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All new lawns should have fertilizer applied before seeding. Some also will need lime. Poor lawn establishment or complete failure often occurs because soil fertility is lowand is not corrected. Many Ohio lawns are established on subsoils. These subsoils are usually low in available phosphorus and must receive corrective application of high phosphorus-containing fertilizer to assure satisfactory establishment of grasses.
The best way to determine fertilizer and lime needs for a particular lawn is to have samples of the soil tested. Your county Cooperative Extension Service office can furnish information on how to take samples of soil and where to send them for testing.
Follow the soil test recommendations you receive from the soil testing laboratory. Apply fertilizer (and lime, if needed) to bring the soil fertility/nutrient level up to a desirable range. This fertilizer, if needed, is called a corrective application. Corrective fertilizer and lime should be tilled into the top 3 to 6 inches of the soil. Do not apply lime without a soil test. Too much lime is more detrimental than a lime deficiency.
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Follow the corrective application if soil test information is not available. Apply starter fertilizer to the soil surface at the time of seeding. The starter fertilizer application should consist of 1.0 to 1.5 pounds of actual nitrogen and 1.5 to 3.0 pounds of phosphorus per 1,000 square feet. These nutrients should be applied using a 1-1-1 to 1-2-1 ratio fertilizer (e.g., 10 to 20 pounds of a 10-10-10 or 10-20-10). The starter fertilizer is applied just prior to or after seeding and raked in lightly with the seed. Do not till the starter fertilizer into the soil. A starter fertilizer hastens seedling development and lawn establishment.
All lawn establishment steps to this point are identical for both a seeded and sodded lawn. The remaining procedures will vary for seeding or sodding.