A Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) expert has told gardeners to shuffle across grass “like a penguin” to make sure seeds grow.
Grass left looking patchy after the low temperatures and heavy rain of the winter can be replanted in March to make sure they look denser by the summer.
Alex Hankey, garden manager at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, the charity’s flagship site, said walking like a penguin to compact the soil was vital for grass to grow.
Penguins, who are liable to slide about on ice, take short, flat-footed steps to waddle slowly to their destination.
Mr Hankey said: “When the soil is fluffy you need to press it down. You can either use a roller or shuffle along to get that seed soil compact.
“Penguin shuffling compresses the top surface but you do leave footprints.”
For those without a roller, walking like the flightless bird is the best way to help the lawn grow because soil is naturally full of tiny spaces left by worms, ants and plant roots.
If left alone, seeds spread along the surface won’t be able to reach the nutrients needed from the soil to germinate.
The RHS recommends that after penguin shuffling, gardeners should gently rake the earth before adding seeds to ensure they are evenly distributed.
David Hedges-Gower, chairman of the Lawn Association, said that penguin walking was essential when creating a lawn for the first time.
The gardening expert, who has worked with grass for more than 40 years, said: “If you start a new lawn you’ve got fluffy soil. You have to re-consolidate that and you can do that with a penguin shuffle.
“The waddle is actually quite important when you start a lawn, for sure. But you don’t need to do it any other time.”
Chris McIlroy, a lawn expert at The Grass People, said it was approaching the ideal time for gardeners to sow new grass seeds and improve their lawns before summer.
“New seedlings need mild, moist soil in order to germinate, so waiting until temperatures are consistently around 8-10C is crucial,” he said.
“Also, check that there is no heavy rain forecast, as this can wash away seeds.”
Shuffling like a penguin is important to remove air pockets, Mr McIllroy added.
He said: “Take small steps over the surface to even out the soil, like a penguin shuffle. Do this in rows to make sure all the areas are covered.
“Once the ground is prepared, spread the grass seed evenly across the soil at around 30-35g per square metre for a new lawn, or 15-20g per square metre when over-seeding bare patches.”
Writing for The Telegraph earlier this month, Sissinghurst’s head gardener said that the arrival of March was the signal for the garden to wake up properly.
Troy Scott Smith wrote: “Spring is the time of year when gardening is at its most intense, and one of the most pressing tasks is staking.
“It is one of those jobs that, if done right, should be unnoticeable, but all too often the plant is trussed up like a chicken prepared for a Sunday roast.”
Staking is the process of supporting plants with trellises to keep them upright, preventing breakage or damage from the wind.