Need to plant some fescue, right this time.

[jmt1271]

I have sowed my yard 3 times with mediocre results. I am preparing to do it again and want to do it right this time. Hoping some of this boards experience can tilt the odds in my favor.
Here are the details:
Will be planting the whole front yard. West Tn. Want to plant fescue.
The ground(to be planted, anyway) is pretty flat with a gentle slope into the road. About half acre will be sowed. A complete soil test and correction is not really in the budget. Typically around here the people in the know reccomend adding lime to correct local soil inadequacies. Have access to a 5' tiller to pull with the 3520. Was planning to till. then come up with a drag harrow(reccomendations?) to level, then compact, then fertilize, sow and cover. This is my basic plan, and I want you all to tell me where I am not doing something right and how to correct it. When to plant, what to plant, how to level the ground(this is important as I have yet to be able to make it smooth) etc...Sorry for the long post. Almost forgot, I have access to some real dark soil on the back acre of my property that I can bring up and till in with the existing soil.

 

[KYErik]

I'm a little ways north of you in Hopkinsville KY. I replanted a hay field 3 years ago with good results.

Fescue is typically a fairly hardy grass and shouldn't be too hard to get started.

Was there ever a healthy stand of grass in that location? If the answer is "no" then you probably will need that soil test as well as fertilizer/lime or else all you attempts will probably fail. If the answer is "yes" then:

Your basic plan is good, but I would advise that you change the order of a few of the steps.

1. Fertilize on the undisturbed soil
2. Till soil until its relatively fine (but it doesn't have to be powdered) this will incorporate your fertilizer and keep it all from washing away if you get a big rain.
3. Level it with the harrow
4. Sow it with quality seed that is fresh- broadcast seeding will work fine. Old seed will give poor result- if you last attempts were with the same batch of seed, that may have been your only problem. Mix in a little annual rye grass seed to provide some ground cover. The annual rye will germinate fast and will give a little shade to the soil to reduce moisture losses (unless you plan to cover it all with straw- then the rygrass in not absolutely needed)
5. You need to make sure that the seed has good contact with the soil and you need to compact the soil just a little bit. A cultipacker is ideal, a lawn roller would also work. Remember that if any of your seed ends up over 1/2 inch below the soil, it will not grow- grass seed is better not covered up at all than planted too deep.
6. If you have a lot of clay in your soil (as we do up here), you will need to water it from time to time or else a good stand of young grass can shrivel up in a day or two.
7. Shoot at/scare away the birds if they come to eat the grass seed

I have had good results with this system in my area.

Good luck!

 

[jmt1271]

There was wild grass growing but never a lawn. The soil on the back of the property has been covered with Kudzu for years, but the soil is much darker than the soil at the front of my property where they cut down the lot and removed the topsoil. Will it be better to try and bring up some of the darker soil and till in with the yard soil?

 

[radman1]

After you plant it, the key to getting a good stand is keeping the ground moist until it sprouts. A turf company guy told me it is best to water small amounts several times daily. Just keep it moist, no standing water. Do this for the first two weeks. This is easy if you have a sprinkler system.
I planted fescue next to sod I had laid and now I can't tell the difference. The first 1-2 years may require spraying for broadleaf control with 2-4 D. In my area, Nebraska, the first 2 weeks in Sept. or first 2 weeks in May is the best. I prefer the fall because of less weed problems and don't have to water as much as summer.

 

[radman1]

One more point, don't use a weed killer in the fertilizer if you fertilize before you plant. If you fertilize first, don't over do it. Too much is worse than none at all. Fertilizer will not help for much germination and can be applied later.

 

[tracecom]

I am planning a similar project in extreme NE Mississippi, and the local experts tell me the time to do it is early to mid-October (to avoid the hottest and driest weather.) Watering is not an option for my location, so I am going to wait untill the second week in October and hope for regular rains.

 

[Doc_Bob]

I have sowed my yard 3 times with mediocre results. I am preparing to do it again and want to do it right this time.

What do you mean by mediocre results? Can you post a pic?
Bob

 

[PineRidge]

What do you mean by mediocre results? Can you post a pic?
Bob

Mediocre means he isn't happy with it, regardless of how it looks.

 

[srossman]

One thing that you mentioned was about getting lime onto the soil. I would get a ph test done on your yard to see if lime is needed. I've been told before that fertilizers won't work well if the soil needs lime. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
I'll be interested in your methods and results as I'm wanting to re-seed my yard in the near future as well.

-Scot

 

[RonR]

I've done mine several times (pool removal, dry conditions, etc); we have heavy clay. Always before the last time, I did the ferilizer/plant/water route.

Last time, based on a soil test (which showed ok) and a buddy's recommendation, we spread 6,000 pounds of composted zoo doo on the lawn, then verticut in fescue seed. It has NEVER looked better.

If you read most lawn maintenance deals like from the ag colleges, the answer to most soil problems is ADD ORGANIC.

Our soil went from like walking across concrete to where you feel it spring on it when you walk. And other than then bizare weeds that we had to spray later, the compost was cheap and easy to spread. We're thinking of spreading another ton or so as top dress this fall, since its been 3 yrs since we did it.

As for tilling, I'd be cautious about tilling more than 2" deep. I know many will disagree with me, but if you till deep, at least around here, the ground is loose for a long time. I tilled some of mine to about 10" and it almost never firmed up enough to plant on.

If you do till deep, I'd roll it well or pack it down some prior to seeding.

My two cents, for what it's worth.

Ron