The cheapest and most successful solution for a Real Grass Lawn in Spain all year round.

Planting a New Lawn

A new lawn is a statement that the owner of the house cares for his /her investment. Like painting a villa, it can certainly add considerable value. In fact the increased value in a new lawn far exceeds the value of the investment in the new lawn. And despite peoples experiences, given the right care a new lawn is the simplest thing to master. 

Why not use our "Planting a New Lawn Project"

to guide you step by step through the process of starting a new lawn. 


planting a new lawn. laying a new lawn. making a new lawn. New Lawn Soil Preparation.

If you have decided to create a new lawn instead of repairing an old lawn then ground preparation followed by soil preparation is the most important part of owning and maintaining a new real green grass lawn.
And if you do not want to or feel you don't need to do any soil preparation

We recommend excavating and removing the top 6" of soil and replacing with good quality topsoil. This will remove any dormant weed seeds in the first 6" of the soil, and increase the time, before you will have to apply weed killers.

If the topsoil has not been replaced then you must clear the soil of existing weeds, rubble, foreign material and stones.

Lawn weeds fall into a few categories. Firstly there are annuals, which grow seed and die at certain times of the year. Then there are perennials like anise, dandelions etc which will keep appearing unless the root is killed. And lastly there are Grassy Weeds, which are basically rogue grasses or the the wrong type of grasses that will never produce a quality lawn.

If you are clearing (purging) bought in soil of weeds thoroughly soak the soil to encourage any dormant weeds to grow, as the germination of any weeds is best encouraged before replanting or sowing. Fertilise the soil and apply Lawns in Spain "Total Clear". Continue watering the soil to encourage any weed seeds to grow. After two weeks re-apply the weed killer if any more weeds appear.

If you are zapping an old lawn, fertilise the soil and apply Lawns in Spain "Total Clear". Continue watering the soil to encourage any weed seeds to grow. After two weeks re-apply the weed killer if anything is still not dead.

If no weeds appear then the old saying is:- "if it looks too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true". In a nutshell you may not have applied enough water to make the seeds want to grow. The best time to kill weeds and unwanted grass is BEFORE you start the new lawn process. Not applying enough water in the early stages of creating a new lawn has implications because when you sow seeds/plant plugs and begin watering a new lawn it is not a good time to apply weed killer. 
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Clear Weeds

After removing rubble etc, remember to clear weeds.

There are different types of weeds that need different treatments....
There are the seasonal weeds which lay dormant and grow when the rains arrive in spring or autumn or when the soil temperature is right. The first two types can be eradicated with an application of a total non-selective herbicide (weed killer) containing "glyphosate", which uses the green leaves to enter the system of the plant and kill it down to the roots. The other weeds (dormant weed seeds) can be controlled with a pre-emergent type of weed killer to kill the dormant seeds in the ground before they germinate (See lawn weed killers for details.) When the existing weeds have browned off (2-3 weeks) they can be raked off or dug into the soil. While you are preparing the soil, remove any stones from the soil as you come across them.

It is always advisable at this stage to thoroughly soak the soil to encourage any dormant weeds to grow, as the germination of any weeds is best encouraged at this early stage, and once again once any more weeds have appeared, then another application of weed killer can be applied. If no weeds appear then the old saying is:- "if it looks too good to be true then it probably is too good to be true". In a nutshell you probably haven't applied enough water to make the seeds want to grow. Not applying enough water also has potential and dangerous consequences later, when you sow the seed/plugs. 

Basically when you plant plugs or sow seed (which means you are going to start watering the plot) the last thing you want is to see is rogue grass and/or weeds starting to grow. So water now when it is possible to kill the unwanted species with "Total Clear" as when the new lawn is getting established, it's unwise to apply herbicides. 

The most successful lawns, will be started by preparing the soil in the Autumn and left for a few months to settle. During this time, further herbicide should be applied to any weeds that show, and finally plant your new lawn in the Spring.
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planting a new lawn. laying a new lawn. making a new lawn. Soil Testing

At this point it is advisable to perform a soil test.
However if you want to risk your investment in plugs/seed, then this stage is entirely up to you. (optional).
Here are the reasons...

Soil testing will tell you what type or composition of soil you have and whether you have an acid or alkaline soil. This is extremely useful because.... 

It will either confirm your ground is ready for your new lawn, or

Affect your choice of grass, or

Suggest that you need to apply soil correction materials or chemicals. 

We recommend performing at least a basic acid/alkaline soil test.
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planting a new lawn. laying a new lawn. making a new lawn. Final Height

The next consideration once the growing weeds have been killed, is to establish your final new lawn height. If the soil is already at this level then you should really think about removing the top few inches and replace with a good lawn soil or topsoil. If this is not necessary then infill what you have got with lawn soil or topsoil, to just level the ground. When choosing topsoil, make sure that the topsoil you are buying is from a reputable supplier and is free of weed seeds. After all the weed treatment, it would be rather foolish to introduce new weeds via the new topsoil.

 

 planting a new lawn. laying a new lawn. making a new lawn. Sowing Seed

Sow the seed evenly, lightly rake in or sprinkle with a little topsoil. For best results. For best results, sow cool season grass seed at temperatures above 15 degrees and warm season grass seed at temperatures above 25 degrees. Keep moist until germination.

planting a new lawn. laying a new lawn. making a new lawn. Planting Plugs

Plant the grass plugs at the spacing you decide upon.Remember to water the lawn thoroughly at least one hour before you start, so that a 1" plug can easily be extracted without debris falling back into the hole. If not you will need to water some more. The process is simple, every soil plug you remove, you replace with a new grass plug.

Now all you have to do is order your plugs or seed and we will include step by step planting and aftercare advice for you or your gardener.

Remember we deliver door to door.

See also lawn care, sowing seed and planting grass plugs.

 

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