Re: I\'m not a Farmer but do ya\'ll think this\'ll work
Steven, I've seeded rye and fescue into my lawn several times, and the results for just overseeding without any tilling or rolling and after tilling and rolling are spectacular. For rye to germinate, it needs to be in contact with the soil, wet for about 72 hours straight, and temperatures around 60°F. Landscaping companies will scalp lawns down to the bare ground to make contact for the new seed. If you can get that seed covered by 1/4" of soil, all the "needs" are improved dramatically (If the seed is much deeper than that, it will never sprout.). There will be enough moisture in the ground after the rains we have had recently in TX to really get that rye going. You will see tiny shoots of grass start to emerge in about 10 days and by 14 days, your ground will turn green with new shoots if all conditions are perfect. I always, always use a winter fertilizer also to give my young grass a boost. Spread it at about half the rate as normally recommended and your grass will really love it.
I have an old aerator that just slightly disturbs the soil. (see photo) I pulled it behind my riding mower. One of these days I'm gonna reconfigure it where it works better, but for now it's okay. After aerating the soil, I plant the seed, then roll the seedbed by driving back and forth with my mower or tractor. When the seeds come up, you can always see them in rows where the rollers slightly scarify the ground. This year, I had wild turkeys coming to my yard for two weeks to help themselves to the seed on top of the ground. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif I have great grass, but those darn turkeys were sure trying to eat all the seed they could find. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I try to use a good mix of annual rye, perennial rye, and fescue. The fescue will last a lot longer during the hot season than rye. If it has enough moisture, it will survive the Texas summers.
Good luck with your seeding. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
