Planting grass seed

[Old Guy in Tenn]

We have 73 acres in NE Tennessee, mostly woods with about 7 acres cleared at the top of the hill. Last October we had our previously clear-cut field cleaned of stumps and assorted vegetation. It is looking good, and we want to avoid it growing back wild as it had done after originally being cleared. The weather report the day after the clean-up was for 1/2" of rain in each of the next 2 days. It had been a dry summer so, excited about the coming rain, we hurried to the co-op and purchased 300 lbs of grass and clover seed, as well as a powered spreader to mount on the neighbors ATV.

We headed home to Michigan, and the neighbor mixed and spread the seed that afternoon. The rain never came. You may recall that NE Tennessee caught fire a few weeks later, killing 14 people as it ravaged hundreds of bone-dry acres. The fire was put out by the downpour that finally arrived, over 6" in one day.

Anyway, our seeding was a failure. Very little sprouted because of the drought, then whatever was left washed away in the downpour. Bummer.

We will be seeding again soon, and want to do it right, so here I am asking for help. The ground has been bare over the winter, but is still fairly loose. It will be somewhat moist from the winter precipitation, and the spring rains should continue for many weeks after we seed. We would like to have the neighbor spread seed again, but would like it to grow this time. Will scattered seed be ok under those conditions? Does it need to be covered after spreading? How to cover it using the ATV?

Our tractor buy will be late this year or early next, so the neighbor is my only convenient option right now.

Thank you for your help.

- John

 

[Shaneard]

If your ground is loose one option with the ATV is to get a piece of chain link fence about 6 feet wide & 5 feet long and drag over the seed after spreading, the seed will come up just laying on the ground but will come up better if it's covered but not to deep. Tie a couple cinder blocks on top of it for weight if need be.

 

[GAFarmer2]

I know here, the co-op will come seed with a tractor seeder for a small fee. Something to look into at least.

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I will be following this because over this past winter it's been so muddy here that the cattle have tore up a lot of my very small pasture, I need only about 1/2 acre disked and seeded but am thinking about disking the ground and drilling the seed. A farmer down the road my dad knows well and I have done HVAC work for him and his boy has a big hay set up, I may be able to barter for the use of his disk and drill.

But I'm following this because I have a quad also and have a nice stainless pull behind spreader in the barn to throw the seed, may be easier, I will have to disk either way because of rutting the ground up with round bales and the cattle sinking. I even have chainlink laying around that I could make a drag easily.

 

[sweettractors]

If your ground is loose one option with the ATV is to get a piece of chain link fence about 6 feet wide & 5 feet long and drag over the seed after spreading, the seed will come up just laying on the ground but will come up better if it's covered but not to deep. Tie a couple cinder blocks on top of it for weight if need be.

After you sow the seed, be sure to use a cultipacker. This will insure a higher seed germination rate, quicker germination and will help hold the soil in the coming spring rains. Ken Sweet

 

[Streetcar]

In southern Ohio I had good results broadcast spreading seed in February. Freeze thaw cycles bury the seed. Spring rain makes it grow. Have seeded half acre this way

 

[Sprinklerman]

I have a different method , I spread seed and fertilizer , the seed I do at half rate . I then run the core aerator over the area . The plugs cover the previously spread seed .Then I seed again after I aerate , while pulling some chain link fence behind me . I get great results .

 

[ticolawnllc]

I think the chain link fence idea sounds good to me. If you don't have the equipment it should yield good results. Fertilize 4-5 weeks after seeding. Hope for mellow rain. Or hay for erosion control and hope for the best. You can't control the weather so don't beat yourself up over it. Keep at it and you should. Cut it high.

I'm not from down there. So I don't know when the rains come. Also what's the coldest it gets over there. And what kind of seed are you going to use

 

[SandburRanch]

Some soil conservation districts have small drills for seeding grasses, alfalfa, clover etc. and can be rented usually at a insignificant fee.

 

[Old Guy in Tenn]

Thank you for all of this feedback. I will be contacting the ag extension for our county to see if they recommend a different seed blend - I was planning on tall fescue and white clover. I will check with the co-op as suggested to see if they rent or loan a cultipacker, or if they will seed for a fee. Improving the ground contact makes sense, and would probably have improved our germination last fall, even without the rain. If I can find the local soil conservation district contact, I will also learn what they have to offer.

Doing this remotely (still in Michigan) adds challenges. It will all be easier when we are there full time.

Thanks again.

- John