Landscaping is one of the first things that attract potential Jacksonville Florida home buyers to a piece of North Florida property. Landscaping includes the appearance of the lawn; the lawn plays a vital part in that first impression. There is good news to the home owner who is a novice at gardening. Today information about growing and maintaining a health and esthetically pleasing lawn is easy to find; it can be found on the internet, helpful tips from Seed Companies and at the local home hardware store and nursery such as Home Depot.

Here are some of the helpful tips offered by national seed companies for those looking to repair damaged spots and help their lawn grow healthy.

Choose the seed for your geographic area. To select the right seed use the expertise available at your local nursery, hardware store and garden center. Bermuda may be right for the southern regions of the country while Kentucky Bluegrass is better for others. If the area to be seeded is in the shade there are grasses that grow under those conditions while sunny areas need different varieties.

Sow those seeds during the right season.  Spring and fall are excellent times to reseed a lawn. Plant as early in the season as possible. Hard frost and high temperatures are not friendly to seedlings. Planting early will allow the seedlings to mature enough to survive the temperature extremes of winter and summer.

Prepare the ground and soil so that the seed has a good environment to put down roots. Remove dead grass and work the soil to a depth of about one inch. There are soil builders sold at your local North Florida nursery which will improve the quality of the soil. This will give the seeds the nutrients that they need to grow into a healthy lawn.

Even distribution of the seed is essential. Lawn spreaders are excellent tools to achieve that objective. For very small areas hand rotary spreaders are available. For larger areas, either drop-type or rotary spreaders will ensure that the seeds are evenly distributed and land where needed.

Fertilize the day you plant. Those little seedlings need some help to get off to a strong start. Fertilizing the day the seeds are planted help the new seedlings do that. Ask your local nursery to recommend a fertilizer. They may ask you to bring in a sample of your soil to determine if your soil too acidic or base. They may recommend lime be added to your soil if the PH needs to be corrected.

Water those seeds and keep the area moist. For the first six to eight weeks, cover with straw or mulch to help maintain the moisture. Water the area lightly but frequently. Only the top ½ inch of the soil needs to be kept moist. Mow the new seeded area once the grass is about 1 ½ to 2 inches tall.  After mowing four times, weed killer can be applied to the area if needed.

You are now off to a great start with your lawn. To maintain your lawn the grass needs to be fertilized, mowed, kept free of weeds and insects and watered. Your friendly nursery can advise you of a good overall fertilizer and the frequency that the fertilizer needs to be applied. Most experts recommend watering your lawn no more than 2 to 3 times a week.

The internet, your local nursery and hardware store are excellent sources of information on how to maintain this important investment in your Northeast Florida home.