Make Your New Lawn the Envy of All Your Neighbors

Have you ever looked across at your neighbor's lawn and was overcome with jealousy and wishes that something horrid would happen to his nice lush and green grass? Of course you have. Well, here are the simple and easy steps that you can take to make your lawn the one to be envied.

The first step you need to do is prep the area that you want to grow grass on. If your existing lawn is very rough and dry, then you'll need to get an aerator or a roto-tiller. You should run the machine over the old lawn until there is no more grass and only loam and dirt. If your loam is a nice dark brown and has signs of moisture, then you can avoid buying more loam. However, if your surface is dry and gravelly, you'll need to buy more loam and spread it yourself. Loam usually runs about $30 a yard, and it should be spread so that it's at least three or four inches deep. Once you have spread the loam generously, you'll have to take a garden rake, or a grade rake and make sure that you surface is level and without any bumps. This is to make your lawn nice and flat, and so that when you go to mow the new grass, you don't scalp the mounds or hills with the mower. It also makes your lawn look a lot better in the long run.

After you've prepped the area, you need to buy some supplies. You'll need grass seed, starter fertilizer, and peat moss or hay. All of these can be found at most nurseries or home improvement stores. A 20-pound bag of grass seed can cover up to 3000 square feet of lawn space. You can spread it by hand, but it's a lot easier if you have a manual spreader. Although grass seed is a little expensive, it can run up to $50 a bag, you shouldn't use it sparingly. Spread it evenly, or the grass will grown in splotchy and with different shades of green. The same should be done with the starter fertilizer. Cover the entire area just like you did with the grass seed. If you use enough, you should see growth in a few weeks! Finally, lay the hay or peat moss over the seed and fertilizer. Peat moss is more expensive and harder to spread, but it requires less work in the long run. If you lay hay, you'll need to remove it after a few weeks or it will smother the new grass and kill it. Cover the entire area so that you don't see any bare spots.

The final step that you need to remember is to water. Water every day, especially if there hasn't been any rain or rain in the upcoming forecast. Water in the morning or early evening, because a mid day watering can burn the new grass. Use your judgment on when to start mowing. Some grass grows faster than others, and cut it high to stimulate growth. You should see some growth in a few weeks, and soon your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood!