The main difference between compost and fertilizer lies in how they work to improve the growing conditions for your plants. Fertilizer has the primary use of delivering concentrated doses of specific nutrients directly to plants; compost is instead more of a multipurpose substance that mainly benefits the structure and nutrient content of the soil. Serving…
Wild violets are one of the many weeds with purple flowers that you may come across in your lawn or garden beds. These plants are non-toxic to humans and pets, and attractive to beneficial insects and pollinators. However, wild violets are often considered a lawn weed due to their invasive and aggressive growth habit. There…
Spring is one of the best times to overseed a lawn. For warm-season grasses, overseeding in spring is ideal, while spring is the next best time to overseed warm-season grasses, secondarily only to fall. By overseeding in spring, you can revive a tired or patchy lawn early in the growing season. To overseed your lawn…
The best time to plant grass seed in Ohio is during the late summer to early fall. For successful germination, cool-season grasses require consistent soil temperatures between 55°F to 60°F. There must also be enough time between seeding and the first frost of winter. In Ohio, the weather typically supports these conditions around late August…
Adding a grass seed cover is essential if you want to see the highest germination rates from your seeding efforts. You have a few different options at your disposal when choosing a cover for your grass seed; materials include compost, grass clippings, peat moss, and straw. Both peat moss and straw are two of the…
After planting grass seed, it will be roughly 4 to 6 weeks before you can walk on your lawn. This timing will vary depending on how fast your grass germinates; the grass must be 3.5 inches in height before you can safely walk on it. This is the point at which you’ll mow the new…
The process of watering new grass involves constant daily attention to sustain the healthy germination of your grass seed. Mature grass can go several days up to several weeks without water, surviving on stored nutrients in their roots. Grass seed, on the other hand, lacks these roots, and therefore has little tolerance to dry conditions. …
Using straw to cover grass seed is a common practice among homeowners. Although it’s a popular choice, straw is not the only material you can use as a grass seed cover. There are several other all-natural alternatives to straw that will provide similar benefits when used as mulch on newly sown grass seed. The best…
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t mix grass seed with topsoil, nor should you use topsoil to cover grass seed. Topsoil is too heavy of a medium for young tender seedlings to push through during their early stages of growth. Your grass seed also requires sufficient access to direct sunlight to trigger and sustain its growth; a…
The most effective ways to loosen hard soil for grass seed are to till or core aerate the planting area. After this initial aeration, you should then add amendments that will ensure the longevity of the softened soil; suitable substances to amend hard soil include compost, sand, lime, and humic acid. The planting area will…
