RE-SEEDING - AFTERCARE
NEW LAWNS
Once you have sown your seed, the aftercare process is critical to ensuring that your seed germinates well and the appearance of your lawn improves.
0-2 Weeks
The first 2 weeks are the most important in getting your seed to germinate, so make sure you follow these steps closely.
Watering
Water your new seed heavily for the first 2 weeks. The soil should be constantly moist, so the ideal time is in spring and autumn, as it has a tendency to dry out very quickly in the summer. You should be watering it twice a day (unless it has rained) and maybe even more often in the summer.
When watering, you want to ensure that the water does not disrupt the seed within the soil. So, when watering you want to ensure that the water is
sprinkled above the soil rather than sprayed directly at it.
Cover with Lawn Fleece (Optional)
One option to help the germination process in the first 2 weeks is to lay lawn fleece over the seeded area. This helps by preventing the water from evaporating and keeping the soil warmer. This combination of heat and moisture can really help the seed germinate and give it a head start.
This also helps by preventing birds from eating the new seed.
2-4 Weeks
Your first shoots should start to appear within the 10-14 days, but the aftercare remains very similar to the first 2 weeks.
Watering
The watering should continue from 2-4 weeks, however the frequency will need to be less. You should try to ensure that it does not dry out for long periods of time, but opting to water either everyday or every other day should suffice. However, if the weather is particularly warm, then this frequency may need to increase.
1 Month
After 1 month, you should now have full grass shoots appearing across the whole area and it should start to look like a lawn now. The aftercare shall start to include cutting too.
Watering
The watering should continue, however the frequency will need to be even less. You should try to ensure that it does not dry out for long periods of time, but opting to water roughly once a week should be fine.
The First Cut
Once your new lawn has reached roughly 2-3 inches in height, you shall be ready to do your first cut, but you need to be careful with it. So when cutting, make sure it is dry and pass slowly over the areas.
With our first cut, you only want to take off a very small amount of the height of the grass and you’re best to start with the highest setting on your mower. Normally, you would be aiming to take off ⅓ of the height of the grass, but you only want to take off
¼ with a new lawn. This rule should be maintained for the first 3 months.
You will need to be very gentle when doing the first cut, so avoid putting too much pressure on the new lawn and be careful with any actions that may drag the new lawn, such as spinning of lawn mower wheels or when turning your lawn mower.
3 Months
Once your seed has been sown for 3 months, you will then have a lawn which is relatively well-established and you shall be able to start with a regular lawn maintenance program. So you shall be able to:
- Apply fertiliser
- Cut to a normal height (⅓ of the height of the grass)
- Lower frequency of watering
The only exception to this is any treatments which are more aggressive, such as raking, scarifying or aeration, which should be avoided until 6 months.
6 Months
Your grass should now be completely fine to carry out a full lawn maintenance program, so this will include: