Content
- If the lawn does not germinate - cause and remedy
- Causes of non-germinating grass seed
- Sown lawn at the wrong time
- The soil is too compacted
- The soil is too dry or too humid
- Inferior seed
- bird repellents
- Tips & Tricks
If the lawn does not germinate - cause and remedy
Lawn seeds usually germinate within a few days. In unfavorable conditions, however, the gardener waits long or even in vain, until the first green tips are visible. Causes of non-germinating lawn and what can be done about it.
Causes of non-germinating grass seed
Sown lawn at the wrong time
The best time to sow the lawn is September. Then the soil is still warm and moist enough to germinate the seeds.
Often, however, the new lawn is already sown in early spring. In spring, the soil is still too cold. Lawn seeds germinate only when the soil temperature is at least ten degrees.
The soil is too compacted
If the soil surface is too firm, the small grass roots will have difficulty rooting. They stay on the surface and enter.
This problem can be prevented if the soil is deeply loosened before sowing. It is also beneficial to mix some compost or, in the case of very hard soils, some sand to loosen the surface of the earth.
The soil is too dry or too humid
After sowing, the grass seed needs enough moisture to germinate. If it is very dry, it helps to water the area regularly. This should be done very carefully and evenly, so that no waterlogging develops.
If it rains heavily for days, the moisture can cause the seed to rot. Then only one more sowing helps at a later time.
Inferior seed
It pays to pay attention to quality when it comes to lawn seed. Cheap seed germinates much worse than high quality.
bird repellents
Birds love grass seed and like to pick it up. To prevent them, it helps to stretch a net over the newly created lawn area.
Tips & Tricks
In practice, it has been proven to easily rake the grass seed after sowing with a rake. This protects the seed from birdlife and does not dry out so quickly. Raking is also a good protection against heavy downpours that can wash away the seed.