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Mulch and New Grass

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Posted by brad1164 z7 MD (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 6, 11 at 20:22

I have an area where 4 blue spruce had to be removed...there was mulch around all of them. We'd now just like to make this part of our grassy lawn. How do we do this?

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RE: Mulch and New Grass

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Well it's not that hard, but it's not just a matter of throwing seeds down. First, a few questions. I see you are in Maryland, can you be more specific. What type of grass do you have now? If you don't know, you should try to ID it using the internet.

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RE: Mulch and New Grass

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I would recommend leveling the area out (if it's not) and replacing the mulch with decent soil. Then do the typical seeding routine.

In short here it is:
Prepare your area like removing holes, rocks, sticks, etc (this makes a huge difference later when mowing)
Till up the soil a couple of inches.
Apply roughly 8-10 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. of grass seed (important! don't exceed this rate)
Drag chain link fence (or something similar) over it a couple of times to get the seed mixed loosely into the soil
Apply a starter fertilizer
Drive over it with a roller to compact the soil and make good seed to soil contact
Cover it with straw. Not too much, but not too little. It has to have sun, but you want to retain moisture.
WATER IT!
This must be done with precision. After the seeds become wet they must not dry out or they are more likely to die. Don't water too much either. It will take short, regular waterings to keep it moist. Later when it has sprouted switch to more normal watering scheme.

There may be more detailed guides online but I've seen and used this system quite a bit. Each step is critical. Also, BE SURE to get good quality seed (0% "other").

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