OT: Seeding lawn bare spots

[bdroc]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

 

[Obliviax]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

it is the perfect time to seed a lawn. Actually, the rule of thumb is that you can seed a week after the first frost. The city did some work on the area between my sidewalk and street. I planted it 9 days ago and you can't tell if there was work done or not. (other than some straw that hasn't rotted yet).

it is actually better to seed now than spring or summer. The lawn is warmer than the air. So the grasses roots will grow but you'll still get green grass. In the spring, the grass grows faster than the roots and isn't in shape to sustain the hot, dry summer. In the summer, it is too hot and dry. In the fall, the roots grow. When it gets dormant in the winter, it doesn't matter much. In the spring you'll have a full, rich lawn.

Just keep it watered...every single day that it doesn't rain.

 

[bdroc]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

Mine is coming in slow after 2 weeks with lots of bare spots. I wonder it it would make sense to add some starter fertilizer.

 

[creamery freak]

Mine is coming in slow after 2 weeks with lots of bare spots. I wonder it it would make sense to add some starter fertilizer.

Starter fertilizer will definitely help.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

Peat moss works great for seeding, especially small spots.

 

[Elwood Blues]

those bare patches will be covered by snow in a few weeks - no worries

 

[GregInPitt]

Mushroom manure along with starter fertilizer. A can't miss combo, as long as you water it faithfully........

I built a detached garage and did the landscaping mainly last Spring, so I've been seeding bare spots around it the last week. Also put in a new driveway after the garage was finished and I've still got a few areas beside it that need attention and that I hope to get to in the next week....

 

[LongJakk]

I just finished watering. Make sure that you pick the right grass type. My 1/2 acre yard had 30 trees when I bought it. I have had to take down all but 1 of them and replaced 16. Anyway, the yard used to have a lot of shade and yard was mostly fine fescue. Now that most of it is full sun the fine fescue has been dying off. I tried sun & shade mix last year, but it died off this summer. I also tried sod in some areas, but it too died off. Too much sun and heat. Lawn service finally told me to go with tall fescue mix because it tolerates sun, heat and foot traffic. I dethatched and over seeded with Scott's Tall Fescue mix this week. Next week or so the lawn service is coming to cross aerate and overseed. Im hoping my seeds will be sprouting when they arrive.

Never use cheap contractor mix.

 

[creamery freak]

Mushroom manure along with starter fertilizer. A can't miss combo, as long as you water it faithfully........

I built a detached garage and did the landscaping mainly last Spring, so I've been seeding bare spots around it the last week. Also put in a new driveway after the garage was finished and I've still got a few areas beside it that need attention and that I hope to get to in the next week....

Next weeks weather forecast, no watering needed.

 

[jim cummings]

Its the best time to plant. Scratch the bare spots with a 3 prong, throw a scoop of top soil, a handful of seed, you can step on it to get soil to seed contact, top dress with mushroom manure or compost. Water or not. It’ll grow.

 

[Connorpozlee]

I know nothing about grass. But I recently seeded the a bare spot on lawn. I seeded the hell out of it. It seems to be growing. That’s the only advice I have. Seed the hell out of it and water it.

 

[Fayette_LION]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

Nothing better than the fall for planting grass. It will look great in the spring.

 

[83wuzme]

Its the best time to plant. Scratch the bare spots with a 3 prong, throw a scoop of top soil, a handful of seed, you can step on it to get soil to seed contact, top dress with mushroom manure or compost. Water or not. It’ll grow.

What are your thoughts on throwing down grass seed and allowing it to overwinter?

 

[troutrus]

Use a good plugger type aerator, spread the entire lawn with a GOOD blend of seed, spread starter fertilizer e.g. 18-24-12, do a little rain dance.

 

[drpops]

I had a lot of bare spots in my uneven lawn so I hired a guy to spread a yard of topsoil and seed. The problem was he never showed up so I finally gave up and got another guy. Now I'm afraid it was too late in the season because I think grass seed likes 70-80 degree weather to germinate.

Does anybody have advice on getting something to grow quickly in the fall?

Some good suggestions here. Keeping it simple:

What are you planting? Perennial ryegrass- 7 days germination- ideal conditions
All fine fescues - 14 days ( creeping red, chewings, hard sheeps etc)
Tall fescue - 14 days
kentucky bluegrass - 28 days

Best to plant early September to allow germination and SOME fill in. Warm soil in the fall vs spring. But you can get results with a fall start this time of year. ( don't forget you are losing day length which in many cases is more important than air temp )
Get it started keep it moist. Seed is like a hotdog cooking. It plumps. When it absorbs water it plumps which starts the germination process. If it dries it can kill the seed.
Get some germination this fall. It will look like its been through chemo. The plant will stool over winter and be ready to explode in the spring. In PA you may run into snow mold problems etc but whatever you are planting get it started this Saturday around 7:30 pm!
Note: you may want to use a blend of perennial, fine fescue and kty blue. Packages go by weight but seed count per pound is the difference. ie) kty blue can have 1.2 to 2 million seeds per pound, perennial 300,000, fine fescue 550,000.

Perennial germs first but the others will give you more durability.
Good luck!

 

[klive]

Mushroom manure along with starter fertilizer. A can't miss combo, as long as you water it faithfully........

I built a detached garage and did the landscaping mainly last Spring, so I've been seeding bare spots around it the last week. Also put in a new driveway after the garage was finished and I've still got a few areas beside it that need attention and that I hope to get to in the next week....

I’d be careful with mushroom soil, it offen has the wrong ph for germination and comes with a lot of weed seed. Haha, weed and mushrooms…seriously though, better off with peat due to its ability to retain moisture which is what you want for germination, or some good organic top soil.

 

[GregInPitt]

I’d be careful with mushroom soil, it offen has the wrong ph for germination and comes with a lot of weed seed. Haha, weed and mushrooms…seriously though, better off with peat due to its ability to retain moisture which is what you want for germination, or some good organic top soil.

There is a reason why landscapers use mushroom manure when putting in new lawns. Because it works. And it has been great for growing grass every time I have used it as well.....

 

[jim cummings]

What are your thoughts on throwing down grass seed and allowing it to overwinter?

It can be done. Ive seen lawns planted in November/December, whole landscapes (trees, shrubs, perennials).. the new AHN Brentwood neighborhood hospital comes to mind. It was a week before Christmas a couple years back when I was coming home and they were planting grass.

As long as there’s a heavy layered top dressing it’ll germinate in the spring. You may need to do some spot seeding in May, but all of the vegetation is tough.

 

[jim cummings]

I’d be careful with mushroom soil, it offen has the wrong ph for germination and comes with a lot of weed seed. Haha, weed and mushrooms…seriously though, better off with peat due to its ability to retain moisture which is what you want for germination, or some good organic top soil.

I’ve had no issues with mush. And when you’re doing 10,000+ sq ft areas that’s a lot of bags of peat and really expensive.

Peat would be fine for small patches, like dog piss burnout since mushroom is usually purchased in bulk. But either way I swear by mush

 

[TheWizardofCamelot]

Not a turf grass guy, but recently moved into a new build home - so I've been spending the past couple of months researching and trying to grow a lawn. All the above mentions seem like great ideas, one thing not mentioned is the use of straw.

After you pick/install the soil and throw down the seed, I definitely recommend a short cut straw with tackifier. Throw it on top of everything and it should help with seed/soil contact, retaining moisture, and holding soil/seed in place during rainfall or regular watering. Go with short cut straw vs. long, been seeing some thatch buildup with the long stuff around the neighborhood. Short cut sometimes won't even need raked later as it easily breaks down.

Straw vs. no straw in my neighborhood seems to make a significant difference in germination. Just my two cents!

 

[PSU Mike]

Mushroom manure along with starter fertilizer. A can't miss combo, as long as you water it faithfully........

Cool. I’m making some 3-mushroom pizzas on the grill tonight, and my lawn should be fed by 9:00am tomorrow. I hope the neighbors don’t see me squatting.

 

[wilbury]

Mine is coming in slow after 2 weeks with lots of bare spots. I wonder it it would make sense to add some starter fertilizer.

if you overseeded with blue grass it takes at least a week to germinate so expect it to be slow.

 

[klive]

I’ve had no issues with mush. And when you’re doing 10,000+ sq ft areas that’s a lot of bags of peat and really expensive.

Peat would be fine for small patches, like dog piss burnout since mushroom is usually purchased in bulk. But either way I swear by mush

I'll caveat my response in that I myself have never actually used it for lawns, only because the 4-5 times I used mush for gardens or raised beds, and exorbitant amount of weeds followed 6 or so weeks later. Some professional landscapers I know have also said that it can contain weed seeds. Since you've actually used it on lawns with success, maybe i'll give it a try because it is much more affordable than peat as you suggested. I usually only use peat for smaller spots or areas that are getting blasted with sun where watering may be an issue. Peat does a great job retaining moisture. Good tips man, thanks!

 

[Bedivir]

I don't understand why to sow grass seeds if you can buy a rolled lawn. I think it's a lot easier, but most importantly, you don't have to wait for the lawn to grow. I think the zeon zoysia grass is a good capital investment. The main advantage of a rolled lawn is that it allows you to create a beautiful, well-groomed lawn where there was empty land yesterday. It does not need complex care; it is enough to provide the necessary watering, nutrition, and haircut. With proper care, the coating will stay in good shape for quite a long time. Lawn covering in rolls is more resistant to droughts and frosts and takes root well on the site.