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Wed, Aug 24, 11 at 6:39
| I just bought Hogan's Blend of NTEP top performing fescues to overseed my Nebraska lawn. In the past, I've had very poor grass germination, so I asked the Hogan's guy how to ensure germination. He says that if my lawn is not compacted (and it isn't), I shouldn't aerate, since grass seeds that fall into the aerated holes are useless as they need to be within the top 1/4 inch of soil. But he did suggest that I dethatch first to increase seed-to-soil contact. He also said to target 9/15 for my overseeding (Nebraska) and to water 1/4 inch every morning to help germination.
Do you agree with these tips? Do you have other advice on getting good germination? Should I rent a dethatcher or buy an attachment for the riding mower? Are there dethatchers that pick up the thatch as they go so you don't have to rake it up afterwards? I have 20,000 sqft and I'd rather not rake if I don't have to. Last fall, we aerated, then seeded, then applied compost, and got poor results. We rented a slice seeder this spring and also got poor results. That was with box store Pennington's seed mixture, so don't know if buying professional NTEP seeds will make a difference in germination. But would appreciate your expert advice. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Some I agree with, some I don't. That start date might be a bit late for Nebraska. Not sure of your first frost date, but I would probably shoot for Sept.1 as long as the nights aren't warm and humid. Days in the high seventies to low eighties, nights in the low sixties to high fifties are ideal with the humidity being low. I like to use a dethatcher, they do increase seed to soil contact. I don't know if they make ones that pick up all the stuff, but if you are overseeding then after you dethatch you should mow the grass anyway to about 1.5 inches, so you can use the bag attachment on your riding mower. I wouldn't apply compost on top of seeds unless it is very fine, and dry. No more than 1/4 inch. 1/8 is better. Your watering schedule is wrong. 20k square feet is a lot, but once per day isn't going to cut it. You really need to water 3x per day to keep the soil bed moist, not soaked however. If you can't do that and only once per day is feasible then you should do it later. In the morning the seed bed is probably moist from the morning dew. You probably should water when the seedbed is it's dryest, probably mid day. Hopefully that will carry you over till the dew period. It doesn't matter that the seeds performed well in the NTEPs as most seeds have the same germination percentage. The higher rated cultvars will look and perform better as adult grass. |
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- Posted by kevingalaxy (My Page) on Wed, Aug 24, 11 at 11:43
| I was going to recommend everything tiemco said - water a little a few times a day so the seed never dries out. - Gradually mow the lawn down until it is "almost scalped but not quite. Bag all clippings. - Dethatch so u can see the soil, this will allow great oil to seed contact. Ive seen neighbors try and dethatch and they leave lots of debris on the soil and throw seed down hoping it will germinate - no chance. good luck. |
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