New planting
A new planting is usually carried out when there has been massive soil movement (new construction areas, conversions) or the condition of the existing lawn is so bad that overseeding is not sufficient. In order to achieve a sucessful new planting, the soil on these areas must be carefully prepared. To achieve this, the following steps must be taken into account:
A thorough preparation of the area includes information about the soil type, the pH value and the nutrient supply with the main and the most important trace nutrients. The results are already important for the germination and development of the young plants. With knowledge of the nutrient situation, you can prepare and controll the establishment of your lawn.
Soil testing is offered by various fertilizer manufacturers. In addition, there are official institutions in every federal state to which samples can be sent. The best period to examine is in autumn, because you need a lead time to get the results. In spring, the results can than be used to react in a targeted manner. The testing centers provide technical information on taking and sending samples.
Many soils, esp. after buildung a house, are badly damaged, compacted, crushed or contaminated with construction waste. It takes a lot of time and passion to repair these damages. This includes the removal of all construction waste as well as the deep loosening of soil compaction, e.g. where heavy constructions maschines stood and drove. The deep loosening of the soil is is best done with an excavator, depth chisel or underground hook. After that, it makes sense to improve the soil with an interim greening. This measurement supports the soil life, collects nutrients and loosen the soil. Turfgrasses loves soil that is permeable to water and air. If you have a heavy and loamy soil, than you should worked in rough sand to a depth of up to 20 cm.
A well-aerated soil is important for the future lawn. Rainwater should be stored, but neither soften the ground or lead to waterlogging. If this danger exists, e.g. due to compaction that has not been removed or due to slope water, it makes sense to install a drainage system that drains away the surplus of water.
Before sowing it is the right time to level out unevenness or to prepare your future garden. Be it a seating area, irrigation system or garden pond - no lawn is destroyed yet. The right concept saves money and time.
Spring planting has the advantage that the young plants have a full growing season to develop before the first winter. The disadvantage is the risk of drying out and burning in a dry spring. If the soil is too cold, the grass will germinate later and weeds will have a head start in terms of development. Mid-April to late May is ideal.
Fall planting offers warm soil and the security of fall rainfall after summer. On the other hand, if you sow seeds very late, there is a risk that the young grasses will be surprised by early frosts or that they will not go into winter fully mature.
September is ideal.
A new planting is usually carried out when there has been soil movement (new construction areas, conversions) or the condition of the existing lawn is so bad that reseeding is not sufficient. The best time to lay out a new lawn is in spring, from mid-April/May to the end of September, depending on the weather. Optimum germination conditions include a soil temperature of 15-25 °C and mild weather with occasional rainfall. In order for a new system to be successful, the soil on these areas must be carefully prepared.
To do this, the following steps must be taken into account:
First, the area must be dug up so that existing soil compaction dissolves and a crumbly topsoil is created. The loosening of the soil means that rain and irrigation water seep away better. Finally, plant remains, branches and stones should be removed from the surface. In the event that heavy construction machinery was parked on the area, deep loosening should be considered. This can either be done by yourself or by garden specialists.
The area must then be leveled. You can use a rake for this. After leveling, the soil needs to settle over a few weeks. You can speed up this process a bit by using a light roller. The so-called settling of the soil is very important for the young seeds so that they do not encounter excessively large cavities (soil pores) that hinder growth.
The seed is sown on the well reconsolidated, finely crumbly and dry soil when there is no wind and no precipitation. Calculate the amount of seed required for your area. For smaller areas, sowing can be done by hand. For larger areas, however, it is advisable to add a spreader. The advantage here is that sowing is particularly even. It is generally advisable to first sow the soil lengthwise and then crosswise.
After sowing, the seed must be incorporated about 1 cm deep into the soil. The incorporation ensures that the seed is covered, promotes germination conditions and enables the seed to emerge quickly and evenly.
After the seed has been worked in, the soil should be pressed down with a light roller so that the seedling has optimal soil contact and can establish itself through rapid root formation.
During the first few weeks it is particularly important to keep the top layer of soil moist so that the seedling does not dry out. Due to the different germination times of individual types of lawn, watering should last three to four weeks. If it is very dry, the soil needs to be watered every day. Make sure that the watering does not wash away the lawn seed. Regular and controlled watering is one of the central measures for a successful new plant.
If your area has "greened", the first cut should be made at a height of approx. 10 cm. With this cut, it is particularly important that the blades of the lawn mower used are very sharp, as the weakly rooted plants can easily be torn out. The recommended height of the first cut is 4-5 cm.