Starting a new lawn

[gbp12]

Hello all,

I'm starting a new lawn from scratch (back yard) and I was looking to get some tips on the best way to start. First of all a little background on my set up. I'm in Maryland about 20-30 min south of Baltimore. My back yard has very little shade and sees the sun first thing, around 2:30-3:00 is when the sun starts to move to the front of the house. I just picked up some Pennington's grass seed, some lime, and some Scotts winterguard/weed & feed. I know I still need to get the starter food (forgot to pick some up). Can anyone suggest anything else to prep for the winter or give me a time line? Also, has anyone had any luck with the Scotts 4 step program. And just fyi, I'm not brand loyal just results loyal.

Thanks everyone.

[Hortman]

Hello gbp12. The sun from dawn until 2:30 – 3:00 is perfect. Definitely get the starter
fertilizer. The first thing to do is remove any weeds and old garbage grass; then rake
out any rocks and debris. If the soil is really hard and compacted then you might need
to rototill first. Add the starter fertilizer and rake it in; then smooth the soil out. Spread
your seed and cover it with no more than a quarter inch of soil which keeps the birds off
and keeps it moist. Keep the soil evenly moist until germination. After about 2 weeks you
can start to back off on daily watering and start to water less frequently for longer periods
of time.
Do not mow your new grass for the first month to allow the roots to set in. When you first
mow, set the mower high. Gradually lower the height every mowing after that until you
reach the proper height.
In November, put down the Winterizer with Weed n Feed. If you don’t have any weeds, just
spread and water in. If there are weeds, water first, then spread. The grannuals need to
dissolve in the moisture on the leaf to work properly. There should be no water or rain for 24
hours after spreading. I hope this helps. Good luck and take care.