Summary

Prepare for a successful lawn by building a planting bed that is fertile, firm, and free of weeds. This guide walks through a 10-step process including soil testing, saving and redistributing topsoil, grading, adding amendments when needed, installing drainage and irrigation, removing rocks and debris, controlling tough perennial weeds, applying lime and fertilizer from soil test results, tilling to mix the root zone, and final smoothing and rolling so seed, sod, plugs, or sprigs can establish evenly.