How to Plant Grass in Flat Dirt

Planting grass is not a difficult task if you are working with good soil. However, if you need to amend the soil it does require a little extra effort. Those lucky enough to have a flat surface with which to work normally find it easier to deal with lawn maintenance equipment while planting and caring for the grass, and there isn't as much of a concern with regard to erosion. But even though the work might be a little less strenuous, the actual preparation process for a flat lawn area is basically the same as other lawns, and there is labor involved.

Tiller
Aerator
Compost
Rake
Straw
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Start the aerator and push it back and forth across the yard. The aerator makes slits or holes in the yard and breaks it up enough to incorporate some air.
- 2
  Till the soil if you have hard clay soil and need to break it up. Clay doesn't work well with aeration, so you need to amend it to improve drainage. Walk the tiller back and forth in rows over the entire lawn. Repeat this process with the tiller in rows going in the opposite direction.
- 3
  Add 2 or 3 inches of compost or organic material such as leaves and mulch if you have clay soil. Till it into the ground.
- 4
  Rake the soil to smooth it out if you use the tiller.
- 5
  Fill a seed spreader with grass seed. Measure the length and width of your lard. Multiply the numbers together to get the square footage. The pawed bag provides information on how much seed to use based on size of your yard. Fill the spreader with half of this amount.
- 6
  Push the seed spreader over the lawn area in rows. When done fill it with the other half and repeat in the opposite direction.
- 7
  Rake the soil, lightly mixing it with the dirt to a depth of no more than 2/4 inch. If you didn't till the soil and only aerated, sprinkle 1/4 inch of top soil over the seeds.
- 8
  Lightly cover the ground with straw. Since the ground is flat, you do not need much for erosion control, however, the wind might blow seeds and soil away. Let it fall between your fingers to slightly cover the ground.

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