Making new lawn

[Turfman]

After seeing the picture I'd plant something in it. Annual Rye is a one time crop. Perennial is a permanent crop. A mix of 80% blended Kentucky bluegrass (3 different species blended together) and 20% Perennial Rye are the mix of choice here in Utah. A fine fescue will assist with covering shady areas. Rye comes up in about a week, Kentucky blue is about 21 days. They both need a soil temp of ~55 degrees F to germinate.

Leaving that field open will encourage winter annual weeds to come in, they are easy to spray out. The field looks great, but look like it could turn into a mud hole quickly.

 

[TerryinMD]

Don't know if I agree with Bluegrass. Since he wants to use the field as a lacrosse playground for the kids, some fescue may hold up better. A neighbor of mine is planted in bluegrass and it gets real ugly in late summer.

Terry

 

[Knight9]

All of our rural "lawns" around here that are used for fields etc are mixes of Kentucky BlueGrass and Creeping Red Fescue (strains vary from mix to mix as does the % of each). Occassionally there is an annual rye thrown in as nurse seed and sometimes a bent grass for additional drought tolerence.

I just seeded in the fall and used a mixture of these four.

Kevin

 

[Turfman]

The bluegrass will get bad looking in summer, as the weather heats up, it's a cool season grass, which means it looks great in the spring and fall. A higher percentage of fescue and rye would help in durability and in spreading out the green time. The problem with rye is that it is very stringy and hard on mowers.
Kev

 

[MikePA]

What grass(es) is(are) good for horse pasture?

 

[NYTrainer]

What did you plant on the other 2.5 acres? While I do love the look of bluegrass (but it needs much watering, care and fertilizers) I've found that in our zone,(I'm on Long Island), the Tall Fescue Turf varieties are fantastic. There are some tall fescues that are considered weeds but "Rebel" brand is a 3 blend Tall Fescue Turf seed. Perfect for athletic fields, looks as good as my bluegrass front lawn, is disease resistant and drought tolerant. If there is any downside the only one I can think of, and it's not really a downside, is that the grass plants don't spread by rhizomes so every four or so years I overseed our half acre field. Heck, I do that more often in the bluegrass area because of summer patch, red thread and other lawn diseases that inevitably plague the more "fragile" bluegrass. I would replant the front lawn with Tall Fescue if I didn't have so many other projects that have a higher priority. Home Depot carries the Rebel Brand if their in your area. I'm very fussy/picky when it comes to my lawns and the Rebel is really a winner. Hope this helps.

 

[JJT]

It was late in the year and I wanted to get something down to keep the dog out of the mud in the spring. I'll till it in to add some additional organic matter in the the spring and plant real grass.

I often seed the garden with winter rye in the late fall. I have heavy clay soil that can use all the organic material I can add.

 

[PTRich]

Some one correct me if I am wrong but you can plant pr. rye now, if it does snow the grass will still grow in the spring. My uncle always overseeded right before the first snow and had good luck. I always get my grass seed at the Blue Seal grain store in town. They have good knowledge of what grows well in this area. There seed is more expesnsive than Home Depot but for whatever reason it is remarkable the quality in the seed. The grass matures mutch faster and the percentage that takes is much higher.

Good Luck PTRich

 

[kevincook]

Thanks for all the feedback. The rest of the lawn that I have already planted is a blend of Kentucky Bluegrass, Creeping Red Fescue and Perennial Rye. I was planning on using the same blend. Maybe I could put down some annual rye and get that to germinate before it snows. That would only be to control the mud until spring when I could overseed. I'll check the soil temperature in the morning. It has been unusually warm and wet around here this month....I wish I had put the seed down a month ago.

I'll let you know how I make out.

 

[Turfman]

Nothing against Home Depot, but the cost of the seed is insignificant compared to the labor and other costs involved in a turf planting. Buying the best seed, even if it cost a bit more, is good insurance on all the work that went into the planting.

Kevin