How to Plant Grass in South Carolina

Choose a type of grass to grow in your lawn based on your location and soil conditions. For example, carpetgrass grows best in wet soils, bahiagrass thrives in sandy soils and tall fescue needs clay soils. Also, consider your preferences. Most types of grasses in South Carolina have coarse textures, but bermudagrass and zoysiagrass have fine textures.

Remove debris from the lawn location, including rocks, bottles, tree trunks and large roots.

Use a tractor-mounted or self-propelled tiller to till the soil. This improves the speed and depth of grass rooting.

Apply a slow-release fertilizer with a high phosphate content to help seedlings take root. Use 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of nitrogen for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Garden centers usually sell these special starter fertilizers. If you live in coastal areas, such as Horry, Georgetown, Charlestown or Beaufort, don't use a regular starter fertilizer. Instead, apply a slow-release centipede lawn fertilizer at a rate of 10 to 13 lbs. fertilizer per 1,000 square feet.

Use a water ballast roller to firm the soil. This tool has a cylinder that you can fill with water and roll over soil to make it more compact.

Rake the entire lawn area with a garden rake and distribute grass seeds evenly by hand or with a drop-type or rotary spreader. Rake the top 1/4 inch of soil to mix the grass seed and run a water ballast roller over the area again.