Fall overseeding

[hornadylnl]

When should I put my grass seed down? Ni got a late start on my new yard this spring and need to overseed it. Should I put it down now or wait til later in the fall?

 

[snapping turtle]

I was always told anytime after labor day. Then again I am no expert my grass is half weeds.

 

[DCR]

Anytime after Labor Day.
However, if you fertilize with 40-0-0 like you're supposed to in the fall, you have a conflict since new grass shouldn't be fertilized for 6 weeks.

I just overseeded this week and I usually do the fertilizing in late Sept (usually with a aeration) and again in mid Nov, so I'm skipping the first half and dumping it all on in November.

Anyone who has drunk the Scott's kool-aid needs to check with their county extension service to get retrained.

 

[Expat]

I thought you were supposed to use some organic long lived fertilizer in the fall.

 

[DCR]

That's what it 40-0-0 is, although it's undoubtedly made artificially.

 

[hooky]

I'm over seeding this Thursday. Aerated it Friday evening.

I try to take frost dates into account.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/?n=frostfreezedate

 

[philo]

This is a fine time to overseed. Mow the existing grass short and dethatch first. then water at least three times a week if it doesn't rain - new seed can't take advantage of moisture in the soil that's not right at the surface. Don't fertilize! Fertilizers act as salts and make it hard for the seeds to take up water - then they die.

40-0-0 is bad for fall fertilizer. Thats way too much nitrogen and will encourage lots of top growth at the expense of root health. A balanced fertilizer with a lower first number ie. 20ish is better with more phosphorus (second number) and potash (third number). This will encourage the grass to enterdormancy once the temps get cold, and will encourage root growth through the winter months whenever the soil temp is adequate. Your lawn will be healthier this way. Late fertilization with high nitrogen also leads to winter and spring troubles with fungus and may require fungicide treatment next season. Avoid it. Heck, fall is a good time to use up any leftover garden fertilizer (10-10-10). You'll be happier in the long run.

 

[hornadylnl]

I'll have my wife ice up the seed this week at the coop. I noticed what grass I have is greening up nicely so didn't want to wait too long. Thanks for all of the advice!

 

[Gamez235]

I tossed seed down last Saturday, and with all the rain I am getting some new growth in there..

 

[redneckmedic]

The old men in my church seed during the late snow in Jan or Feb. The thought process is that you can use a hand spreader and see your foot prints in the snow. Rain doesn't was the seeds into valleys, and when the snow melts it brings the seeds into soft ground with it. They all swear by it, I"m going to do it this fall with plugging and this winter.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

This is a fine time to overseed. Mow the existing grass short and dethatch first. then water at least three times a week if it doesn't rain - new seed can't take advantage of moisture in the soil that's not right at the surface. Don't fertilize! Fertilizers act as salts and make it hard for the seeds to take up water - then they die.

40-0-0 is bad for fall fertilizer. Thats way too much nitrogen and will encourage lots of top growth at the expense of root health. A balanced fertilizer with a lower first number ie. 20ish is better with more phosphorus (second number) and potash (third number). This will encourage the grass to enterdormancy once the temps get cold, and will encourage root growth through the winter months whenever the soil temp is adequate. Your lawn will be healthier this way. Late fertilization with high nitrogen also leads to winter and spring troubles with fungus and may require fungicide treatment next season. Avoid it. Heck, fall is a good time to use up any leftover garden fertilizer (10-10-10). You'll be happier in the long run.

Edit: When I first read this I consider fall fertilizer to go down in last fall. Philo is correct in that 46-0-0 might not be the best choice to use in early fall although it is still important to apply a high level of nitrogen in the early fall.Up to 1 lb of actual nitrogen/ 1000 sq. ft. is good. If you are using a 33-?-? product then you would use 3 lbs of fertilizer per 1000 sq ft or 130 lbs of fertilizer per acre.

Sorry but this is not correct information. 46-0-0 is ideal to use for late fall fertilizer and I have sold and applied dozens of semi loads with great success, Check with Purdue extension. Cale Bigelow, or Aaron Patton for the latest on proper fertilization. It is important that it is applied late in the fall into November after the turf has stopped actively growing.

Also 46-0-0 is not a slow release organic fertilizer as mentioned earlier. It is straight Urea and although some of the nitrogen becomes availabe after some time, the majority is released quickly.

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Ideal time to aerate and overseed is last week of August through September. Your regular balanced fall fertilizer is fine to use as long as you do not include a pre emergent crabgrass control now. You can use the 46-0-0 In November/december then with no problems.

One last note. Please consider testing your soil before using any fertilizer. One of the posters mentioned using Phosphorus as part of the balanced fertilizer. That may or may not be true. Most Indiana soils have an over abundance of phosphorus in the soil and adding more is not only wasteful and costly, it is the main problem we have with fertilizer run off into water ways causing excessive algae blooms and other problems. Nitrogen will nearly always need to be added but other nutrients may already be in your soil. Your county extension agent can hook you up with a soil test.

 

[CSORuger]

What type of grass seed works best for you ?

 

[Fishersjohn48]

Purple Urkle.....

Way too many variables to say one that works best. Need to now sun/shade. Irrigated or not
High use or low
do you want to fertilized it and baby it or plant it and forget it?

 

[CSORuger]

Purple Urkle.....

Way too many variables to say one that works best. Need to now sun/shade. Irrigated or not
High use or low
do you want to fertilized it and baby it or plant it and forget it?

Plant it and forget it. Mostly sunny area's. Used blue grass last fall, it failed to come up in the spring. Ground was plugged twice about two weeks apart(soil was to hard the first time) before seeding.

Project was done by MR Service from Brownsburg.

Won't use again to costly and grass did not come up in the spring. When I asked they to come out and look at the yard I got the run around and no show.

Does anyone have a good recommendation on lawn services.

 

[hooky]

Plant it and forget it. Mostly sunny area's. Used blue grass last fall, it failed to come up in the spring. Ground was plugged twice about two weeks apart(soil was to hard the first time) before seeding.

Project was done by MR Service from Brownsburg.

Won't use again to costly and grass did not come up in the spring. When I asked they to come out and look at the yard I got the run around and no show.

Does anyone have a good recommendation on lawn services.

The grass should have come up in the fall, not the spring. Depending on timing it may have never come up ar started and got frosted.

Just do it yourself. It's not hard. Rent an aerator and a slit seeder, then buy some good seed. I've had good luck with a bluegrass, creeping fescue blend in the past, but there isn't a lot of heavy shade. For around $60-$100 you can be done in a half day if you're just doing an acre or less.

 

[Expat]

http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/ay-27.pdf

 

[DCR]

The Purdue doc suggests using 46-0-0 after the last mowing. If you apply it too early, you'll need to mow again as SOME of the N will go to the blades instead of the roots.

I have periodically split up my urea usage into Sept/Nov as was once suggested by the Purdue extension. I find that the first application does result in some growth and I've periodically skipped the first application.

Uh no, after 20 years of doing this, I've never had a fungus problem.