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| The temps are obviously going up now, and I'm considering to prep my lawn NOW for the ultimate pre-emergent and light seeding program in certain areas.
My big question surrounds laying pre-emergent (w/siderion..spell?) if I seed in patchy areas. I've heard pre-emergents with adaptive agents will still halt new growth to some degree, thus making any potential growth weak and eventually will die off in the summer months. I know..I know...I should't seed in the Spring, but the brown patches look awful and I won't be able to look at them though out the season. Also, I laid fescue sod in the front yard before last summer with good growth. Should i douse the newly sodded areas with a dose of organic low nitro fertilizer and see if the patchy areas grow in? Or just seed these few areas and hope for continuous replenishment? Today in New York (zone?) is abnormally 65 and temps will drop again averaging @45 degrees throughout the next couple of weeks. Maybe it's too soon still to prep and add ingredients now? thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Siduron is safe to use with newly seeded turfgrass. It only prevents 6 or 7 weeds from germinating, the most important one being crabgrass. It only lasts about a month though, so you will have to reapply for crabgrass protection. Tall fescue doesn't spread to a great degree. If there is some grass in the patchy areas, then those existing areas will tiller and grow a bit, but it won't be like new sod. If your sod had KBG in it, as most does, then you might get some spreading from that however. You can use organic fertilizer any time you want. Soil temps are a bit low for it to do much, and even when it does it won't create a huge flush of growth. If you choose to use a synthetic fertilizer, it is way to early, and you should wait till May. Most cool season turfgrasses germinate when soil temps are in the 50-55 degree range. Right now your soil temps are probably close to that, but it's still a bit early. Crabgrass germinates a bit later, when soil temps are 60 degrees for 5-7 consecutive days. I use an instant read thermometer to check soil temps, with morning being the best time. |
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- Posted by NewYorkscapes none (My Page) on Thu, Mar 8, 12 at 14:57
| thanks teimco. I figured I would need a block of warm days until the crabgrass and other weeds sprout. My sod is all fescue. Do you recommend I get some KGB seed and mix into my fescue? Will this stunt fescue growth to some degree? I didn't see any weeds after inserting my sod last Spring. I wonder if they'll appear quickly this year. |
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| Since tall fescue doesn't spread all that much, or that fast, it wouldn't be a bad idea to over seed it with KBG. Most people just overseed with TF, which is a bit easier. Overseeding TF with KBG is tougher since TF grows pretty fast, thus robbing KBG of sun and nutrients as KBG germinates and grows slower. KBG won't stunt the tall fescue growth. Overseeding is ideally done in late summer. If you choose to use KBG, then pick a cultivar that isn't extremely dark since it will stand out in your lawn. |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Sat, Mar 10, 12 at 17:33
| Seconding what tiemco said. KBG is a sod forming grass. Fescue is a bunch grass. Those are the basic two different kinds of grasses. Sod forming grasses form a dense mat and cover the soil. Bunch grasses grow individually and just sit there. They will spread their bunch but they remain in a bunch. Many people will mix the two so that disease and insects will not wipe out the entire lawn. Usually a disease will only strike one type of grass. KBG will spread to fill any thin areas of fescue. If you take this all the way to the limit, eventually you will have a KBG lawn except where shade and heat prevent the KBG from filling in. And as tiemco said, fall is the time to seed cool season grasses. Seeding now is possible but the new grass that grows will not have the hardy root structure needed to survive a hot summer. Take all this into consideration for your expectations this season. Then in the late summer (August), plan your seeding program. |
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