Established Kentucky Bluegrass can spread to about a dinner-size plate in one growing season in most places.

In absence of a soil test, feed your new lawn a complete fertilizer (ie 10-10-10 or higher) or starter fertilizer (18-24-12 Lesco) and "trim" your lawn every few days in order to encourage lateral growth. It's also important to keep the mower setting at a medium hight like 2 1/2 inches, then increase to 3 1/4 inches during the summer.

Thanks, auteck! The seedlings are still too short to mow but I'm hoping the upcoming rain helps out. I have about an acre so it's pretty hard to water. I'm using organics and recently threw down some soybean meal. Our soil is pretty crappy so I'm hoping the added organic matter will slowly help.

You're welcome.

If you are using organics, then that explains the slow development of those seedlings. The first year you should use synthetics in order to get the grass to mature and be ready for the nasty summer heat and drought, then the following year you can change to all organics.

If your soil is so crappy, there are a few things you can do to improve it:

1.- Mulch Mow (you probably already doing this)
2.- Mulch Mow your Fall Leafs (you probably doing this as well)
3.- Use organic fertilizers (you are already doing that)
4.- Order some top soil or chicken manure and topdress your lawn with it.

I suggest you get a bag of synthetic fertilizer (just for now) so you can get those seedlings to mature before the heat and drought of the summer.

The Lesco Starter Fertilizer 18-24-12 is a slow release, which is what you want. Poly Plus technology. Get that, wait for some rain in the forecast, put it down, then wait 2 to 4 weeks and you will have a beautiful lawn.

What are you doing about the weeds? Do you have any?

An acre is 43,560 sf, so if you buy 3 bags (each bag cover 12,000 sf) of Lesco starter fertilizer (each bag is about $20) it will cover 36,000 sf. Or, if buy 4 bags, that will cover 48,000 sf.

I will use 3 bags if I were you. Some times less is better, and you don't want to over fertilize this time of year (summer is fast aproaching)

Dandelions are a sign of low soil PH, have you check?

Most grasses like the soil to be around 6.5 or so. However, most can handle/tolerate 5.5 and up to 7.5.

Lime is cheap, but very heavy. For an acre, it can take several bags to raise the level by 0.5, and it will happen over time (6 months to a year and some times more)

Low soil PH is many times due to excessive rainfall and constant sulfer, which is found in many synthetic fertilizers. So, that is one of the reasons why some times with lawn care, less is better.

Good job mulching those leaves, your lawn will thank you for it.

We actually have a pretty large basin that I'm not going to fertilize so I may be able to get away with 2 bags...I'll measure things up when I get a chance.

I've not had a soil test or tested my ph but I have a feeling it's very low. The lot was formerly wooded as has had years of leaves dropped on it. I have some lime currently but maybe I'll wait to get the ph tested before blindly spreading it.

If you are using organics, then that explains the slow development of those seedlings. The first year you should use synthetics in order to get the grass to mature and be ready for the nasty summer heat and drought, then the following year you can change to all organics.

I'd like to see someone's real results along that line of thinking. I'm not insisting on formal research but if anyone has done their own private experiment with organic fertilizer and synthetic on KBG, or any other seed, I'm interested in what you found. I'm not presupposing that auteck is wrong simply because he is suggesting chemicals can be faster than organics. I'm more curious.

Six inches per year isn't much. I'm used to my St Augustine that will easily cover a 20 foot diameter area per season. Still, KBG will fill in between the fescue and that's what's important.

I know this thread is old, but let me throw in my .02.

@San_Antonio

A lot of the organics lack the phosphorus and potassium, but provide the nitrogen. Making them much more suitable for sustained lawns, instead of starting lawns.

Also, from my experience (alfalfa) the amount of organics required to bring a poorly maintained lawn up to par is usually enough organics to attract the local fauna... i.e. voles showed up in hordes. Let me tell you, I don't care how green your grass is, when your yard has more trenches than the French countryside during WWI, your lawn does not look good.

Where can I purchase the starter fertilizer Lesco 18-24-12?

Home Depot.