should I throw down more seed?

14 years ago

My lawn was renovated about 2 1/2 weeks ago(thurs will be 3 weeks) and for the most part its about 80% new grass but alot of thin spots and spots where nothing is going on.

The seed was 70%tall fescue,20% rye and 10% kbg. Should I throw more seed down before its too late or wait to see if it fills in.

My landscaper will not return my emails,I think he feels he did his job and the rest is up to me. I'm sorry he did tell me 2 weeks ago he would be back to fertilize,I don't know when exactly.

What do you think my next step would be?

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Comments (8)

garycinchicago
14 years ago
KBG fills bare spots, TTTF and PRG do not since they are bunch grasses. The TTTF and PRG would have germinated by now - the KBG might still need some time. Without a picture that's the best guess.
jimtnc
14 years ago
I just got done reseeding a few spots that didn't take well. Most of the time you aren't gonna get full germination, especially if homeowners have to work and find the right day and time to reseed again. I'm seeding 12k and you can find a lot of spots that don't take in that area.

My take on it is if I see areas that are not germinating, then i want those areas to be seeded this year before the window closes for the fall...not wait until spring and lose most of that seeding from heat in summer. You should still have enough time to get some seedlings going if you don't wait any longer. Just my $.02
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Do you mulch your plants? I'm wondering why you don't find seedlings, and wondering if the seeds don't become buried... It would have been better if you had sown fresher, but it doesn't mean your seeds are trash - they are about at the stage they would be if you had purchased them commercially packaged. Did you read through this thread of growing from seed and note the timing by BruceNH, he's just a zone different than you, I'm not sure his method would be significantly different Z4. You could try these indoors rather than wait for the next crop. Soak overnight or until the seeds begin to look more plump. Put them in a teaspoon or two of sterile moist sand or sterile moist vermiculite in a tiny zip lock, date and leave it on your desk approx 6 weeks. Then move to the refrigerator approx 8 weeks....then the harder part for sowing them indoors for me, sow and try to provide a cool temp of around 50ish for germination. You may have to try two complete cycles of all three temperature periods, in order, before they will germinate. I prefer to sow fresh in pots outdoors here giving them a wide range of temperatures, and temperatures that drop at night. Late summer sowing will reliably produce seedlings by late winter in my cool summer Z8. Last year I rec'd some seeds from a source that had me giving them the 6 weeks warm inside, I then sowed and placed the pots outside about mid Feb, two of those pots did not germinate even though our Spring seemed almost an extension of winter, long, chilly, wet. I held on to them, and noticed this week one of the pots has a seedling - so don't ever give up, give them at least 12- 18 months before discarding the pots :) Here is a link that might be useful: Seed discussion, note BruceNH
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jimtnc
14 years ago
Sorry, I didn't catch that you had a landscaper do the reseeding, but if it were me I'd get a bag of good comparable seed and toss it out in those bare spots, tamp it down and lightly moisten several times a day until they come back to fertilize.
Billl
14 years ago
I wouldn't be too concerned with thin spots. If you keep those watered, they will fill in quite a bit as the grasses grow. Thin is a relative term in new seeding. You can toss a bit of extra seed out if you like, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

If you have actual bare spots, I would definitely reseed those.
hogan_nj
Original Author
14 years ago
When do you mow for the first time? I noticed that when I stepped on the grass it was getting long (about 2 1/2 weeks now) and the impression it made did not stick back up, it laid flat.

Also do you mulch mow or bag?
seven333
14 years ago
Can you tell if any of the KBG germinated? You could probably mow the fescue now but it may damage the bluegrass seedlings, if any. Do you have a reel mower? That would limit the damage.
hogan_nj
Original Author
14 years ago
10% of the grass seed is kbg. I do still see some seed but the grass is getting tall,about 2-2 1/2 inches.

I did throw down some more seed, all i had was a tri-fescue(same seed brand but all fescue)

Will I damage this new seed also if i mow?

I do not have a reel mower.
jimtnc
14 years ago
If you tossed out seed in specific smaller areas you could wet down those areas so the seed would stick to the soil/deep grass, then you could mow hoping you wouldn't scatter the new seed around. I do it all the time, but when you're running out of good fall temps you have to improvise.

should I throw down more seed?

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should I throw down more seed?

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