In this DIY world, we know that people are often looking to tackle many things on their own, usually to save some money.
For that reason, you might be wondering, is it worth doing your own lawn care?
We understand that people don’t want to pay for something that they could easily do on their own. Seeding is one of those DIY lawn care services that homeowners often consider for their Louisville, KY yards. You can purchase grass seed at the local hardware store and it seems easy enough to throw some seeds down…so why pay someone to do it?
Well, the truth is, seeding is a bit more complicated than people tend to realize, particularly, if you care about getting great results (which we know you do).
In this article, we’ll dive into what’s involved with seeding a lawn and why it’s something that is best left to the pros.
Like most DIY tasks that you might be considering, we understand that it’s probably about money. It just seems silly to pay for something that you could easily do on your own. For that reason, a lot of people want to know: Is it cheaper to seed your own lawn?
The answer is a bit more complex than a yes or no.
While it’s true that the seed that you can purchase in a big box store or a hardware store is cheaper than what you’re lawn care professional should be using, that’s because it’s of lesser quality.
Like most things in life, you have to pay more for something of higher quality.
So, while it’s true that it would cost less to seed your own lawn, you’ll be doing so with lower-quality seed, which means that you’ll have less desirable results.
At the end of the day, this conversation is really about cost versus value.
By investing in a professional that uses higher quality grass seed, you’re going to get better results. What people often don’t realize is that the cheap grass seed sold at big box stores often contains a lot of filler. Filler can be anything from paper to actual weed seeds that will introduce undesirable grass types into your lawn.
We know that people often don’t get too much thought to what grass seed they’re even using. But it’s a total misconception that all grass seed is the same. At the end of the day, when it comes to getting the best quality results, you want to make sure that you’re putting down a high-quality seed.
Of course, the seed itself is really just one piece of the puzzle. The method in which your lawn is seeded also plays a huge role in your results.
First, let’s talk about what many DIYers do. Then we’ll talk about what a lot of pros do. And finally, we’ll talk about what Limbwalker does.
The Average DIYer: Tossing Grass Seed Down
A lot of times we find that when the average DIYer is seeding their own, all they’re doing is tossing grass seed down. That means they’re going to bare spots and just tossing some seed there.
Sometimes, the savvy DIYer will recognize that their soil is compacted so the seed isn’t going to be able to do much besides sit atop the soil and become an expensive birdseed.
This DIYer might try some DIY aeration…or at the very least try to rake up the soil a little bit. This will definitely get better results than doing nothing at all, but it doesn’t solve the problem of using cheap seeds.
The average lawn care pro knows that in order to get germination to occur, the seed requires “seed-to-soil contact.” This means that the seeds need to actually come into contact with good healthy soil to start to grow. With a compacted lawn, the seed just sits there.
So, your average lawn care pro likely offers a service called aeration and overseeding in which they’ll use a machine called an aerator to create holes in the soil. Then, they’ll toss seed around the lawn with the hopes that it falls into those holes. Aeration also helps to break up compaction.
The problem with this service (and we’ve written an entire article on this) is that a lot of the seeds still end up on top of the ground (rather than in the holes). This means they’re likely to get eaten by birds or dry out before having the chance to germinate.
The aeration is beneficial, but the overseeding portion may not provide the amount of new grass plants that you expect.
Power seeding, which has also been called “slice seeding” or “slit seeding,” is the process of using a machine to cut rows into the soil and plant seeds. It’s a service used by golf courses to achieve some of the thickest, healthiest turfs around.
With power seeding, the cutting of the soil and the planting of the grass seed is all methodically completed in a mechanical way so that you know your grass seed is actually being planted in the ground. Much like a farmer would cut rows into the soil to plant his or her crops, with power seeding, you are installing a lawn in an efficient and effective way.
We have found that this is the superior way to seed a lawn because it is actually planting the seed (not just hoping it falls into the holes).
In addition to using the best possible method for seeding, we’re also using the best possible seed.
At Limbwalker, when we power seed, we use a custom blend of premium turf-type tall fescues to fill in your bare spots and create a thick and healthy lawn. It’s important that you’re also using a high-quality seed when power seeding your lawn if you truly want to get the best results.
We completely understand the reasoning behind tackling projects around the house that seem doable on your own. But at the end of the day, seeding is one of those tasks that really is best left to the pros.
When you tackle seeding on your own, you ultimately just end up wasting your money. You’re likely to get cheap seed and use an inferior method of seeding and it’s simply not going to get you the results that you desire.
For homeowners who really do want the best lawn on the block, power seeding makes a lot of sense and it’s a service that a skilled professional can perform for you.
It all boils down to your happiness. We want you to get the most possible enjoyment and use out of your lawn and we are here to help.
Are you ready to have a thick and healthy lawn that’s getting everything it needs at your Louisville, KY home? Get in touch with us to get a quote for our lawn care programs, which include three lawn care pricing options, and about adding power seeding to one of those programs.
