Winter's rough, no doubt about it. Cold, snowy, blech. Animals hibernate, people disappear inside their heated houses, and once-green lawns become submerged underneath a thick layer of snow.

Just because all that life hides away out of sight doesn't mean it's gone, obviously. Baby deer and baseball games return in full force every spring.

But grass... well, your grass isn't always so lucky.

Lawns suffer in the winter when people forget there's green stuff underneath all that white stuff. All kinds of common winter activities can harm your yard and leave dead patches of soil where grass once grew. Plows dig up the lawn close to the road and snow blowers and shovels tear into the ground near driveways and walking paths. Playing children jump in the snow, compacting hidden soil and killing hidden grass. If your dog pees in one specific spot all winter lawn, the nitrogen-heavy urine builds up in the ground and burns away the lawn in that spot.

Seeding your lawn can have great rewards if done properly. The first thing you have to do is to select a grass type that is suited to grow in your area. Then, measure the surface area of your lawn to determine the amount of seed you'll need. The information printed on the seed packs will tell you how much seed is needed per square foot. Take note of this information when you purchase seed at your local nursery. Two or three days before sowing, it's important that you apply granular fertilizer over your lawn.

Next, you have to level the soil in the same manner described in "Sodding Tips". Set your seed spreader at the right setting and fill it with half of the seeds you need. Walk at a steady pace as you start sowing. It's best to move back and forth the length of your lawn in alternating directions. After you've covered the entire lawn surface with half the seeds, walk along the width of your lawn (perpendicular to your previous direction) and sow the rest of the seeds. Doing this will make the seed distribution more even.

Some people prefer sodding their lawns rather than sowing grass seeds. Seeding is generally cheaper than sodding, but it takes much longer. With sodding, you get "instant lawn grass". To get a high quality lawn, sodding should be done with great care. Here are some steps you can follow to cultivate a beautiful lawn by sodding:

First, you must select the right grass type for your lawn. Measure the surface area of your lawn to determine the amount of sod you need. You can either pick up the sod yourself or have it delivered to your home. If you pick up the sod, try to lay it out on your lawn that same day. If not, try to store it in a shady place and moisten the sod pieces with a watering can or a hose.

Planting a lawn could be a laborious, time-consuming and expensive process. But with a technology like hydroseeding things have changed for the better; it is catching up because it is easy to use and effective. Simply put, the process involves making a mixture of water, seed, fertilizer, cellulose fiber or wood mulch and occasionally lime, in the right proportions in a tank and spraying it on a prepared lawn area using a hose.

The idea is for the mulch to become a moist coating that retains water for the seeds. Not only that, it helps create a bond with the soil, and protects the seeds from erosion, wind and sunlight which allows them to germinate easily. When the seeds come in contact with water, their germination cycle is triggered and as the seeds sprout, they gain nourishment from the decomposing mulch which adds various nutrients to the soil. The mulch thus does not have to be manually removed and actually adds to the growth process. The grass develops a deep root system and an even leaf-stock pattern, making the lawn lush and carpet-like.

While seeding and sodding are great ways to start a new lawn, they require several hours of labor, and the success rate isn't guaranteed. Power seeding is a more convenient and successful way of germinating a new or existing lawn. Once you've identified any potential lawn problems such as poor soil, pest, and diseases, you should take the proper measures to fix and prevent these problems before power seeding.