How to sow a new lawn

The best time to start a new lawn is either in early Spring or in early Autumn. It may seem early to be writing about this in January but you do need to plan and prepare before sowing a new lawn! About 6 weeks prior to sowing you will need to spray off the ground with a glyphosphate type weedkiller, such as Roundup. This will kill off  both annual and perennial. Leave the weedkiller to do its work for about 10 days. Then the digging begins! Dig the soil through to about 10cm, then remove any large stones, rubble or large tree roots. Rake over the soil until it is a fine tilth. Ideally leave the ground fallow for 2-3 weeks as this will allow any remaining dormant weed seeds to germinate and then repeat the spraying of weedkiller. Another 10 days later rake over the soil again and you are ready to sow.

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Select your grass seed. We would recommend No.2 or No.3 blends as they are more hard-wearing and particularly suitable for family gardens. Apply the seed at a rate of approx. 35g/square metre. Scatter the seed evenly moving left to right, top to bottom, then lightly rake the area to partially cover the seed to a depth of 0.5cm. The new grass seedlings will appear 7-21days after sowing depending on weather conditions. If conditions are dry, water the seedlings daily with a fine rose watering can or sprinkler. Do not cut the grass until it reaches the height of 8cm. Gradually reduce the blade height on your mower until it is reduced to approx. 2.5cm. A general purpose feed can be applied after 6 months. Do not apply before this as it will scorch the young plants. Do not apply any moss or weedkiller for at least 12 months as this too will burn the young lawn. Any weeds coming through the grass at this stage can be controlled with mowing. Good luck with your planning and drop into us if you would like any advice :) Marianne Caplice, Manager Powerscourt Garden Pavilion