Looking for a how-to guide on creating a new lawn? At Plantura you can find out everything about seeds, mowing, watering, fertilizing and other care.
Are you thinking about laying a new lawn? Then you are exactly right here! It doesn't always have to be the extremely expensive rolled turf for a perfect lawn to adorn your property in the end. With our tips for laying a new lawn, anyone with a little patience can call their own closed and lush green lawn.
The choice of seed as the basis for the dream lawn
Before you can even think about preparing the seed area, you should first think about the purpose of the lawn. Whether a grass area later serves only as an ornamental lawn or whether it is used by children playing makes a big difference in the choice of seed. Incidentally, you should also be aware that an incorrectly selected seed will never produce a perfect lawn, even with the best care measures. That is why the Plantura team recommends using lawn seed with the standard seed mixture label (abbreviated: RSM). Of course, our Plantura lawn seeds, such as the shade lawn, are also RSM-certified.
The standard seed offers advantages in many respects: Among other things, all types of grass used are scientifically tested and weed seeds are almost zero. Of course, the label also has its price and the certified seed is therefore more expensive than cheap seed, but this price only has to be paid once. Cheap seed mixes may contain false grasses such as forage grasses. These are completely unsuitable for a beautiful and easy-care lawn. Even euphonious names such as "English Lawn" are no guarantee of high-quality seed that was bred specifically for a lawn.
Tip: There are also price differences for regular seed mixtures - so compare different offers. Incidentally, ornamental lawn is abbreviated to type 1.1 on the label. If a resilient home lawn is to be purchased then you need to look for Type 2.2 - 2.4. forLawns in shady locations are best suited to using special seeds with the panicle (Poa supina).
Soil preparation for a fantastically beautiful lawn
Once the use of the lawn has been clarified and the right seed is ready, the soil preparation can begin. First of all, the soil for the later lawn seed is examined. If the soil is heavy, loamy, a generous amount of sand should be incorporated. This allows rainwater to seep away better later on, because lawns do not like waterlogging at all. However, if the soil is very sandy, we recommend working in mature green compost. The compost enriches the light sandy soil with nutrients and more water is stored in the soil in the long term. Whether you have light or heavy soil, after extensive tillage you should give the soil several weeks to settle. This will avoid later bumps. The setting of the soil can be accelerated by using a roller, but using a roller can also compact the soil too much.
So that the fine lawn seed does not dry out and has good contact with the moist soil, the upper layer of soil must be completely free of small stones, root remains, etc. It is also advisable to dig up the soil to a depth of spade before planting. After all these steps, the sowing area is finished and ready for the grass seed.
The best time to sow the lawn
In addition to the wrong choice of seeds, another big mistake is often made here. Because most hobby gardeners sow their lawns in the spring. That's not right! Rather, the right time of year is autumn. At this time of the year, the ground has stored a lot of heat from the summer and there is a relatively large amount of precipitation. Lawn seeds need this stored heat to germinate and also a constant water supply. In spring, the ground is often still much too cold due to the winter. Incidentally, the best way to spread the seeds is with a spreader. This achieves an even distribution of the seed. Alternatively, you can also apply it by hand. As a rule of thumb, about 25 grams of lawn seed per square meter is sufficient, but you should always stick to the seed manufacturer's application rate. After that, we recommend using a long-term lawn fertilizer such as our primarily organic Plantura organic lawn fertilizer. The initial fertilizationis extremely important because the small grass seeds contain hardly any nutrient reserves.
Roughen the soil for perfect germination of the lawn seeds
Roughening the soil is an important step and increases the germination rate of the seeds extremely. Without processing, the seeds just lie on the ground and dry out extremely quickly. Therefore, it is essential to work the seed lightly into the soil with a rake. However, the seeds should not disappear deeper than 1 cm into the ground. In addition to the better water supply for the seeds, the roughened soil can also absorb rainwater better. This means that the seeds cannot be washed away so quickly even by heavy rainfall.
By the way: The grass seeds do not need direct sunlight to germinate. However, if the seeds are buried too deep, germination may not occur.
Watering after sowing the lawn
The be-all and end-all for a good germination result is a constant water supply. If it does not rain regularly after sowing, it must be watered in any case. Please do not use a strong jet of water. You would destroy the entire seedbed. Even if the first seeds are already germinating, the continuous water supply must be continued for two reasons: Firstly, the small grasses only have a very small root system for water absorption and can dry out quickly. Secondly, a good lawn seed always consists of several types of grass. The grass varieties have different germination times of 1 to 4 weeks. Some varieties germinate relatively late and are therefore dependent on a long water supply. In high temperatures and persistent drought, the lawn should be watered several times a day at short intervals. This keeps the seeds constantly moist and soon the green stalks will sprout.
The first lawn mowing after sowing
If you have done everything right up to this point, you will see a soft green lawn in front of you. However, the lawn is not really closed at this point, because the lawn has to be mowed for that. It is only through this step that more blades of grass are formed and your lawn grows much denser. But before that happens, there is still the question of when the first cut should actually be made. Be sure to wait until the still sensitive grasses have reached a height of approx. 10 cm. The pruning should then be such that a maximum of only half of the stalk length is shortenedwill.
By the way, sharp blades are extremely important, especially when mowing for the first time. The fine blades of grass do not yet have a strong root system and a blunt blade can tear out the entire plant. By the way, don't worry if one or the other weed adorns the lawn at this time. All soil contains weed seeds, but most weeds will not survive frequent mowing and will slowly but surely be pushed out by the competitive turf.
The following lawnmowers have proven themselves in our garden:
- GARDENA PowerMax 1200/32 Electric Lawn Mower: Ideal for caring for smaller lawn areas. Optimum cutting results thanks to specially hardened blades and central height adjustment of the cutting height in 10 steps.
- GARDENA PowerMax Electric Lawn Mower 1400/34: High torque: Powerful motor for precise lawn cutting, ideal for medium-sized gardens with a lawn area of up to 400 m². Efficient cutting and catching: Everything ends up directly in the grass catcher box.
- GARDENA Robotic Lawnmower R40Li: The SensorCut system ensures a streak-free, perfectly manicured lawn. Suitable for an area of up to 400 square meters and can handle inclines of up to 25%. Freely programmable mowing times.
GARDENA 05032-20 Electric Lawnmower PowerMax 1200/32, for lawns up to… €114.99 €99.99Details →- 13%
Gardena PowerMax electric lawn mower 1400/34: Lawn mower up to 400 m², 34 cm… €184.99 €159.99Details →
Gardena robot lawn mower R40Li, 04071-60Details →
Your lawn should be fertilized after a certain period of time to ensure that it develops well after it has been planted. You can find out how best to do this and which fertilizer is suitable in our special article on lawn fertilization.