Help!!! My grass seed won't grow!

15 years ago

I bought 4 bags of Scott's Patchmaster to fill tire marks and other divots in my lawn. (It's a seed, fertilizer, mulch combination)

1st I put down top soil (no I didn't ph test it).

Then I put the patch masterdown and watered daily (twice daily when it was especially dry.)

It's been 10 days and I have nothing...I'm going to give up soon! The weather, here isn't going below 50 anymore. Am I crazy or is something wrong?

What did I do wrong?

Should I go out and buy new seed and try it again?

any help is appreciated.

Featured Answer

dchall_san_antonio

15 years ago

Go outside right now and turn on the water. You should have been watering three times per day and not missing a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are good times to water. Water for 15 minutes each time.

Once the grass has been mowed at your mower's highest setting, start to back off on watering. Ultimately you want to water only once a week in the heat of summer. To do that you will need to water for an hour or so to get enough water deep into the soil. In the summer I water once a week for 1-3 hours per zone. The rest of the time I water every other week.

Did you roll the seed down? If not go out and walk on every seed you can see. Don't jump up and down on them, just step on them. They need to have good seed-to-surface contact. Walking on them provides the perfect pressure.

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Comments (6)

skizot
15 years ago
The seed-to-soil contact isn't as necessary with the Scott's Patchmaster stuff. The seeds come in a medium that surrounds them and helps with moisture retention. It also has a little bit of starter fertilizer mixed in. The seeds will germinate in this medium, and the new roots will find their way down into the soil.

The key here is keeping the medium (I believe it's a blue fluffy looking stuff) constantly moist. It doesn't have to be sitting in water, but keep it moist. Water it 3 times a day like dchall said.
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jeannie7
15 years ago
What does the package say....did you expect the seed to germinate in 10 days....and what has the weather been like in those 10 days.
Watering---actually sprinkling, is necessary, sure...but it doesn't need soaking.

If the grass seed is any kind of quality, IT WILL GERMINATE, just give it time and keep sprinkling...but don't drown the seed.

Tire marks...suggests the ground was compacted when you put down the topsoil. An inch would have sufficed if the soil under it was scored with a rake or it was turned over and raked.
The seeds have to have something to put donw roots in...

You might go out and rake the seed throughout the area and tamp it down or roll it with a roller that is only 1/3 volume. Sprinkle it beforehand.
skizot
15 years ago
No, don't go out and rake the seed. That's bad advice. I don't think Jeannie is familiar with Scott's Patchmaster. Also, Tod already said that he put down topsoil first. The seeds should have no problems rooting once they germinate.
compiler
15 years ago
If the seeds have not grown, for example, two month or more because of no watering, is there any chance to have the grass seeds grown or the seeds have been "dead."
toddriffic
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the help... I went out today and a few seeds had started to germinate.

I don't think I watered it enough...it's been so dry and windy this past week and I don't usually have the time during the hottest part of the day.

I'm going to get some new seed and start over...I have to mow the grass around the spots again. This time I'll be sure to water it enough...

Thanks everyone for the advice!!!

T