Yard Prepped and Seeded - Just Before the Rain

[LukeDuke30]

I had several posts about the best methods for yard prep before seeding, seeding, and then to cover or not to cover. In any case I picked up a used 6' Land Pride Pulverizer. Back history, we built two homes on an 11 acre lot this past year. My in-laws live on one side and are there part time between here and California. So, in early April I was able to get some practice in on their yard using the same method. Their grass came up nicely in about 2-3 weeks. It was very rainy and cool, so it took a little longer.

It has been so wet this spring that I have not been able to get mine done. Yesterday, it was just dry enough. I spent about an hour going over it to get the level, powdery, but firm consistency needed for a seed bed. I fertilized it with a starter fertilizer, and hit it heavy with a Kentucky 31 Fescue/Bluegrass mix. I then went over the entire area again with the pulverizer which covered the seed, and also packed it again. Pics below. It rained about an hour after I finished. It rained fairly heavy, but there was no washout this morning, and the seed was still just under the surface where I left it. Looking forward to the results. Forecast is cool and fairly rainy for the next week.

 

[TXCOMT]

Sweet tractor work...keep us posted! I'll be doing this in less than a year myself, so I'm subbed.

TXCOMT

 

[Streetcar]

Looks good except I don't like seed blend
Bluegrass is fine blade, but ky 31 is course blade grass

 

[LukeDuke30]

Looks good except I don't like seed blend
Bluegrass is fine blade, but ky 31 is course blade grass

I should have specified - I had a few lbs of leftover bluegrass mix. It is probably less than 10% of what I actually put down. It was about a year old, so I mixed it in.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Nice job.

I always roll my seed. To me, it's just the finishing touch. Also seems to promote faster germination with better soil to seed contact.

Last years project.



Grass came up nice after a bunch of watering.
Now it looks, so-so, as a lot of that grass mix used for quick cover dies over the winter.

 

[LukeDuke30]

Looks great! My pulverizer has a roller on the back with spikes. It is heavy enough that it packs the soil down well.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't know what a pulverizer is. Do you have any pics?

I've decided to wait until Fall to seed my new build area. I wasn't ready early enough. Afraid if we get another mid Summer drought it would all die.

 

[Ortimber]

Nice work! There seems to be a very small window here where things dry up enough to get seed in, but still leave you with enough rain to get the grass started.

 

[ovrszd]

Here it's possible to seed in the Spring or Fall. If seeded in Spring you need consistent rainfall all Summer. That's iffy. You got about 60% chance of success if you can't irrigate with a sprinkler. Fall seeding almost always works. Only failing if applied wrong, buried too deep, etc.

 

[TractorGuy]

You might want to go over it with a roller. Those little grooves don't look deep now but wait till you start mowing. It will ride like a washboard. I went over some of my land with a landscape rake and it looked very similar. I have to mow with the grooves or it beats me to death.