You can seed immediately. You do need to get the dead stuff up though so the new seed comes in contact with the soil. If you have a bunch of little spots, you might spring for one of the all-in-one patch products. It is hard to keep a bunch of little areas watered well enough to get grass started.

No herbicides - pre-m nor post-m - right now. Deal with the weeds. It was your implied contract when deciding to sow seeds. There will be plenty of time later. Plus, the longer the grass is allowed to grow and tiller, the less incidents of weeds you'll have. It's best to stay off the grass as much as possible, but right now is time to mow. Two inches in a great height for the first mowing to promote tillering. Cut off 1/3. Let it grow to 3 inches and remove 1/3. Allow it to grow to 4 inches, and cut it down to 3 inches. Maintain it there. If yours is a low growing variety, then maintain at 2-2.5 inches. When you're able to use herbicides, their labels will tell you when application is allowed after seeding. Normally, they say not to apply until after the grass has been mowed 3 or 4 times. Read the labels of whatever you are considering to know for certain. Besides that, there is no point in using pre-m to prevent crabgrass by that time. None will be germinating. If you have a Poa problem, pre-m can be applied in the fall for that. I know pre or post emergent chemicals will slow the grass growth. But it seems like standing still all over the place on the little Tall Fescue seedlings in order to pull weeds isn't good either. There is nothing you want to consider that might slow grass growth. I know it is difficult to have to look at the weeds, but the grass being allowed to grow healthy, tiller well, and maturing into its own ability to crowd weeds is much more important. Or, you will deal with a weeds problem forever. Patience is the key word when establishing a new lawn. Exercise patience and you won't regret it later.

I believe Corn Gluten is considered an organic pre-emergence. Emergence meaning when the plant from seed can be seen above ground. Specifically what Corn Gluten does is attack the plant's rectal when the seed coat softens, opens and the stored energy within the seed begins growth by bringing the rectal into its escape route into your soil. Corn Gluten carries with it a low level organic nitrogen percentage that nurtures the existing plants while serving as a pre-emergence product. The cost of this and several chemical ways to do pre-emergence has always been debated. My opinion is that all ways of using pre-emergence tactics is only a relatively short time period of less that excellent control anyway. The chemical companies have always paid the universities to come up with warped facts to satisfy the use of their poisons. For instance as stated above: half life is a relatively short period of time but soil life comes out to be about a year. Few stop to read, think and question. First these chemicals are non-degradable. Half life I guess means only half of it has been flushed by rain or watering from your use point and is on its way to your rivers, bays and oceans. Full life must mean your soil is again void of the chemical. That is a direct statement that everything you put on is now en-route to the oceans of the world. The enormous poison pits and zones in the oceans are known and growing. There is no other place for them to go except to enter the evaporation facts and become even stronger where they are. Severe weather may lift them and redeposit them to complete the journey once again back to the ocean pits. If you use and love sea salt now how do you feel it will be enjoyed in another million years? Back to our soils now stated to be full life with no measurable poison in the soil. What they do not test and will not tell you is how long your natural biological recovery will take. The realistic recovery may be five years or longer. Is there a point of no return? I do not think anyone knows. No part of the answer to that question is very nice. Would growing the grass at four inches and mulching the cuttings make better sense? Would spot treatment in the early recovery make more sense than wholesale broadcast of some poison? Do we really need golf course picture perfect homestead grasses? Could we as homeowners recycle those leaves and plant tops by mulching open soil? Could legumes become cover crops that rejuvenate? I'm sure most could do some of these things to eliminate the use of some if not all man made chemicals. This reasoning and these questions apply to all man made non-biodegradable poison chemicals. All! There are no other statements possible that are absolutely true. How does all this relate to pre-emergence chemical concerns? Dumb question. 90% or more of those chemicals are non biodegradable.

garliclady - thanks for the information on the varieties that work for you. I ordered a one pound sampler from Charley's Farm. It arrived today, and the garlics are beautiful. I got: Asian Tempest, Gigantus (Rocambole), Chesnok Red, Polish Hardneck, Early Red Italian, Thermadrome and Silver White. All in all, I am very pleased with the good variety they sent, and I have taken one clove of each to taste. So far, I am much impressed!! :) The bulbs are all fresh and large. I have sent an inquiry to a grower for some Music if they have any left....I really would like some good large true garlic. I also have about a dozen huge cloves of elephant garlic that I grew myself, which I will plant next month, but I'd really like at least that much more of it. Trouble is, it's so darn expensive. What I grew was from an organic clove I bought at the grocery store. If you should happen to find out when the garlic festival in MD will be, and where, please do let me know. Thanks so much