The Art of Sowing

The best time for a spring sowing of seeds in the South, is late March and April, though seeds could also be sown in August or September for a good crop. A great advantage of an August – September sowing is that there are unlikely to be periods of prolonged drought just when the young grass is taking root. In the Midlands and the North, seed sowing is best done in April and May.

This is a good time since it is before autumn when the weather is likely to turn wet and cold thereby causing some trouble from fungus-related damping–off disease. Grass seeds sown as late as October have been a success, on occasion. Sometimes a small nick needs to be made on the seed coat to aid germination.

Some seeds need to be soaked before sowing. Of course these processes are monitored carefully so that the seeds are not destroyed or damaged. Of course seeds could be sown directly in the flower beds. Choose a fine, still day when the soil is neither very wet nor very dry for sowing and mark out the area into square yards. This is done with lengths of string. For a small garden, you can use a wooden frame of 1 sq. yd. This makes sowing very easy.

Make sure the soil is broken down to a nice tilth, and use a board to stand on so that the soil is not compacted and your weight is evenly distributed. Sow the seeds at the rate of 1 to 2 ozs, per sq. yd., sowing half the amount in one direction and the other half in the other direction to make the distribution even. A wheeled distributor could also be used for seed sowing. This is the same machine that is used for fertilizer distribution.

How to Watering Seeds

When used for seed sowing, it is calibrated to put down the mixture at the required rate. Care must be taken to see that no gaps are left between the seeded rows, or conversely, that the sections don’t overlap. After sowing, rake the soil lightly over the seed, exercising as much care as possible so that the seed is not disturbed. Water the ground carefully. Seeds could be sowed in drills or rows as well using the same method. If the seedlings grow quickly and you see that there are too many of them, you will need to thin them out. Seeds own directly into the ground will need weeding.

Then string black cotton over the plot if birds are likely to be a nuisance. It is possible to obtain seeds which have been treated with bird-repellent. Alternatively, you can use a bird repellent yourself either to spray the seeds before sowing or to spray the whole area afterwards. Scarecrows could be used to scare the birds, but these have been found to be rather ineffective. You will also have to keep your eye open for snails, slugs and caterpillars.