SEEDING A NEW LAWN

[duster]

I JUST SEEDED APPROX. 1/2 ACRE OF MY YARD WITH A SLIT SEEDER, I THEN COVERED THAT SEED WITH 45 BALES OF STRAW.MY QUESTION IS I STILL NEED TO DO ANOTHER 1/2 ACRE OF MY YARD WITH THE SEED AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THE STRAW IS BENEFICIAL IT WAS A LOT OF WORK TO SPREAD AND VERY DIRTY WORK.I DID AND PLAN ON USING AGAIN A SLIT SEEDER TO PLANT MY GRASS SEED SO THAT IT IS NOT JUST ON THE SURFACE.MY SOIL IS TOPSOIL FOR THE FIRST 12" TO 15" AND THEN IT TURNS TO SANDY GRAVEL.ANY ADVISE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
BOB

 

[Bird]

duster, I'm curious; what kind of grass seed are you using? I don't know much about grass; have only sown common bermuda and rye seed, had a lawn hydromulched once with common bermuda, and sodded and sprigged with St. Augustine, but I sometimes use straw around garden plants as a mulch to help prevent grass and weeds (as well as hold the moisture in, of course). So I'm interested in the answer to your question, too. I'm wondering whether the straw is beneficial or a hindrance to the grass seed.

Bird

 

[W5FL]

In North Texas, they will mix the seed with the fertilizer at about 200# fertilizer/acre. Guess that isn't much for 1/2 acre. Put it on top of the ground and then drag a piece of chain link fence over it to get about 1/8 to 1/4 inch coverage. If the rain comes right, you get grass. Guess with 1/2 acre, you can make your own rain. Tell us a little more about the seeder and how it works. Seeders are nice, just sometimes expensive.

 

[jyoutz]

Straw is really not necessary if you are slit-seeding (ie burying your seed). Straw works very well if you are just broadcast seeding on top of the ground. The straw basically holds the moisture like any mulch. If you can water frequently (morning, noon, late afternoon) with quick sprinklings, then the straw is not even necessary if you broadcast seed on top of the ground. If you have the use of a slit seeder, by all means use that and then fertilize with ammonium phosphate at seeding time, and every 2 weeks after until the lawn is established. Water whenever needed to keep the soil from drying too much.

 

[gordon]

You guys must stop this post now before my wife reads it!!!
She has been asking about a newly seeded lawn and I told her that they don't discuss things like that on this board.
Guess I should have put this post under Liar-Liar.
Gordon

 

[duster]

bird i am using a blend of seed of RED FESCUE,ANNUAL RYE,PERINNEAL RYE, AND KENTUCKY BLUE, ITS COMMON NAME UP HERE IN MICHIGAN IS "MICHIGAN GREEN TURF" IT IS THE SEED RECOMMENDED TO ME BY MY LOCAL GRAIN ELEVATOR.IT SUPPOSEDLY IS DROUGHT RESISTANT AND BECAUSE OF THE RYE IT GERMINATES IN 10 DAYS.THE STRAW I THINK IS A PROTECTIVE SHIELD FOR SEED THAT IS JUST BROADCAST SPREAD.

 

[duster]

WEN THE SLIT SEEDER THAT I USED WAS LIKE A POWERED DROP SPREADER IT HAD A HOPPER IN THE FRONT WITH A REGULATED SLOT TO FALL THROUGH AND A WHEEL INSIDE TO KEEP THE SEED MOVING.ONCE THE SEED FELL THROUGH THERE WAS TINES THAT ROTATED APPROX. 2" APART AND THAT PRESSED THE SEED BELOW THE SURFACE.THESE TINES WERE ADJUSTABLE FOR DEPTH,THE END RESULT LOOKED LIKE A FIELD THAT WAS JUST PLANTED.I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY LOCAL GOLF COURSES THAT THERE IS A 3 POINT VERSION AVAILABLE FOR DOING RATHER LARGE AREAS BUT THE UNIT I USED WAS A WALK BEHIND APPROX. 21" WIDE.

 

[Bird]

That's what I need, duster; a grass that's drought resistant./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Good luck with the new lawn.

Bird

 

[Alan W.]

I think the guy at the local grain elevator doesn't know much about grass. The red fescue would be the most drought tolerant of the bunch, the rest need quite a bit more water, the annual rye will live only until the first freeze and then it dies, the perinneal rye will live year round but is a cool season grass that doesn't do to well in hot dry temps, the kentucky blue grass is also a cool season grass that will do well in hot weather only with regular watering. Most of the sod that I have laid has been blugrass and it will make a beautiful lawn if it is well fertilized and watered. I am not much in favor of grass mixtures due to the different growth rates and shades of color they tend to make a lawn uneven looking. I always use straw on all grass seedings unless its on steep grades then I use excesilor net matting. The straw protects the seed from birds and will help to hold in moisture. Rent a straw blower the next time and it will be a lot easier.

 

[W5FL]

Bird,

Looks like we are getting a chance to test how drought resistant our lawns really are. My coastal is still spreading fast, but did not fertilize it this week end with no rain in site. The lawn is tiff bermuda and is really beautiful with no watering so far, but it won't take another week of no water and stay that way. Bermuda is really a drought resistant grass - it is just the high price of the green paint to keep it green in the hot dry Texas summers. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif