Preparing The Ground

After removing stones and other debris from the lawn area prepare the ground.  Good drainage is important and digging or aeration with a fork will help.

For lawns on heavy soil add more sand so drainage is improved. If the soil is light or sandy, work in a good amount of peat to give body to the soil, prevent drying out and loss of nutrients.

At this stage any levelling should be done and care must be taken not to remove too much topsoil from any one area. Subsoil does not make for a good seedbed! It's low in nutrients and will give variations in growing habitat and colour.

It's often a good idea to do the initial digging of the ground in autumn if possible.  If the soil is left in large lumps during the winter, the rain and frost can break down the soil and make it crumbly.

Prepare the seedbed when you're ready to sow. A firm seedbed is best so roll or rake the ground.  Go one way across the area, rake it over then firm it and rake it again until a firm seedbed is achieved.

For more information and tips see our blog post on preparing your soil.

Next Step - Fertilising Before Sowing

Back a Step - Choosing Your Lawn Seed

Download a full copy of our FREE Step by Step Lawn Guide by clicking here.