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Planting
By Chris Harrison
Once
you’ve chosen the right type of grass, it’s time to get a little dirty and
start planting. There are three main methods in which grass can be
planted. This includes using…
- Seed
- Sod
- Plugs/Sprigs
Seed
Planting by way of Seed is by far the most common and least expensive way
to establish a new lawn. Grass seed can be purchased in a mixture
(or combination of different types of grass) or blend (combination
of different varieties of the same type of grass).
Mixtures are good because you can utilize the strengths of different
species of grasses to work together to hold up against most adversaries
(sun/shade, temperature, wet/dry conditions, etc…). Blends aren’t as
adaptable as mixtures but they are generally more attractive as they will
add uniformity to your lawn.
Now
you can go down the route of planting dry grass seed by way of hand
spreader, wheeled spreader, or even by hand, or you can take an approach
that’s becoming one of the fastest and most popular choices…Hydroseed/Hydromulch.
Hydroseed/Hydromulch consists of taking a mixture of seed, water,
fertilizer, tackifier (glue), and green wood fiber (such as virgin wood
fiber), and spraying on a desired area to start the establishment of a new
lawn. The slurry will come in a thick form that has the advantage of
holding the seed in place, resisting the effects of soil erosion, and
retaining the surrounding soil mixture.
Sod
Sod
is comprised of chunks of healthy grass plants that are laid throughout a
yard. Much more expensive than planting regular grass seed, and also more
expensive than going down the route of Hydroseed, but Sod offers you one
thing that the other two can not…instant results. Within at least a
week’s timeframe, there’s a great chance you’ll have a lush green lawn.
Plugs/Sprigs
Somewhat similar to
laying down a sod, adding plugs or sprigs is transplanting small sections
of grass to different areas of your lawn. More commonly found in the
warmer regions of the country, the sections are much smaller in size than
sod, which makes this primarily a method used for planting smaller
areas…not necessarily an entire yard. As with sod, using plugs or
sprigs will produce faster results than seeding, but unlike sod and seed,
much more time will be needed. If you have the patience and will
power, establishing a new lawn is achievable…and actually less expensive
than if you were to choose sod!
Click here to learn more about
the different lawn planting methods |
