QuestionI have purchased a new home. I live in Corona, Ca. My front yard has sod. I want to do my backyard. My backyard is dirt and rocks. I am planning on tilling, laying down soil softner, and then seeds. What are you suggestions? Can I do it in one day? What is the usual process? Thank you in advance.
Answer As you go about the preparation process, think like a seed!
You are packed tightly with all the necessary material and a blueprint to germinate and produce a leaf or two; and to send out a very small number of tender roots.
You do not need to be buried too deeply but darkness is necessary for germination. "Cover with soil, the thickness of the seed itself." That is the guideline.
You do not need things like rocks to hinder the growth of the shoot upwards and the root downward. A "seed bed" suggests well tilled soil.
Adequate moisture is needed. The seed will absorb moisture and swell before germinating. As the leaves break through into the light they will start functioning and
will require moisture to do so. As the tender roots try to take up nutrients, they
will require moisture to do so.
It is therefore most important NOT to let the seedlings stress out for moisture for the first three weeks or so. You could lose the whole crop.
On the other hand you do not want to have so much moisture that fungus might attack.
A good guideline is 'water in the morning and make sure that the soil surface and the grass blades are quite dry before the sun goes down'.
