Lawn Seed and Sod

Whether you are starting a lawn from scratch or over seeding we can help you out.
Port Kells Nurseries has a complete line of grass seed blends for various areas in your yard. We sell grass seed by the bag or if you like buy it in bulk.

Month by Month Lawn Care Guide

What do the fertilizer numbers mean.
Preparation and installation for sod or seed

If you don’t want to wait for the seed to grow we also sell sod, just lay it out and enjoy the new lawn. Generally turf is in stock. For larger quantities please call ahead to avoid disappointment.

We will also provide you with the use of a lawn roller at no extra charge.

Lawn Maintenance

Step one. lime
The best time to lime your lawn is in the spring.
Lime helps neutralize acidic soil. Lime will sweeten up your soil and help keep your lawn in good shape. Lime is a treatment for your soil, not your grass.

Step two- Moss control
-Apply moss control in the morning or evening as grass needs to be moist.
For heavy or consistent moss problems, remove moss by raking or thatching.

Step Three -Top dress
-Apply top-dress soil mix to fill holes and smooth the lawn area.
-Apply “Over seeding” grass seed to bare areas of your lawn.
For soggy lawns or clay soils aerating is recommended followed by applying a thin layer of washed sand ¼ inch thick (1 yard to 1000 sq ft.).

Step Four-Fertilize
Good (12-4-8) better (slow release fertilizer)
When weeds are present (weed & feed). Re-apply in mid summer.

What do numbers on fertilizers mean:

Essentially, grass needs three main nutrients:
nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
Nitrogen (N) is what will give your lawn its rich, green color.
Phosphorous (P) is a primary nutrient that encourages rooting, blooming and fruit production in plants.
Potassium (K) helps plants resist disease and aids in winter hardiness

N-P-K ratio 10-25-5

Regardless if you install a lawn by seed or sod, soil preparation is the most important step in starting any lawn.

Site Preparation and Installation for seed or sod

1.Measure off the area and figure the square footage (length x width).

2. If weeds are present, kill the weeds using (Round-up); however seeding will have to be delayed approximately 2 weeks after application of such products.

3. Rough grade the entire area. This will eliminate any drainage problems on the property. This would include sloping the grade away from building foundations, eliminating or reducing severe slopes and filling low–lying areas. A tractor mounted blade and or box are most often used for rough grading, but if the area is smaller, it can be done with hand tools. Rake and remove any debris.

4. Till the area to a dept of at least 5 cm (2inches) and remove all debris stone, roots, and weeds – which could possibly interfere with the development of the grass seed.

5. Add top soil to achieve a total top soil depth of 10-15cm (4-6 inches), after firming. The topsoil should be a loamy sand, sandy loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam or other soil suitable for the area. To the extent possible, practical, affordable and available, incorporate humus (fully decomposed organic matter) into the topsoil.

6. Finish grade the entire site, maintaining the rough grading contours and slopes, with a tractor-mounted box blade on large areas or a heavy duty rake on smaller sites.

7. Roll the area with a lawn roller approximately ¾ full of water. This firms and settles the surface and reveals any low spots that should be filled. If time permits, allow the area to settle further with rainfall or by applying irrigation.

8. Apply “Starter Fertilizer”: that is high in phosphate (P, or the middle number on a bag of fertilizer), at a rate recommended for that particular product.

9. The site is now ready for turf grass sod or seed. With this degree of careful and thoughtful soil preparation, the resulting lawn will be absolutely beautiful and require less maintenance, smaller quantities of applied water, fertilizer and pesticides, as it maintains a high degree of density and uniformity and recovers much more rapidly from wear. For years to come, your investment in soil preparations will yield a high return.

Sod
a). Start laying sod in a straight line ensuring each piece is firmly abutted to its neighbor.
b). Stagger each new row to ensure the connecting area do not form a straight line
c). Once you have completed laying all the sod, use a lawn roller
(we offer a free one day rental) to ensure firm contact between the soil and sod roots.
d). Water the lawn regularly and deeply. Daily for new plantings, less often as the sod matures and begins to establish itself.
e). Do not mow the lawn for at least 3-4 weeks
f). Apply fertilizer during the growing seasons, fall and spring. Newly established sod can benefit from starter fertilizers, that is, ones with more phosphorus, a higher middle number.