Peat moss is organic matter that improves the germination rate of grass seed when you incorporate it into your soil. The structure of peat moss adds aeration to soil, allowing good airflow for seed germination. Peat moss holds water and nutrients needed for growth in light sandy soils. Adding organic matter to your lawn before planting grass makes the soil easier to work into a light seeding bed for a new lawn. Plant cool-season grass seed in the early fall and warm-season grass seed in the late spring to allow germination and establishment during the grasses' natural growing seasons.
Turn the soil to a depth of 6 inches with a garden tiller. Make several passes to break up the soil into a fine mix. Remove large clods of soil, weeds and rocks with a rake.
Spread peat moss on top of the soil bed at about 2 inches deep. Scatter the peat moss by handfuls evenly over the planting area.
Incorporate the peat moss into the loose top 6 inches of soil with a garden tiller. Turn the tiller on its slowest speed to allow the tines to mix the peat moss into the soil slowly and thoroughly.
Place starter grass fertilizer into a fertilizer spreader. Set the flow rate according to the package directions. Start at one corner of the lawn and travel in passes from either north to south or east to west to cover the entire lawn.
Pour grass seed into a fertilizer spreader and set the flow rate for your particular type of grass seed following the package directions. Put only half of the recommended amount in the spreader. Apply half of the amount of grass seed in a north to south direction. Apply the second amount of grass seed in an east to west direction. Do not allow passes or rows to overlap each other.
Drag the back of a garden rake over the lawn without pushing it down, to cover the grass seed slightly. Walk in rows back and forth to cover all of the seeds. Do not cover the seed with soil more than one-quarter-inch deep, or it will not germinate.
Water the grass seed thoroughly with a garden hose and sprinkler. Irrigate the grass seed several times a day for only a short amount of time, to keep the ground evenly moist until the seed germinates. Germination usually takes place within two weeks.
Continue irrigating the newly established lawn in dry weather to about 1 inch of water per week. As the grass is growing, increase the amounts of water and decrease watering frequency, to promote healthy grass with deep roots.
Things You Will Need
- Garden tiller
- Peat moss
- Fertilizer spreader
- Starter grass fertilizer
- Grass seed
- Garden hose
- You may use a hand-spreader for small areas and manually turn the crank to apply starter fertilizer and grass seeds.
- Observe your applications of grass seed and starter fertilizer so you do not overlap rows. Overlapping rows of either product leads to distinct lines in your lawn of darker green from the fertilizer and thicker grass from the seed.
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