How to Properly Seed Your Lawn 

When spring and summer roll around, we all want lush green lawns to show off to our neighbors, friends, and family. No one wants a crumbly brown property that impresses pests more than it does people. The best way to achieve your green yard goal is through landscaping. Lucky for you, properly seeding your lawn is a pretty easy and affordable project to take on. Your biggest obstacle is going to be learning how to grow grass. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about how to properly seed your lawn and grow grass. From when to plant grass seed to the best grass seed to purchase, we’ve got you covered.

How to Grow Grass

There are several steps involved in the process of growing grass. To properly seed your lawn, you have to prepare. Preparation will be crucial if you want your grass to grow green and healthy. So you’ll first want to figure out the best grass seed for your yard. There are a lot of grass seed varieties out there. But you can determine what’s suitable for your lawn by looking at where you live. The two main grass categories are warm-season and cool-season grasses. If you live in the Chicagoland area, the best grass seed for your yard will be cool-season grass. Some of the best grass types to plant around the Chicago area include:

• Kentucky bluegrass 
• Perennial ryegrass
• Tall fescue
• Fine fescue

These are four of the best grass seed types to plant in northern Illinois. All of them are cool-season grasses that grow the most active in the fall and spring. But grass isn’t the only thing you need to get suitable to produce a beautiful lawn. You also need to convert your property to the conditions that allow grass seeds to germinate. You may have some work to do on the current yard. First, you’ll need to test the pH of your soil. Typically, the pH of your soil should be between 6.0 and 7.5. It is too acidic if it is below 6.0; if it is above 7.5, it is too alkaline. For acidic lawns, add lime to your soil. For alkaline soil, add peat moss or sulfur. 

Next Steps

The next step is to remove visible rocks and roots from your yard. Make sure to get every stone that won’t fit through the tines of a garden rake. This is a massive part of adequately seeding your lawn. Once you’ve done this, fill any holes in the property with topsoil. Then you’ll want to use a rotary tiller to turn the soil. Make sure there are no vast clumps or patches of packed earth. Now on how to properly seed your lawn, you’ll need to add sand and compost. First, cover the area with an inch of sand. Use a rotary tiller to mix it in with the topsoil. Then, do the same with an inch of compost. 

To amend the soil, add lime, sulfur, or peat moss to balance pH. Spread starter fertilizer to the growing area. Then disperse the grass seed of your choice evenly over the area. 

When to Plant Grass Seed 

Now you might be wondering exactly when to plant grass seed in your lawn. The answer to this question varies depending on the type of seed you’re working with. Cool-season grass is best planted in the fall. Specifically, you should be planting this type of grass around September. This is because cool-season grasses are dormant during winter but grow in spring and fall. It’s essential to cultivate this kind of grass before temperatures dip. But you also want to ensure that your seeds will take root and grow. Try not to plant grass seeds on rainy or windy days. Rain and wind can wash or blow seeds away. You also want the ground to be firm when you plant your seeds. 

Finding the Best Grass Seed

Learning how to properly seed your lawn is one of the easier landscape projects you can take on. However, that doesn’t mean that the process is necessarily easy. Now that you know how to grow grass, it will still take a lot of work. While some people have the time to take on a project like this, most do not. You probably have a lot of obligations already on your plate. Between work and regular household duties, you might already be swamped. Plus, if you have kids with their hobbies and activities, it makes it even harder. This is why many people hire lawn care professionals, like Apex Landscaping. 

Hire Lawn Care Professionals Today

If you want your lawn to look beautiful during prime seasons, you’re best off hiring professionals. For amateur landscapers, properly seeding a lawn might take a few tries. If you want to see results immediately, you’ll want to consider hiring professional landscapers. 

If you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for the best landscaping company, check out Apex Landscaping. We value our customers and listen to their needs to produce the best outcome possible. We provide our clients with a multitude of services. These services range anywhere from hardscape design to tree care to landscape maintenance. We work with our customers to create the outdoor spaces of their dreams. To ensure that your lawn looks stunning for spring, work with Apex. For more information on our services or landscaping in general, check out the rest of our website today.