Covering seed and light rolling
Lightly rake the seed 0.5–1 cm into the soil, then roll for good soil contact.
- When
- In order, while the lawn is being made
- For
- Any lawn
- Rule
- est-covering · Hessayon; RHS; Regional
Lightly rake so the seed goes 0.5–1 cm deep, then roll for better soil contact.
Why cover seed
Seed on the surface dries out between waterings, washes into puddles and gets eaten by birds. Seed buried too deep runs out of energy before it reaches light. The target is 0.5–1 cm (about ¼–½ in), which a light raking gives you.
How
- Rake very lightly with the back or the tips of a rake, barely scratching the surface. You are mixing seed into the top layer, not moving soil around.
- Some seed will still show; that is fine.
- Roll lightly or tread the area so each seed is pressed into firm, moist contact with the soil.
Extras that help
- A thin dusting of fine compost or sieved soil, no more than a few millimeters, holds moisture on dry or sandy sites.
- On slopes, biodegradable germination netting stops seed washing down.
- Bird scarers or thin netting help where birds are a problem; most seed treatments do not deter them.
Water straight away with a fine spray, then keep the surface moist every day; see watering until germination.
Do this first
Sources
- D.G. Hessayon — The Lawn Experthessayon
- Royal Horticultural Society — lawn guidancerhs
- Regional practice — continental climate, zone 7regional