Is this a good time to plant perennial ryegrass seed for a new lawn? I have 200 square metres of garden.?

Question

Brand new topsoil was installed a few weeks ago and raked.

I live in South-East England and it is currently wet and 15C in the day and 10C at night but it is expected to get milder in the next few days.

Answer 1

Yes now is a really good time to sow grass seed. You say you have put new top soil down and raked it. I hope you have not rolled it, if you have please think about loosening it up before you seed the area. Rolling the lawn will compact the ground and restrict moisture movement through it. This will give you moss problems due to the water collecting on the surface. Walking over the plot is enough to consolidate the ground.
Try to get the surface as flat as possible, this will make mowing easier as the mower will not ground on any bumps.
You get approx 20 sq m to the kilo of grass seed. So you will need 10 kilos.
Water the area well before you sow so that you don't wash the seed into one part of the garden. Divide the seed in two and sow one half up and down the lawn and the other half from side to side, this ensures even sowing. Lightly rake in the seed and sit back and wait germination is about 2-3 weeks.
Keep the area moist even at this time of year but water in the morning not at night so that the seed is not wet when the temperature falls.
10 kilos of seed is enough. Don't put any more as if you over seed, the grass will not grow, it will just lie there and rot.
Long winded I know but I hope it helps you.

Answer 2

Hi:
The best time to plant any grass seed or sod is in the fall. If your ground freezes over the winter months, seed before this takes place.

Thats great you brought top soil in as that will be wonderful for your new seed. Think about putting down a six month nitrogen slow release fertilizer along with your ryegrass seed. Getting the rain will also help as long as it is not a heavy rain and ground is saturated.

Go ahead and seed when you get a nice day and I think you will be on your way to a healthy new lawn.

I hope this has helped some. Good luck to you. Take a look at my sod versus seed page and see if you can get any other tips. I also have a sitemap which may you with watering techniques and many other topics!
Kimberly
http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.com/Sod.html

Answer 3

This is an excellent time to plant grass. Grass seed does better with cooler weather. I live in Chicago (colder and more subject to early frost than England) and have just re-seeded parts of my lawn this past week. It is already up and filling in. Given your rather mild and wet weather you should have optimal results. fertilize the ground and work the seed in with a rake. The only problem will be the birds. Good Luck!

Answer 4

Fall is always good because that is when nature drops seeds anyway. Follow the instructions on the grass seed packages.