Advice For Newbie - Level And Re-Seed Lawn

[sparkyb]

Hello,my front garden is only small (15x15ft) and was infested with couch grass. I sprayed it with 'Gallup' weedkiller and have dig up all the roots and tilled the soil. I am pretty confidant there is no trace of the couch grass anymore. I then tried my best to level the lawn and heeled it down by walking on it.
What I would like to achieve it a near perfect flat lawn,re-seed it and hope for the best!
My only knowledge is that I will obviously need to order some fresh top soil and put in place stakes and twine to help me level the top soil to as level as i can get it.
I have never done this before and would like some easy to follow advice from anyone willing to help.
Thanks very much.

 

[JohnD]

Leave it to settle and for residual weed seeds to germinate, and roots to sprout..

Once they are up, spray it again.

Rake it to level and to loosen the surface before reseeding.

Birds eat visible seeds, so if you scatter afterwards with a fine sifted compost they will not see the seeds. We used to use peat, look for something similar

IIRC grass seed takes 7 to ten days to come up. So if any weeds come up before then, you can spray them.

Keep a top dressing with gritty sand to fill any hollows that appear. Brush it in so the grass comes through it,

 

[sparkyb]

Thanks JohnD for the prompt help.
So if i understand you the next steps are:
Leave it as it is and see if any weeds sprout,spray them if they do.
After a couple of weeks rake and loosen surface of soil and reseed.
Apply a fine sifted compost over the seeds
Apply a gritty sand to fill hollows and brush it level as grass sprouts up.

Next questions:
The soil appears to be fairly level to the stone lintels that frame the garden so I presume I don't need to add any more soil other than some top soil that will go over the seeds?
Do you not think i need to place stakes/twine and level the soil up to them to level it or do you think i can get away without it?
Is it worth me apply some kind of fertilizer to the soil before/ after reseeding it?
Best kind of grass seed to buy? I am on the South Coast and garden faces a busy road if that matters.
Can i reseed by hand or do i need to buy one of those plastic seeding trailers?

Thanks

 

[StephenStephen]

No need for more soil.
Stakes and twine won't help with levelling.
Don't bury the seed.
Scatter it by hand.

I've had problems in the past with poor grass germination from seed from a DIY shed - it might be worth thinking about getting hold of seed that's not too old.

Once you've sown, you'll need to be sure that it is watered regularly.

 

[endecotp]

Starting a Lawn from Seed | RHS Advice

Create a new lawn from seed with our expert tips for successful germination and lush growth.

www.rhs.org.uk

 

[sparkyb]

Brill, I shall have a go.Thanks