3 Methods for Planting a New Lawn
If your lawn suffers from acute soil compaction, rampant weed problems, heavy thatch, or nutrient and organic matter deficiencies, you may want to remove your existing turf and replant your lawn. There are several ways to plant a new lawn: by applying seed, planting either sprigs or plugs, or laying sod. Seeds are applied as discussed in the previous chapter or with a process called hydroseeding, which is spraying seeds in place with a mixture of mulch, water, and nutrients. It's a quick and easy way to get a new lawn fast. Sprigs are typically planted by machine over large lawns. They consist of cut-up lengths of underground or aboveground runners. Plugs are round or square pieces of sod that measure about 2 inches across.
Comparing Methods
Seeding, a job that even beginners can tackle, is the least expensive planting option. It requires less work than the other planting methods but longer-term care. In most regions, except the South, the best time to seed cool-season grasses is in late summer or early fall, when upper soil mean temperatures are 68° to 86°F. This will allow your new turf to establish roots before the dormant winter period begins, while plant growth is vigorous and competition from weeds is low. Grass plants started in the fall will have a strong start in the spring and a root system sturdy enough to survive the following summer's hot, dry weather. In the South, spring and summer seeding are recommended for warm-season grasses. The temperature of the upper soil should be 68° to 95°F. Check with your Cooperative Extension Service for the recommended lawn planting times in your area.
Sprigging and plugging are methods typically reserved for warm-season grasses for which seed is not readily available, such as improved strains of Bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass. Sprigging is best done during the height of the growing season, in spring and summer. Avoid planting when most weeds germinate (spring in the North and fall in the South). It's feasible to plant small areas by either sprigs or plugs. Plugging is generally a more reliable way to generate a new lawn than sprigging, but sprigging is easier to do, and once rooted, sprigs will knit together faster to form turf. In general, sprigs take less time to grow turf than plugs do. Depending on the spacing and type of grass used, it takes several months to grow turf from sprigs and six months or more from plugs.
Sod requires more skill to plant, but it's okay to try your luck with small lawns or lawn sections. Sod offers several advantages over seed, plugs, or sprigs. It looks good immediately, and sodded lawns can be used much sooner than lawns planted by the other methods.
Sod is better than seed for planting on sloping terrain, where seed would be washed to low areas after the first hard rain. In addition, sod is less susceptible to erosion while it is becoming established and makes it harder for weeds to compete. Pieces should be laid perpendicular to a slope in a staggered pattern, as you would lay bricks.
Sodding is best done in the fall or spring in the North and in the spring in the South. Plant the sod during cool, humid weather because planting it in warm, dry weather will subject it to burnout. Do not plant sod later than one month before the first fall frost, because you want to give the grass time to establish roots before cold weather sets in.