SEEDING IN EARLY SPRING ADVICE

[Captain Belly]

I'm going to pay an unfortunate price next month to have my lawn leveled / trenches and holes filled in. It will be the beginning of the rainy season in Missouri. Should I go ahead and do it, or wait until fall?

 

[DirtMechanic]

That answer depends on the seaonality of the grass. Personally I seed into the wet season because I am lazy and cheap, but even then I have learned the hard way, by being hard headed of course, that fescue planted in the first quarter dies in the third quarter due to insufficient root development before severe stress of heat and drought upon a cool season grass. Try to allow as much time as possible for root development. Toward that end, the sod used for the superbowl is started 18 months prior to the game, so 6 months of development before the quarter of stress season has to be some kind of minimum. Even then I think overseeding will be a future function.

 

[Captain Belly]

I might just mix some oats in with the grass seed in order to hold the soil better. I did that once and it worked pretty good.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I might just mix some oats in with the grass seed in order to hold the soil better. I did that once and it worked pretty good.

I like a oat lawn - for the few months it stays around.

 

[Woollie]

Our driveway is made from..guessing crushed gravel/calco,fine crushed stone and under is a layer of finer gravel and then under that it i sand. top layer is small Stones...point is it grows grass like you would never believe....yet my grass seeding on fresh soil has been hit and miss...Has to be warm enough and damp enough to germinate here in Deux Sevres Region...Guess those conditions needed are a general requirement in many Countries.. Here is the drive I am talking about..Been clearing the grass from the drive for days now....see....Living the French Dream as we say here....(.Temporary washing line... as the wind yesterday was only really good for that...Blue skies and thick coat needed though.)....

 

[Wood_Shampoo]

I personally would wait until the fall. You will be battling high heat and high humidity in the summer and that fresh baby grass will struggle and most likely die unless you have money/time/will to water it constantly.

You will also be competing with the grassy weed crab grass, if you decide to plant now. Personally I would put down a crab grass preventer now, one that has the active ingredient prodiamine preferably.

Then in late August Early September I'd plant the new grass seed. It's a pain in the rear, but if you can i'd cover the fresh seed with peat moss to retain moisture and increase germination rate.

 

[mgmine]

I would do it now and take advantage of the rain. If the ground is going to be disturbed then it will be open to every weed known to mankind. If you put seed in now all you have to lose is the cost of the seed and the time it took to do it. If you wait you will be dealing with a hard-packed weed patch and you will have to break the soil again to replant.

 

[Mike Allen]

Forgive me please. Here I am in the UK. I have several qualifications under my belt. From 1st class gardening and groundsmanship. To being a Dr. of plant pathology and plant and soil science. Sadly, with due respects. This is perhaps where our understand of each other across the pond falters.
So please. What do you mean by, having your lawn levelled etc. Are you attempting to harness some prarie area? When you purchase seed. Do you not get some constructive notes of when to, and how to sow?
I do apologise and in no way do I wish to offend, but there is a kind of mis-interpretaion at times. Enjoy your gardening.

 

[mgmine]

Forgive me please. Here I am in the UK. I have several qualifications under my belt. From 1st class gardening and groundsmanship. To being a Dr. of plant pathology and plant and soil science. Sadly, with due respects. This is perhaps where our understand of each other across the pond falters.
So please. What do you mean by, having your lawn levelled etc. Are you attempting to harness some prarie area? When you purchase seed. Do you not get some constructive notes of when to, and how to sow?
I do apologise and in no way do I wish to offend, but there is a kind of mis-interpretaion at times. Enjoy your gardening.

Although it's not my lawn I'm sure that what he is doing is having a load of topsoil brought in and spread on parts of his existing lawn. Doing so will give him a nice smooth even surface in which he can plant new seed. Seed companies do give information on planting seed but it's all the same information. Probably the same information all over the world. It's tough though to get real-world advice on the back of a bag of speed.