Life hands you a lot of choices, and let’s face it, it can get exhausting. Why are there so many types of toothpaste?
Growing grass should be pretty straightforward, right? Not exactly. You have some choices.
What are the different ways to grow grass? Here in Idaho, choose from sod, hydroseed or seed. They each have advantages and disadvantages, from cost to care to the time it takes to get established.
What’s the most cost-effective way to grow new grass? What's the fastest way to grow grass? Is growing grass from seed hard?
Keep reading to learn more about how to grow grass, including:
- The fastest way to grow grass: sod
- How to grow grass with hydroseeding
- The best method for growing grass: seed
- Keep up the lawn care
Fastest Way to Grow Grass: Sod
Sod is an instant lush green lawn. Roll it out like a new green carpet and enjoy it right away.
Sod is rolled-up sections of pre-grown grass, roots and all. The sections of grass, roots and soil are laid on top of bare soil. Boom. Grass.
What are the disadvantages of sod?
- Expense. Sod is the most expensive way to get a new lawn, which totally makes sense, since it arrives fresh, lush and already growing.
- Care. New sod looks ready to roll, but it’s pretty finicky at first, requiring a lot of attention.
Frequent watering is crucial to its survival, and the amount is important. Water too little, and your new sod will die. Roots dry out quickly, and gaps can appear between the sections if the sod loses moisture and the pieces shrink.
Water too much, and disease will set in.
To help the roots get established, plan to water your new lawn two to four times a day for the first few weeks.
Prepare to feel a bit like a new parent for a few weeks.
How to Grow Grass with Hydroseeding
Hydroseed isn’t as instant as sod, but it’s quicker than waiting for traditional seed to grow.
What is hydroseeding?
Hydroseed is a mixture of grass seed, water, and fertilizer sprayed onto your yard or property with a hose.
Hydroseed must be applied to bare soil, so the time it takes depends on the preparation needed.
It’s a good choice for new construction because the ground is already new and bare.
If there is already some grass on the property, it has to be removed so that only bare dirt remains.
While hydroseed doesn't offer the instant lawn of sod, it’s faster than traditional lawn seeding. You’ll see some green grass in 7-10 days, with more in 22-30 days.
What are the disadvantages of hydroseeding?
Remember, with cost savings comes a trade-off. When you choose hydroseed or traditional seed, you’re taking on all of the work that the sod farm does for you — weeding, fertilizing, and managing the water.
Like sod, hydroseed needs to stay well watered. And unlike sod, you can't walk or play on it for about a month or more, until the roots get established.
Hydroseed costs more than traditional grass seed but less than sod, making it a good middle-ground choice.
The Best Method for Growing Grass: Seed
Here in Idaho, the climate is great for planting grass from seed and it’s by far the least expensive method. What’s the most cost-effective way to grow new grass? Definitely seed.
Growing grass from seed works so well, it’s the only method we use here at Lawn Buddies.
Seeding works great paired with aeration. Lawn aeration uses a machine to pull out plugs of soil, creating spaces so that air and water can penetrate, which leads to healthier roots.
All the little holes created by aeration are the perfect new homes for that seed.
The disadvantages to growing grass from seed?
You need patience. It takes longer than hydroseed or sod. And it takes some attentive care.
You might have to re-seed some spots if some of your seed washes away by pooling water on that bare soil.
The key components of new grass care:
Frequent Watering
New grass seed has to stay moist so it can germinate. It needs more frequent watering than mature grass does, in smaller amounts.
After four to six weeks, you can transition to longer periods of watering, but fewer times. That way your grass will have to search for water, sending its roots deeper into the soil.
That encourages the roots to grow longer and deeper, which means your new grass will be healthier.
Fertilizing
Your new grass seedlings are hungry. Their tender roots need quick access to nutrients.
If you’re growing grass from seed, apply 16-16-16 fertilizer to newly seeded lawns to promote new top growth and healthy root systems. Plan on two treatments about 4-6 weeks apart.
As your baby grass matures, it benefits from the slow-release nutrients in regular fertilizer.
Growing Grass from Seed? Hold Off on the Weed Killer
Expect some weeds. All that exposed bare soil is an invitation for weeds to move in, and they’ll happily accept that invitation.
But don’t rush to apply weed killer. It’s tempting, when you see those pesky invaders sprouting in your new green lawn.
Wait until you’ve mowed at least four times before treating grass with weed control. That weed killer will also kill your tender new grass. So be patient, and wait.
That’s one big difference when it comes to sod installation vs seed: You need patience.
Keep Up the Lawn Care — No Matter Which Method You Choose
Once your new lawn gets established, be sure to follow up with a professional lawn maintenance program that includes fertilization and weed control, as well as other services your lawn will need down the road, from de-thatching to aeration.
Your new lawn will look great — you’ll want it to stay that way.
Let Lawn Buddies Keep Your New Lawn Healthy
Ready to nourish your new grass with everything it needs to grow healthy and strong?
Choose lawn care and landscaping services in Boise and Idaho Falls that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan.
Fertilizing, weed control, grub control. Done.
We’ve got your back.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Call us at (208) 656-9131 or fill out the form on this page. Then, you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
