Advice on Grass Planting

[tatra805]

a couple of things based on my experience..

climate will influence this.

I'll go backwards in the process

Once the grass starts growing you want to keep it short so all seeds get a chance to grow and to stimulate root growth. (and the fast growing vegetation has to stay low to allow the slower growing types to develop) When seeding in fall spring fields can be wet and a pain to work on. You dont want to tear up the field making ruts.

To avoid this i seed in spring and start cutting after 2 weeks of visible growth. Then i keep the grass short, whatever mowing frequence that means. Just before summer i then let the grass grow till seed. After the seed is ready cut it again and keep it maintained.

Drag the field once and leave it, i do not roll and avoid any possible compactation. So, minimal passes and driving.

I seed by hand or spreader, dragging will anyhow create a line effect so i want a so spread as possible seed base to start with.

Ground preparation, wether new field or renovation, i always till at shallow dept (2 to 3 inches) The cut up leafs are nutrients, the roots survive partly and grow back. They also keep structure in the ground so you dont have a sand like base ground which compacts with the first rain.
I do not kill-spray but i am also not talking golf course type lawns.

Another benefit is the aeration of the ground, overseeding does not achieve this in the same amount. And you can level the field before seeding.

Before tilling manure is spread on the field. I know from experience that this works better than artificial fertilizer for starting a lawn. I guess the fertilizer is that concentrated it kind of overkills the young plants.

Start of the sequence is after a good rain, so moist field. The seeds tend to start faster.


hope it helps

 

[spruce Deere]

I have around 4 acres of grass that I want to spruce up. Currently it is a mixture of K-31 and assorted field grass and weeds. The areas where the original K-31 is thriving look pretty good.

I need advice on how to go about this without round up, tilliing, and reseeding. We might be able to water for a couple of weeks but not on a regular basis. I want to get geared up to do this in the fall.

What implements and methods will plant the seed right into the ground and get decent germination? This is a budget project just to make some improvements. I don't need to end up with a golf course.

I was thinking about poking a bunch of holes with a core aerator and then broadcasting the seed. Think this would work? Is the old fashioned K-31 a good choice?

Later in the fall, core aerate then harrow the grass field with your harrow to break-up soil plugs and organic matter, then broadcast your seed. The rain and following snow will work the seed into the roughed up field. Green in the spring should follow.........

 

[sld]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I really appreciate it.

The lawn is my Mom's. I am taking care of the place since my Dad passed away a couple of years ago. When I started running numbers for fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides for the 4 acres of grass I just could not justify trying to make it look like my city lawn. Heck, sometimes I wonder why I go to so much trouble and expense for my 10,000 square feet of "golf course".

With the implements I have now, it looks like plugging the heck out of it, pulling the harrow around, seeding, and then maybe harrow again will be the way to go. I usually like to plant in the fall, but the late winter / early spring time frame is interesting. We can be dry in the fall here, but it is always wet in the spring. BTW, my harrow is pretty aggressive. If the ground is just right, it will leave pretty good cuts if I mow it short.

The biggest expense will be the seed. How many pounds per 1000 sq ft is recommended for an overseed? I am finding conflicting data. I will probably go with a fescue blend, but predominantly K-31. That stuff is very hardy.