To till or not to till......

[BrettW]

Hi,
I've been busting my tail this August cutting, scraping, boxing, raking about 2 acres getting ready for grass here in SC. Now, but question is do I need to till? The dirt is looking very smooth and ready to go. I know tilling would maybe help the grass get good roots going, but my tractor would also begin to leave ruts sinking into the dirt. No turf tires yet.
So, what would you do? thanks, Brett w

 

[rolltide]

Do you have a disk or a rock rake? If so run it over your land then sow it and put out sterile straw(wheat straw) and pray for pleny of rain. Don't run the disc over it if it is wet. just enough to loosen it like a baseball infield. you will have maybe inch high furrows that will level out as your yard comes in good and you mow over it. That is what I did and mine turned out great. I did have plenty of rain that came right after I sowed and put the straw out though. I assume you are fixin to plant fescue. Falcon Fescue makes a nice looking yard.

Just my experience

KP

Roll Tide Roll!!!!!

 

[MarkV]

Guess it all depends on the soil in your area. Here in NW Georgia we have red clay that is like concrete this time of year and I till to give the young roots a chance to grow deep over the winter so they will with stand the dry spells of next summer. I would not worry about the tractor tires leaving ruts. After you seed you will want to use a drag to bed the seed and that will take care of the tire tracks if the soil moisture content is right.

If you do till it is a great time to mix in your starter fertilizer and lime if your soil test calls for it. Good luck with the new house and yard.

MarkV

 

[BrettW]

thanks, I'll probably till it but it flufs it up a lot, I'll do a semi-rough tilling and not pulverize it, bw

 

[bontai_Joe]

If you are gonna till, you don't need to go to an 8" depth like if you were planting corn or tomatoes, just till up the top 1"-2". and then plant. Kens method of planting mentioned above will yield excellent results in most soils in most parts of the country. You might want to add a little fertilizer to the soil before tilling, and remember to WATER, WATER, WATER!

 

[Birdhunter1]

If you have access to a 4-wheeler, or comparable machine, then take a piece of chainlink fencing 6'-8' wide and weight it with a 2x4 across the back end and drag it behind it after you seed it, this will cover the seed and smooth out the dirt great. Then cover with straw and pray for rain.