Lawn ID from new grass seed

11 years ago

It's October here in Southern California and our summer lawn was full of terrible-looking Bermuda grass with ugly seed heads. In desperation, I put down some topsoil and grass seed over our our lawn but not sure what type of grass seed it was (newbie). It took about 7 days for the grass to grow from seed. And it appears to be spreading out across the majority of our lawn pretty well. Still have patchy areas along 1/3 of the lawn. Trying to figure out what I need to do next in terms of mowing and keeping the lawn looking nice through the winter.

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Comments (5)

socalbb
Original Author
11 years ago
My photo didn't upload the first time. Please see photo of my lawn from new grass seed below:
tiemco
11 years ago
The type(s) of grass you used should be listed on the bag of seed you bought. If you don't have it, then from your pics and description of how long it took to germinate I'd guess you have mostly rye grass, probably perennial, but it could also be annual. If you have a mix of grasses, then your mix probably has some seeds that haven't germinated yet, or have just started. It's essential to keep seeds continually moist until the period for germination is over but that depends on the grass type. Growing grass and taking care of it isn't rocket science, you need to cut it regularly, water it when it needs water, and fertilizer periodically. Unfortunately you have overseeded your warm season grass with a cool season grass. It's going to look great now and probably through the winter and spring, but once the heat returns, it will struggle, and the warm season grass will start to wake up and compete with what you just planted. Also overseeding warm season grass will weaken it and it's quality won't be as nice next year. Since you already overseeded you might as well take care of your new grass. Mow it when it reaches 3 inches tall, cut it down to 2 inches. Do a search on this forum and you will find many threads regarding new lawns, overseeding warm seeding grasses, cool season grasses, and other lawn care info.
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I was hoping someone would answer your post cause it is kind of interesting. Perhaps it is because you have laid a lot of requirements on simple grass. I'm not sure there is one type that meets all of your desires. You may want to research the hybrid bluegrasses though some say the newer elite varieties of KBG are just as heat tolerant. Mixed with tall fescue appears to be popular with sod producers in the more southern parts of the transition zone. Overseeding bermuda with rye is a traditional southern golf course technique for green winter cover, but is expensive and can be hard on the bermuda. What level of maintenance, cost, and effort are you willing to go to to achieve your desires? The shepherds will wear out the grass if left in a small space. There is no grass that can tolerate that kind of wear without intensive maintenance. You may want to find out what grass is used on football and soccer fields in your area. Chances are that will be the most wear resistant. How do you intend to maintain the turf?
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There is another concern, that you may or may not have heard of, and that deals with the soil's natural bacteria and fungus. If you have a woodland, there is a type of fungus that grows naturally, and a type of bacteria that grows naturally, let's call them Type A. On an established lawn, there is a natural type of fungus, and of bacteria that grows naturally, but the problem is that they are Type B. Now that the woods are torn down, there is plenty of Type A fungus beneath the soil, but not Type B, which you need. Mycorrhiza is the specific type of fungus that you need: it attaches (grows from) the plant roots, outward into the soil, and helps the roots do a better job. Google that word, and you can find a lot of articles about it. Here's a link to Bio-Vam, which is a product that I have used, with great success. My office lawn was installed with topsoil that had apparently been sitting around in a bin somewhere for a year or two, and nobody could grow a lawn on that soil. I had just moved into the office, and, purely coincidentally, had just read an article on mycorrhiza fungus, and a highway project, and the difference it had made. Short version of the story (I'm leaving out the secret spray of the product in an evening, then openly declaring, next day, that no one had ever toasted the lawn gods with Irish whiskey, and made the partners come out to do it with me) was that there was a noticeable difference in seven days, and an outstanding difference in three weeks. I am convinced, totally, on the subject of mycorrhiza. I recommend Bio Vam only because it's the only product that I have used. I don't know if it's expensive, nor if it's cheap. It's the only one I have used. But I would seed the lawn, let it sprout, and spray the mycorrihiza. I would also fertilize with Milorganite, or some other sewage-based fertilizer product (there are several brands available on the East coast), as they won't burn the lawn. It's true you're going to lose some percentage of that seeded lawn. Fifty percent? Twenty Five? Ten? If you planted in the fall, you would also lose some percentage of that lawn. A lower percentage? Probably. But it's a function of how well you are able to keep the seed, and then those seedlings, moist but not wet. Keep the hose and nozzle moving, no puddling allowed. No puddles. But most new grass plants are lost when they're about the height of a dime (the ten cent coin) laying flat on the ground. At that height, they can dry out in an hour or two, less if there's a hot sunny, windy day. There's no root to let it grab moisture (the root hasn't grown yet) so there's no sense in any 'deep' watering. Just mist it. But if you do that, then when tomorrow gets here, that little plant will be a little more healthy, a little more tall, with a root a little more deep. And the next day. And the next day. Good luck with it. Here is a link that might be useful: Bio Vam mycorrhiza fungus
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Ok if your yard is shady, Bermuda is out of the question. St Augustine and Zoysia are fairly shade tolerant, but no grass will thrive in deep shade. Zoysia is a very slow grower, and that's an advantage when it comes to maintenance but a disadvantage when it comes to damage repair. St. Augustine is a very wide-bladed grass. Look into all those to see the pros and cons. If you get a lot of shade, fescue may make it through ok in the summer with proper irrigation. You still should wait until late September/October to seed it if you go that route, it will give it 6 months to establish before the following summer hits. How about some pictures of your yard? Do you have pets, kids that will be subjecting the grass to a lot of traffic?
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socalbb
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the reply and detailed info. We had a third party overseed our lawn but I put down additional bermuda grass seed afterwards. Doesn't look like that's bermuda growing though so it must have been rye grass that was put down. Our lawn was in terrible shape this past summer -- mostly dirt with patches of bermuda grass full of seed heads so I don't think I could have weakened it anymore than it already was. I'll check out the link to the forum you mentioned and see if there's a way I can still keep the lawn looking nice next year. Thanks again.
socalbb
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for the reply and detailed info. We had a third party overseed our lawn but I put down additional bermuda grass seed afterwards. Doesn't look like that's bermuda growing though so it must have been rye grass that was put down. Our lawn was in terrible shape this past summer -- mostly dirt with patches of bermuda grass full of seed heads so I don't think I could have weakened it anymore than it already was. I'll check out the link to the forum you mentioned and see if there's a way I can still keep the lawn looking nice next year. Thanks again.
dchall_san_antonio
11 years ago
From San Luis Obispo to Bakersfield to El Centro to San Diego, the SoCal megaregion is bigger than England. You'll have to narrow it down. Where are you in SoCal? Don't be afraid to name the community. There are some communities where warm season grasses should not be tried and some where cool season grasses should not be tried.

Bermuda seed will only germinate when the soil temp is in the 80s. If you actually live where it gets hot enough, that will likely not happen again until June. Don't waste any more seed until then.

Find the Bermuda Bible online, download it, and memorize it. It was written by Texas-Weed (you'll find him on this forum). He is a professional grass farmer and cranky grass guru. ;-)

Good pix of the grass.

Lawn ID from new grass seed

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socalbb
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tiemco

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Lawn ID from new grass seed

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tiemco

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