Reisenberg's Lawn & Landscape, LLC |  Feb 28, 2023 | 2 min read

Updated: Jul 18, 2023

After being in the green industry for almost 20 years now I have seen my fair share of turf restoration, seeding, slice or slit seeding, hydroseeding, and sod projects. Over the years I have honed a system that yields results. 

In this article we’ll share with you some of the ways that we ensure success with seed and sod projects. 

Tip #1 – Preparation Is Key!

There is no getting around this. Your success with your seed or sod area will only take as well as your preparation allows. Ensure that the product has a nice soft layer to establish or root into like a thin layer of fresh topsoil. Make sure your grades and transitions are finalized before applying seed & straw or sod. 

Tip #2 – Amending Your Soil

Don’t feel intimidated talking about science, when it comes to your lawn. If you heavy clay soil as most in Cincinnati do, you can add in some peat moss and till that into the area before grading to soften the soil. Just looking to enhance the biology of your soils and make it the best it can be? You can add amendments like CarbonizPN and Essential-G from Mirimichi Green to create a more stable and healthy soil. 

Tip #3 – What Seed Covering To Use

Penn Mulch is a great seed aid and accelerator. It’s a bagged material of pressed recycled paper into pellets that are then treated with fertilizer. This is great when you have small touch up areas like tire rut repairs. Bigger areas require a little more. We always recommend Straw Netting vs Straw by itself. How much straw is enough or too little? With straw netting that worry is thrown out the window. Straw netting is prepackaged in between two sheets of netting for the perfect amount of straw coverage. It is held in place by sod staples.   

Tip #4 – Watering – So Many Questions

Watering is the most important aspect of any seed or sod install. Under watering, or stopping watering too early is one of the biggest reasons we see failed turf establishment. We recommend setting up a hose timer and impulse sprinklers for large areas and various sprinklers for smaller areas. In Cincinnati we find that 15 minutes between 7am – 9am and 15 minutes between 3pm – 5pm work best. You want to ensure the area is staying moist but not overly saturated. A good rule of thumb is that the top inch of soil should be remaining moist. Don’t stop watering when you see an establishment with seed or rooting with sod. We recommend continued watering two weeks after the turf reaches 4-5 inches for best results. 

Tip #5 – Timing Is Everything

The last one we would like to share is when. When is the best time to be establishing new turf. We go by a very simple rule we call the 55/no freeze rule. We want the daytime average temperature to be around 55F but we want to be out of the chance of freezing at night. This creates the perfect time in Spring and Fall here in S.W. Ohio to establish new turf areas. 

Be Patient! Turf Takes Time!

If you are interested in turf restoration, or sod installation on your property, schedule a free consultation with us!