Lawn prep after tilling -- what is the best method?

[jas67]

I am prepping a lawn area for seeding. I ran the tiller over it to till under all the old/dead vegetation that was there, and will also be using it to mix some mushroom soil into the clay/shale mix. I am also adjusting the grade a little for better drainage/runoff.

I will of course, need to level this, and compact it some, so that it isn't too soft to mow with my garden tractor after the grass comes up.

I have the following implements available:
box blade
landscape rake
back blade
rotortiller
pallets for dragging
40"-wide roller filled with concrete (approx 900 lbs).

What would best course of action to do this?

I was thinking that I should try to get it to the grade I want with the box blade, then roll it, then drag it with the pallets to loosen up the top layer, and then seed.

Should I roll it after seeding?

Thanks,
Jay

 

[ustobefarmer]

Sounds like you got a good handle on what to do. I would roll after you seed. It gives you better seed to soil contact, rather than draging something over it.

 

[larso1]

A buddy of mine moved into a new house with no lawn, just bare soil. He worked and loosened the top of the soil with a ordinary rake (OK, this is no estate sized lawn, but still...). He used a drop spreader of all things (I think a broadcast type would have been much better) to distribute the grass seed. Then followed that up with a walk behind rented roller, the kind you fill with water. Soon after we had a couple of fierce wind storm events that seemed to take away a lot of the top soil with it. I couldn't believe it when a couple of months later I went to his house and saw this rich, green, thick lawn growing from curb to sidewalk. He said he didn't reseed any of it, just made sure it was watered. No doubt that roller had everything to do with it.

 

[jas67]

He used a drop spreader of all things (I think a broadcast type would have been much better) to distribute the grass seed.

I already have a drop spreader.

Why is a broadcast spreader better?

 

[07 LMM LTZ]

I just put in three acres of grass seed. I tilled it then drug it with a tine harrow then put down the seed and fertilizer with a PTO driven broadcast spreader. I then flipped the tine harrow over and drug it to lightly cover the seed. I then put down straw and watered it. It's been almost two weeks and is coming up great. I live here in PA and also have red clay soil.