Do I Use A Roller On My Lawn Before Or After The Grass Seed?

Spring — that wonderful season when birds begin chirping, buds appear and things turn green once again. Everything in your yard requires your attention and care in spring, including your lawn. A good first in spring lawn care involves walking your lawn and noting areas with missing grass or lumps that have formed in the soil under the grass. Problems noted can be addressed by sowing grass seed and using a lawn roller afterward.

A lawn roller is a large and heavy cylindrical tool used on your lawn to help flatten and prepare it for any type of work that's needed. Because this tool is large and cumbersome, many people with limited storage space rent one from their local hardware store or rental shop to get the job done quickly and avoid storage issues. If you have a sizeable lawn to care for, however, it may be good to purchase one.

There are two types of lawn rollers available: the push version that is physically pushed across the lawn and the towable roller that attaches to the rear of your lawn tractor.

If you're sowing grass seed, it's best to avoid rolling before seeding. Since grass seeds are extremely lightweight, they'll nestle better in the uneven earth, giving them a better chance at germination.

For the same reason, it's best to go over the scattered seeds with the lawn roller to ensure they actually make contact with the soil. By pressing them into the soil with the heavy roller, they're more likely to stay in place and not get blown away by the wind or displaced by other natural elements. You're more likely to have better success when the seed has this stronger connection with the soil.

If you do roll your lawn prior to sowing the seed, simply roll again after seeding to press the seeds firmly into the soil.

You may not want to take on the difficult challenge of starting a lawn from scratch. If you're beginning with a blank slate and starting on fresh earth, rolling your soil before laying down your sod is a very important step. It will flatten the earth so that, once your sod has been installed, you have a nice surface to walk on that should be free of bumps. You may also consider rolling your sod once it has been placed for the same reasons you do when laying seed.

Rolling the sod once it has been laid down will help press the sod into the top layer of the soil. This will make sure that all the pieces come into contact with the soil and can begin to grow as a unified lawn. If you don't roll your lawn afterward, you run the risk of having certain sod pieces die because the connection with the soil underneath wasn't made.

Seek advice before selecting your rollers. The heavier the roller is, the more pressure it applies to your lawn or sod. If the roller is too heavy, it will hurt the process more than help it by compacting the soil too much, particularly on clay soils.