BS Slow Grow and Wildflower Companion Grass Seed
For those difficult to access areas or circumstances where a reduced mowing frequency is desired, choose BS Slow Grow Grass Seed (previously called Low Maintenance). This blend of slow growing grasses can be close mown or left to grow longer to create a simple grass meadow.
- Exhibits excellent tolerance to shaded, dry, or infertile conditions
- Mow close for lawn situations or as little as twice per year for general landscaping and meadow creation
- Can be mixed with wildflower seed to create more diverse grassland areas
- Contains: 25% chewings fescue, 60% strong creeping red fescue, 5% slender creeping red fescue, 7% hard fescue and 3% sheep's fescue
- Sow at 35 grams per sq/m for close mown areas or 10-20 grams per sq/m for grass meadows
- For best results, use with Pre-Seeding Fertiliser and a spreader
Sowing & Establishment
How to sow a new lawn
1 - Clear the area
Clear the area and remove any stones, weeds and other debris.
2 - Improve the soil
Cultivate the area to a depth of 15cm and remove any debris that is unearthed. For heavy clay soils, optionally, mix in sharp sand.
3 - Create a level seed bed
Level and rake over the area. Use a lawn roller to firm the soil, if required.
4 - Allow the soil to settle
If possible, leave the soil for a week to allow a flush of weeds to come through; remove before sowing.
5 - Final ground preparation
Rake the area to loosen the top layer of soil. Apply our Pre-Seeding Lawn Fertiliser and rake into the soil.
6 - Sowing the grass seed
Spread the grass seed evenly across the area at 35g/sqm. A spreader can be used for accurate application.
7 - Rake and roll
This step is essential for successful establishment. Gently rake over the area again to incorporate the seed into the top 1-2cm of the soil, so that there is very little seed still visible on the surface. Then lightly roll or tread the seeds in to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. A harrow can be used for large areas.
8 - Water
If going through a period of drought, water the area every other evening for the first few weeks. If regular rainfall, manually watering will not be necessary.
9 - Mowing the lawn
Under optimum conditions, the seed should germinate within approximately 14-21 days. Once it reaches 3-4 inches, cut the lawn for the first time, gradually lowering the height with each subsequent cut as desired.
How to repair an existing lawn
1 - Prepare the grass
Cut the existing grass short and almost scalp the lawn with the lawn mower. Remove any dead grass, debris and thatch.
2 - Improve the soil
Scarify or rake the surface to loosen the top layer.
3 - Aerate the lawn
Optionally, to aid drainage, use a garden fork or aerator to create small holes of around 1-2 inches deep.
4 - Sow the grass seed
Spread the grass seed evenly across the area at a minimum of 20g/sqm. A spreader can be used for accurate application.
5 - Rake and roll
This step is essential for successful establishment. Gently rake over the area again to incorporate the seed into the top 1-2cm of the soil, so that there is very little seed still visible on the surface. Then lightly roll or tread the seeds in to ensure good seed-to-soil contact. A harrow can be used for large areas.
6 - Water
If going through a period of drought, water the area every other evening for the first couple of weeks. If regular rainfall, manual watering won’t be needed.
7 - Mowing the lawn
Under optimum conditions, the seed should germinate within approximately 14-21 days. Once it reaches a height of 3-4 inches, cut the lawn for the first time, gradually lowering the height with each subsequent cut as desired.
Maintenance
1 - Germination
The best time to sow our Slow Grow and Wildflower Companion Grass Seed is from March-October, when the soil temperature is around 8-10 degrees. Under optimum conditions, the seed should germinate within 14-21 days from sowing.
2 - Watering
Grass seed requires warmth, moisture and light to germinate. Typically, autumn will provide more favourable conditions for sowing in terms of moisture, however, if there is a period of drought, manually watering the seeds will be beneficial – this can be done every other evening to allow the moisture to soak into the soil.
3 - Mowing
Allow your lawn to grow to around 3-4 inches in height before cutting your lawn. This can be reduced by half an inch each time until you reach the desired height. An established lawn sown with our Slow Grow and Wildflower Companion Grass Seed can be cut as low as 10-20mm, or it can be left to grow tall to produce attractive seed heads. It is important to remove the grass cuttings as dead grass will prevent sunlight from getting to the new grass.
4 - Fertilisation
Regularly fertilising your lawn will provide it with the nutrients it requires to stay lush and green all year-round.
Once the lawn is four months old, you can apply our quick release fertilisers. Dependent on the time of year, choose our Spring and Summer Fertiliser or Autumn and Winter Fertiliser. Around four applications a year, with a minimum of three months between applications will provide sufficient nutrients for an established lawn.
5 - Scarifying, Aerating and Overseeding
Heavily fescue-based mixtures, such as our Slow Grow and Wildflower Companion Grass Seed, requires regular ongoing maintenance in order to keep their appearance. Ongoing fertilisation, scarifying, removing any dead thatch and mowing to a low height is essential in maintaining it’s appearance.
Both autumn and spring are good times of year to aerate and scarify your lawn, and tackle any worn areas by overseeding. Aerating your lawn is optional, but particularly useful if you have heavier clay soils where waterlogging may be a problem. Use an aerator or a garden fork to aid drainage. Scarifying is also beneficial in removing any dead grass, moss and thatch that may be hindering the growth of your existing grass.
After this process, there may be some bare patches amongst your lawn – this is the perfect time to overseed when the soil temperature is optimum and moisture is plentiful. We recommend overseeding with the same grass seed mixture as you have previously sown for a uniform appearance.
6 - Controlling Weeds
Unfortunately, as comes with seedbed preparation, weed seeds can lay dormant in the soil and it’s not until they are disturbed and the conditions are ideal, that they then can start to germinate.
If you find that weeds appear during establishment, these will generally be taken out by regular mowing once the lawn has reached around 3-4 inches in height. If the weeds are recurring, after 4 months, a Selective Weedkiller can be applied which will kill common lawn weeds, whilst leaving the existing grass unharmed.
7 - Controlling Moss
Moss can become problematic in areas that are particularly damp and shady. Moss Killer is best applied during March-October when moss is actively growing.
On a newly established area (under 5 months old), avoid using a moss killer as this will be too strong for the lawn. Instead, rake over the area to loosen and remove the moss and add further seed if required.
Once the lawn is established (over 5 months old), a moss killer can be applied such as our Lawn, Feed and Weed plus Moss Killer for light areas of moss, or our Lawn Revivor and Moss Destroyer for more heavily infested areas. After using these, the moss will turn black within a couple of weeks, rake and remove this and overseed with one of our lawn seeds.
8 - Wildflowers
Our Slow Grow and Wildflower Companion Grass Seed is the perfect companion for adding Wildflowers into the area with its combination of slower growing, attractive grass species. Adding our 100% Wildflower Seed Mixes to this grass seed will create a natural appearance perfect for pollinators. Simply cut the grass short first, rake over to loosen the top layer of the soil, then scatter the wildflower seeds with a light rake/roll after.
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