An in-depth guide to sowing a new lawn with Paradise Kikuyu seed.
So, you’ve got your hands on some Paradise Kikuyu seeds, and now it’s time to get to work sowing your lawn. While it’s as easy as following the instructions on your seed packaging, there are some best practice tips to ensure your new lawn can reach its full potential and give you the ultimate lawn pride moment. Let’s get into it!
When to sow
Being a warm-season grass, the best time to sow is mid-late Spring, Summer or early Autumn.
Step 1: Measuring the site
A little Kikuyu seed goes a long way! Our recommended spreading rate for Paradise Kikuyu seed is 20g per sq/m meaning for a lawn of 50 square meters you will need 1kg of seed. You can use our handy calculator to work out exactly how much seed and fertiliser you will need for your area. This measurement is also important if you are needing to order any topsoil.
Step 2: Preparing your soil
It’s important to have a great foundation to give your lawn the best possible start. How much soil preparation is required will depend on the existing soil condition. Check out our article on soil health to determine what type of soil you have here, and how best to optimise it.
Make sure your soil is evenly spread and levelled well, as this will ensure the grass growth is even and there are no dips or rises in your lawn. A levelling rake is a handy tool for this job.
If your garden has edging, keep the soil level around 10cm below the top of the edging to allow for the grass to grow to a nice height.
Step 3: Taking care of weeds
Ensure weeds are under control prior to seeding. For smaller areas, weeds may be able to be removed by hand. For larger areas, chat to your local agricultural store or garden centre for recommendations to tackle weeds in your area. If spraying, aim for a week or two before planting to give the spray time to take effect. If the area has been sprayed, it will ideally need to be left for at least 1 week to allow the spray to take full effect, at which time dead or dying weeds can be removed. Learn more about weeds by reading this article.
Step 4: Spreading your seeds
First, rake some shallow furrows into the soil. Seed can then simply spread by hand as if ‘feeding the chickens’, or you can use a spreader. Our coated bright blue seeds make it easy to see where seed has been spread, helping to ensure even coverage. Avoid seeding near garden beds unless there is good edging in place. Spreading Paradise Starter Fertiliser immediately after seeding will ensure optimal growth. Then, rake over the soil at 90⁰ to the original furrows. Where possible, roll or compress the area to ensure maximum soil to seed contact.
Step 5: Watering
It’s important to ensure the soil is kept moist by watering regularly for the next 10-14 days. It may need watering a few times per day in hotter climates, or a nice long soak before and after work. Once the grass is established watering can be scaled back, though it will likely still need it twice a week in summer, depending on your location, rainfall and heat severity.
Step 6: Germination
Time to sit back and watch your patch of Paradise come to life! Under ideal conditions, germination can be seen in approximately 10-14 days, and your lawn will be ready to mow in approximately 5-6 weeks. Try your best to keep off the area until this time. Once established, a lawn from seed will be more durable than a turf lawn. This is because it grows upward from the seed (just like nature intended) as opposed to trying to take root from a mat of foreign soil.
Step 7: Mowing
When you reach the 5-6 week mark and your lawn is properly established, you can then do your first mow. This should just be a trim, so don’t go too low! Just enough to encourage further growth.
Step 8: Fertiliser
Around the 12 week mark, fertilise your lawn with our high-quality Paradise Booster Fertiliser.
Fertilising will then only be needed twice a year, once at the beginning of spring & another in Autumn to help the grass retain its colour through winter.
And that’s it! If you have any further questions or need some help troubleshooting, feel free to get in touch via our contact page. Go forth and get seeding!
