How to grow grass from scratch

Spring is an ideal time of year to plant a lawn – the weather’s warming, but it’s not too hot. Planted now, a lawn will have time to thicken and toughen up before summer arrives. But there’s more than one way to grow a lawn – so what are the different techniques and how do they compare? We planted four identical plots of ground, using seed, turf, runners and hydroseed, and watched their progress over three months.

Lawn trial plot

1. Our lawn plot on the first day of the trial. The growing methods we used are seed, hydroseed, turf and runners. The yellow plastic strips prevent bird attacks while the seedsare germinating.

2. By the end of the three-month trial all the lawn plots had established well. However, a little additional maintenance was required midway through the trial, as follows:

• The hand-seeded plot required over-sowing with additional seed, as it had developed several bare patches.

• Halfway through the trial the hydroseed plot exhibited a few weeds, which were removed by hand.

• The runners were given a light top dressing with a conventional top-dressing mix, to encourage the runners to thicken.

Do the groundwork

Regardless of the technique you’re using, the first step towards a lush sward is to prepare the ground. Hard, compacted soil should be turned over with a rotary hoe, and worked into as fine a consistency as possible. The objective is to have a bed of fine-textured, weed-free, well-drained soil about 10cm in depth, to encourage grass roots to grow down and establish strongly. The best way to achieve this is to purchase a load of turf underlay from a landscape supplier – it’s a sand-soil mix with a ratio of 80:20, so it’s very free draining.

Be waterwise

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Before you decide to establish your new lawn, make sure you check with your local water authority to find out how frequently you are permitted to water in your area. Where water use is restricted to a couple of times per week, turf or runners are the most reliable alternatives.

Seed

- Cost per square metre: 95 cents
- Time to establish: 8 weeks

The traditional way to grow a lawn, seed is one of the cheapest options, but takes more time to establish. It requires careful watering after sowing and is not ideal for sloping areas because of the risk of seed run-off during rain. We used Yates Lush Sun ‘n’ Shade seed mix (containing rye grass, couch, fescue and bluegrass) and Lush Lawn Starter fertiliser.

STEP 1
Rake soil surface in straight lines, to create shallow furrows.

STEP 2
Spread a lawn-starter fertiliser at the recommended rate. These are specially formulated to promote seed germination.

Step 3
Divide seed into 2 batches. Spread half in one direction, then spread the other half at right angles, to ensure even coverage. After sowing, lightly rake the soil surface to cover the seed. TIP: For large areas, use a seed spreader.

Step 4
Water with a very fine mist spray. It’s essential that the topsoil remains moist until the seeds germinate and the young seedlings are established.
TIP: Do not allow any traffic in the area until seeds have fully germinated.

Runners

- Cost per square metre: 60 cents
- Time to establish: about 8-10 weeks

Growing a lawn from runners saves a lot of money because you can separate one piece of turf into many sections. For example, our 12sqm area used only 1sqm of turf. You are, however, restricted only to using running varieties of grass (we used kikuyu). And it’s important to keep the area weed free until the grass joins and thickens.

Step 1
Pull apart turf into runner sections, taking care to keep the root systems intact.

Step 2
Using the side of a rake, create furrows in the soil, about 15cm apart. Plant the grass runners in the furrows and gently cover the roots with soil.

Step 3
Water the area thoroughly. To speed up the growth of the grass, you can also feed it with either a granular lawn fertiliser or a hose-on lawn food.

Turf

- Cost per square metre: $7
- Time to establish: about 2-3 weeks

When it’s an instant lawn you’re after, turf is the answer. Sold in rolls, it’s easy to lay yourself – you just need a little patience – or get a landscaper to do it for you. Because it establishes quickly, turf is useful for sloping areas, too. You’ll find a good range of grass varieties available – we used ‘Sir Walter’ buffalo.

STEP 1
Spread a level bed of turf underlay soil mix. Start laying the turf around the edges of the area first – that way, all your cutting will be away from hard surfaces which might chip. Infill the central area, cutting the turf to fit with a sharp knife.

Step 2
Roll the turf to press the roots into the soil.

Step 3
Water in well.

Hydroseed

- Cost per square metre: about $2
- Time to establish: 6-8 weeks

Hydroseed, also known as spraygrass, is a high-tech way to establish grass seed, but it does require calling in the professionals. It uses a wet slurry consisting of seed, wood fibre, fertiliser, water and dye, which is sprayed onto the area and sticks to the soil. As a result, it can be used to establish lawn on sloped areas, too.

STEP 1
After preparing and levelling the soil bed, the hydroseed slurry is sprayed onto the ground. As you can see from the photos, a large area can be covered quickly.

STEP 2
Follow-up maintenance involves ongoing watering while the grass is taking root. However, because the seed is held in a moist medium, less watering is required than with a conventional seeded lawn.

Photography Phil Aynsley