fine I knew it was time to get serious.

I took this as an opportunity to learn more about lawn care, through reading and watching videos. Since my lawn has, and still has, a multitude of problems I’m using my lawn to try different products and techniques, so continue checking back in every week to see my lawn’s progress and get weekly tips and information!