Selecting the right grass seed

[Frank_Mulligan]

We moved into our newly built house in January of last year. It is situated on a 9.5 acre, level and cleared lot that was farmed up to the year we bought it. It is now mostly weeds with an occasional grass stem in between. I am planning on seeding it and am looking for a good (and inexpensive) seed to use. Also, when is the best time to seed, and what type of soil preparation would be needed. I really just want the fields to take on a greener look than what is there now. Any thoughts would be appreciated. BTW, we live in central NJ.

 

[rf33]

I don't know that much about grasses in NJ, but <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.turfgrasses.com/>here</A> is a link to a site which has lots of information on grasses, and what types do well where. You also need to consider what your goals are for the grass, i.e. are you going to graze animals, just for looks, prevent runoff, etc. when considering what type of grass seed to plant. Perhaps your local nurseries or feed stores might be a good place to start. Here in TX we also have an agricultural extension agent in each county whose job it is to know what grows well in that county. Perhaps NJ has something similar?

 

[tc35dforme]

Frank,

I personally use the 1 hour rule...if it takes more than 1 hour to mow you have too much grass !!

Granted the size of the mower is a factor, but you really don't want 9.5 acres of lawn. The cost associated with fertilizer and weed control will kill you.

I'd look to set up most of it as hay for processing by a local hay cutter. 7 - 8 acres of good quality hay can be worth a bit....especially if you live in a horse owner area and hay is significantly cheaper to maintain.

The bad news...hay seeding is probably almost as costly as lawn seeding. As with most projects the key is preparation. Soil tests, grading to prevent wet spots, and selecting the proper seed ratio for the market. Talk to the local feed and grain dealer ( agway or something like that ).

As far as lawn goes...plan on 2 full growing seasons to get good results. A lot of people expect a lush lawn in 3 weeks. If your one of them try sod at a couple of bucks a square foot.

Good Luck....start out slow and you won't be overwhelmed.

 

[TerryinMD]

Frank,

tc35dforme is probably not to far off in his assessment. I looked at your profile and you have a rotary cutter and no finish mower listed. Aha!! I'm assuming that you just want to grow some grass that looks good from afar. Not a putting green at the golf course.

It just might be a little late in the season to get a good lawn started unless you want to till up the entire property to start from scratch. A lot of work and probably still a little late in the season. My suggestion would be to bushhog the property at a low blade setting and mow frequently. This would help keep the weeds down so that you can reduce the amount of weed seed and let whatever grass you may have grow.

In late summer, you'll need to make a decision. Plow, till, and groom the soil for a good start on a large lawn. Or take the low maintenance approach. Wait until mid September or so and overseed with grass seed. The weather will still be warm enough to sprout some new grass. Then in early spring do the same thing. You'll be surprised at how the grass will begin to take over where once there was weeds. Just find out what type of grass grows well in your area.

It's a low-ball approach but managable.

Terry

 

[pennwalk]

Frank,
The professional turf guys I know like to start new grass in late August when the dew is starting to lay heavily on the grass overnight unless they can irrigate. I really like Scotts PurePremium seed. It is a fine textured dark green grass mix. It works much better when you double the application rate in my experience.

Chris

 

[Argee]

Frank,
I was facing a similar problem last year. Pulled out a few pine trees to open up an area for a view. I just leveled everthing off to the grade I wanted and raked in some quick cover annual seed. Once it was established and mowed a couple of times I sowed perenial seed then and again in the fall. I have a nice looking lawn coming up this spring.