How to Prepare a Lawn Before Planting Bahai Grass

While it is possible to grow Bahai grass seed in an existing lawn, particularly a lawn already planted with Bahai grass, the best way of establishing a new Bahai grass lawn from seed is to kill the old grass, roto-till the area and start your new lawn from scratch. Fortunately, Bahai grass seed is relatively easy to start and generally produces a thick and luxuriant lawn in a relatively short time. Bahai grass is a warm-weather grass, growing best in USDA hardiness zones 8 through 10, although certain varieties of Bahai grass, namely Pensacola Bahai grass, will also grow tolerably well in zone 7.

Weed killer
Rake
Roto-tiller
Seed spreader
Small soil compactor
Sprinkler

Instructions

- 1
  Water the area where you intend to plant your Bahai grass seeds well for seven days to encourage as much grass and weed growth as possible.
- 2
  Stop watering and spray the area with a weed killer, such as one with glyphosate. Do not spray on a windy day when the spray may drift to plants you do not intend to kill, and do not spray if rain is anticipated within the next 24 hours.
- 3
  Wait seven days for the grasses and weeds to die. Do not water during this seven day period. Rake with a hard steel rake to remove as much of the dead grass (and any other litter) as possible.
- 4
  Roto-till the area to a depth of 6 inches. Break up dirt clods. Rake the area relatively level.
- 5
  Spread 5 to 10 lbs. of Bahai grass seeds per 1,000 square feet. Ten pounds of seeds per 1,000 square feet will produce a thicker, more luxuriant lawn. Rake the seeds lightly after sowing, so the majority of the seeds are covered by no more than 1/4 inch of soil.
- 6
  Roll a small soil compactor over the lawn to insure that the seeds and the soil are making good contact.
- 7
  Water the lawn with a sprinkler. The initial watering should be 1 inch, approximately 1 hour of watering. Keep the soil damp, but not soggy for the next 14 days. Depending on weather conditions, this could mean watering the lawn twice a day. Set lawn mower for 2 1/2 inches and mow three weeks after planting.

Ryegrass Vs. Zoysia

About Native Plants

Growing Grass