Grass

When you go and buy grass seed always read the back of the package before you purchase the seed. Find the area on the sack where it tells you what kind of seed that's in the sack. If you find that it states only annual grass seed, don't buy it. The annual grass will look nice for one year, die off in the fall and never return again. When you purchase grass seed make sure that in the mixture you have a perennial grass along with a tiny bit of annual grass seed. In fact its best to maybe buy seed that's all perennial so you won't have the die off every year. This way the perennial grass will come back year after year instead of one year then nothing. If you get a mixture of annual and perennial you may get a nice green yard quicker being the annual grass grows faster, then the perennial grass comes in a little later. But, again you may find yourself reseeding again the next year but not as much. This is because you have the perennial grass which will come back but the annual won't. Annual grasses is just like annual flowers they only live for one year, die off and never return again. So, try and stick to mainly perennial grasses if at all possible.

Unsure on what to purchase? Find someone in the store that can tell you the best type of grass seed mixture you should use. Here's a list of what to tell them:
1. Type of dirt that's in your yard, i.e. clay or loam.
2. Size of your yard.
3. How many trees you have in your yard.
4. How much sun or shade you get through the day.
5. How much water your yard receives.
6. You want a grass that will come back every year.
If they don't know how to answer your questions, go to another store. These things are very important to the type of grass seed to purchase.

Most people think that buying a cheap bag of grass and throwing it down will be fine. It may for the first year but then it may not do much at all for you. If you have to reseed every year it starts to add up in money. Not to mention the fertilizer, maybe lime and other goodies you have to put down as well. Oh yes, lets not forget the amount of your time you spend on doing these things too!

When to sow grass seed. One of the best times is spring because you usually get lots of rain. Also the cool nights helps with the grass seed too.

Turf. If you have a small area turf is the best way to go. If you have a very large yard and can afford to do turf, go for it. Just make sure you keep it watered when you put it down. Same thing for grass seed, after you sow it water it well to get good germination.

I hope this will help people to get a green and lush lawn this year or next. Just remember that there's more to sowing grass seed then you may think. It requires some homework and diligence on your part to get the most out of a bag of seed.

GO GREEN!