How to Prepare to Install Grass Seed

Planting a lawn is not as basic as simply throwing down seeds and adding water. In fact, the most successfully grown lawns have very little to do with the seed and everything to do with the soil. To ensure a healthy and green lawn, you must ensure that the composition of your soil will foster grass growth. Once properly prepared, you can plant with confidence knowing that the grass will thrive.

Soil Ph test kit
Shovel
Pitchfork
Tiller
Sand
Compost
Spreader
Lime
Peat moss
Fertilizer
Metal rake

Instructions

- 1
  Follow the instructions on a soil pH test kit to determine the acidity of your soil. A reading lower than 6.0 indicates acidic soil, while anything above 7.5 indicates alkaline soil.
- 2
  Pull out large rocks, exposed roots and any other foreign matter from the soil.
- 3
  Manually till small areas of soil by hand with a pitchfork, or use a gas-powered soil tiller for larger areas.
- 4
  Cover the soil with an inch of sand, then till the soil to incorporate it. Do the same with an inch of compost.
- 5
  Fill a lawn spreader with lime and set the proper distribution setting on the spreader as indicated on the packaging. Cover the entire area with the lime if your lawn tested as acidic. If your lawn tested as alkaline, eschew this step and instead spread peat moss in a single 1-inch layer.
- 6
  Fill a spreader with grass fertilizer and set it to the proper distributing rate as indicated on the packaging. Spread the fertilizer evenly across the area.
- 7
  Rake the lime and fertilizer or peat moss and fertilizer into the soil with a metal rake. Avoid over-raking the soil and improperly distributing the fertilizer. Once complete, the soil is ready for the spreading of grass seed.

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