Question
Dear Kenneth,

Hi - I'm hoping you can advise me on how to establish a new lawn with slope concerns.  I have used burlap in the past with some success.  I live in central Wyoming zip 82520 and ordered some mixed bluegrass seeds from a golf course seed company and some bermuda riviera seeds as an experiment (it's supposed to tolerate cold winters).  First, how do I prepare the soil and get rid of the existing weeds?  Do I need to rototill first?  Thanks for any advice you could send my way!  

Answer
Best result is had if you loosen the soil before seeding. Roto tilling would be a good way to do this. Laying seeds down on hard compact soil surfaces will generally not give a very good result. Make sure you water heavily (or possibly roll the soil with a water roller.. always roll DRY soil only) to settle air pockets to avoid hills/valleys from settling. If you go through several cycles of watering raking smooth, and waiting, you will be able to produce a level surface. I recommend spraying existing weeds with Round-Up a few days before roto tilling. You can then till the dead vegetation into the soil.

Keep the soil surface moist (but not saturated/soaked) at all times. never allowing the seed surface to dry, until germination (sprouting). This can be done byw atering frequently.

Do your soil preparation now, and seed just as soon as the worst summer temperatures reside. Plan on having 45-60 days prior to a hard frost, e.g. mid August may be a good time to start.

Do not use bermuda grass in your zone. It will stay brown most of the year. Bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescues are all good choices. Bluegrass are very nice, but takes long to germinate. I recommend a mixture of p.rye, k.blue, and fine fescues.

Good luck.