Content
Seed and Turf
- Bare patches after over sowing
- Seeding after weed killing - how long shall I wait?
- Covering grass seed with peat - a good idea or not?
- Drought resistant grass
- Grass seed prices vary so much
- Over seeding after scarifying - nothing growing
- New lawn has weeds - when can I treat it?
- Turf not rooting
- Sowing grass seed at the correct depth
- Thinning grass
- Grass seed for chalky soil
- Which grass seed for a partially shaded lawn?
Bare patches after over sowing
I've over seeded my lawn after scarifying and have a few small bare patches. What should I do?
John, this is not unusual
It is probable that either rain has washed the seed away or you still have some thatch left in these areas which is preventing the seed from rooting into the soil. Remedy by:
- Soaking the patches thoroughly
- Then densely prick the area with the garden fork about 1 to 2 cms deep
- Lightly sprinkle seed onto the area - 10 to 20 seeds per square inch
- Tread to firm
- Keep it lightly watered for the first month
If you are doing this at the back end of the year and the temperature gets low you may not get a result so be prepared to repeat the process in the spring.
_______________________________________________________________________
Seeding after weed killing - how long shall I wait?
Jim – A tricky one this
Weed killer can seriously affect the germination of seeds so it’s going to depend on what you’ve used. If you’re renovating and killing the whole lawn with a glyphosate product then you could in theory seed the next day though you’d get better germination of your new seed after the old grass has died and been scarified to clear the lawn surface.
If on the other hand you’re using a selective weed killer on your lawn it will depend on how thorough you’ve been and what you’ve used. As a general guide it would be best to leave it at least a month but if time is important leave it a day or two and go for it, the chances are a reasonable proportion will germinate.
________________________________________________________________________
Covering grass seed with peat - a good idea or not?
Mrs Goode – this depends on whom you ask!
I’m not in favour because it can draw moisture away from the grass seed if things start getting dry; exactly the opposite of what you want. However, it can add valuable protection from damaging rain or perhaps birds. If you can keep the seeded area moist (enough water to stop it drying out) then the lightest covering (no more than ¼”) of peat or preferably a peat alternative would be fine. Straw is a good alternative but not hay as it contains a lot of weed seeds.
_______________________________________________________________________
Drought resistant grass - how drought resistant is it?
Richard - Simple answer ....... pretty good!
It’s not so much that the grass is drought resistant but that it grows very deep roots. Deep roots means the grass taps into water much deeper down and in a typical summer can mean the difference between a green and a brown lawn. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how long it can keep going in dry weather but if you live in a dry county or have freely draining soil and don’t mind a utility type lawn then you won’t be disappointed. See STAYGREEN Lawn Grass Seed
_______________________________________________________________________
Grass seed prices vary so much - why?
Jonathan - There are perhaps five elements that affect seed price:
1/ The variety of grass; rye, bent, fescue etc. Not all cost the same.
2/ The cultivar. This will give improved characteristics e.g. greener, drought tolerant, disease resistant etc. Look for STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) rated seed.
3/ Purity is another determinant if you don’t want weed seeds in your grass seed. Look for the HVS Certification.
4/ The pricing structure of the retailer. You often see the same can of beans priced differently from one supermarket to the next.
5/ Packaging affects price – You can have fancy packaging or simple. My bags are strong but not very pretty polypropylene. The contents, however, are very good indeed! See 
Seed Advice.pdf
______________________________________________________________________
Over seeding after scarifying - nothing growing
Hi Rachel
A very common problem particularly this year (2009) as it has been a very dry spring in many areas.
Assuming that it was not too cold (less than 80C) the cause is the grass seed either not germinating or it has died after germinating. It can sometimes be hard to tell which it is. Your problem will have arisen for one of two reasons:
Not being watered sufficiently:
Grass seed needs moisture to germinate and then regular small quantities of water to grow. This means watering once or twice a day for the first month. Don't drown the area, all you have to do is stop it drying out. Unfortunately if the area is large and you have been relying on the April showers to do the watering then the dry spring will be the main cause of your problems.
In addition, if there is some thatch or moss left and the grass seed is not in contact with the soil it will be hard to keep damp enough to germinate and grow.
What to do....
Check the seed is in contact with the soil and consider whether or not you watered regularly enough. If there isn't any seed left or you think it germinated but died then add some more and look after it.
If the area is large and it is impossible to water I'm afraid you'll have to put up with a patchy lawn for a while. When things cool down towards the end of August you'll need to kill off any weeds and dig out any invading weed grasses. Re-scarify the area to expose the soil and over sow with grass seed again. If the area is dry let the rains soak the soil for awhile before seeding so that there is a reserve of water for the seedlings to tap into.
Hope that helps
_______________________________________________________________________
New lawn has weeds - when can I treat it?
Patrick – a very common situation
The answer is read the label on your weed killer. For Bayer Advanced give it 6 months before treating. For Verdone just 2 months is required.
Personally I’d treat around May for a lawn sown in autumn and I’d wait until August or September for a lawn sown in spring.
______________________________________________________________________
Turf not rooting
Hello - found your lawn info very useful, especially watering - thanks.
Have recently (mid September) put down a new turf lawn which is all going fine except for a few areas (a few sq ft) that have not rooted. Some spare turf was laid provisionally over some gravel and that sent down roots about 3 in long over a couple of weeks!!
Any comments would be gratefully received.
Patrick
Though this is not uncommon the fact that turf laid on a gravel path seems to have faired OK does confuse the issue and without an inspection all I can do is give you the most common cause.
For localised poor rooting in 95% of instances it is caused by poor turf to soil contact. If the turf is not contacting the soil, perhaps due to a slight dip, then as roots are sent down they hit air then dry and shrivel. Alternatively there may be air pockets in the soil causing a very similar situation.
In addition, if by chance you live in the east or a part of the country that has been dry this year then even the slightest lack of water would exaggerate the problem. If you have had a dry summer then even if you have watered every day it still may not have been enough. Well firmed soil with no air pockets and good turf contact would more than likely not be too affected.
To remedy this, assuming the turf is still alive just requires you to tread up and down the affected patches to press the turf down and squeeze the air out of any air pockets. Soft soled shoes such as trainers will do and try not to twist or turn as you tread otherwise you'll move the turf. There is plenty of moisture around now so you shouldn't need to water.
Next time you come to turf you'll know to ensure good contact by treading and also adding a rooting fertiliser. These two treatments are rarely done but do ensure a much more successful result.
Hope that helps and thanks for your kind comments.
____________________________________________________________________
Sowing grass seed at the correct depth
Whats the best tool besides a blec over seeder for grass germination as its must be at the correct depth of about 7mm? Many Thanks
Hi Leslie
Yes it would be nice to be able to do that but it's not critical and the chances are it's virtually impossible for the average gardener or Lawnsmith. Therefore, anything between zero and 15mm will give you good germination if the conditions are right - good seed to soil contact, pre-germination fertiliser, warmth and constant moisture.
You can also compensate for less than perfect germination by increasing the seeding rate up to an additional 100% - it's that simple!
Reading:
___________________________________________________________________
Thinning grass
I laid my lawn last year and was the best quality turf according to the turf grower. The grass is made up of was looks like brush hairs, very slow growing. I only have to cut it once a month during summer.
The grass is also what I can only describe as baldy all over and wont grow in a couple of shady areas in the garden. What I am looking for is a very dense growing grass which I can overseed with or should I start from scratch again?
David
The best quality turf often means turf without rye grass. Your turf is therefore all fescues which are bristle or brush like grass blades as you refer. We sell the same seed as Ornamental and if you read the details you will realise it is very demanding and needs fequent mowing, generally twice a week. Infrequent mowing will cause it to thin so do read our mowing advice.
If you are not prepared for the demands of an ornamental lawn then scarify it in August to thin it out even more and over seed with Classic Lawn Seed which will give you something a little less demanding as long as you mow every 7 to 10 days on a medium high cut.
Hope that helps
Grass Seed for chalky soil
I would like to overseed my lawn. It is a shady site , with a relatively thin topsoil on top of chalk. Your 'Shady' grass seed looks good, but I understand that 'Creeping Bent' is an ideal variety for chalk based soil, and it is not present in your mixture. Can you sell me a small amount of creeping bent to add to your shady mixture? And I wondered if a specialist grass seed supplier such as yourselves could in fact offer seed mixtures specific to soil types?
Hi Paul
A good question(s). Let me take them in reverse:
In the chart for each seed variety we do mention soil type though we're not so specific as to mention chalk soils as all of our mixtures will do well apart from the 'Ornamental' mixture. However, you point is good and we now state that the 'Ornamental' seed is for acid soils.
You are correct about creeping bent liking the higher pH range of 7-8, however, it is little used today as it can creep quite agressively forming very dense tussocks. It is high maintenance and not really suited as a standard lawn variety and is little used in the sports and amenity sector also. However, the grasses such as rye grass, smooth stalked and wood meadow grass and both the red fescues also enjoy 7-8 pH range.
Therefore, if you lawn is shady and damp/moist and not freely draining your choice of Shadygreen Lawn Seed is good. However, if the shade is not too dense and the soil is more freely draining and therefore on the drier side then I would use our Classic Lawn Seed
Hopefully this clarifies the issue
Which grass seed for a partially shaded lawn?
Hi, I've got 70 sqm of grassy area to seed and I'm stuck between CLASSIC and SHADYGREEN!
About 1/5 of the garden is shaded, half of which is behind a garden fence (fully shaded) and the other shaded bit is under some trees but does get the sun in the evening.
Looking at these 2 mixtures they look very similar.
Can I just go for the CLASSIC one for the whole lot, would that be OK. Does feeding compensate for less sunlight?
Hi Alan
I appreciate for such a small area you don't want to buy too much seed though it often happens that your lawn and local conditions means that you are stuck between two types of seed. It happens on golf courses around the world as well so I suggest you over seed with the one for the bulk of the lawn ie CLASSIC.
Next year, you may need to re-seed some of the shaded areas and your choices are SHADYGREEN for areas where there is good moisture e.g. the area by the fence and STAYGREEN for dry areas e.g. under the tree.
This now means 3 varieties! Bet you wish you hadn't asked!!
Adding extra fertiliser does not help, in fact you need less. Same for you; less excercise means smaller diet.
Finally, shade can be a particular problem and can cause severe thinning in the darker months. It is routine procedure on all sports turf to re-seed such areas on an annual basis in the spring.
A tip: keep the mower on the highest setting in these shady areas.
Hope that helps
