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| It's often recommended to mix ~15% (I think) by weight KBG with tall fescue to achieve a 50/50 mixture (number of seeds is then roughly equal?) since KBG is a smaller seed.
So that's weight. But how does weight correspond to quantity? A spreader full of of TF equals what fraction of a spreader full of KBG? And how should the flow rates of the spreader be adjusted to give equal amount of TF on the first pass and KBG on the second pass (assuming we're seeding with first one seed and then the other, and not both together in a mix)? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| This sounds obvious, but you should weigh what you are putting down. So let's say the TTTF seeding rate is 9 lbs per 1000. For 1000 square feet, you would use 9 lbs minus the percentage of KBG, so if you want to do 20% KBG, you subtract 1.8 lbs from the KBG, and use that much KBG. The spreader should be calibrated for each seed if you seed separately, with the hole being much smaller for KBG. Getting a 50:50 mix depends on the KBG you are using, as seed size can be variable enough for KBG depending on the cultivar. TTTF is pretty standard 225K per pound. KBG can range from 1 million to 2 million per pound, but most of them fall in the 1-1.4 million range. If you can't find the seed count online, just put in 1.25 million and call it a day. |
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- Posted by Lawn_Hobby none (My Page) on Fri, Aug 10, 12 at 20:36
| Sounds like I'll need to have a scale accurate to tenths of lbs that I can put seed onto. I actually don't have a means of weighing seed like that currently. Any suggestions in the good but affordable realm? And I'll have to take a look at the spreaders I have; I hope they are good enough for this type of accuracy. Not sure how to perform the calibration step, either. |
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- Posted by Ibanez540r none (My Page) on Fri, Aug 10, 12 at 21:09
| http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field- keywords=food+scale&rh=i%3Aapsk%3Afood+scale |
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| Here's what I use. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13350086 I also want to revisit seeding rates for a minute. Let's say you were going to just seed TTTF at 10 lbs. per 1000. So that would give you roughly 2.25 million seeds per 1000. If you want a 50:50 mix of TTTF:KBG, then you would still need 2.25 million seeds split in half. This would mean you would use 5 lbs. of TTTF and about 1 lb. of KBG. If you did it the way I previously stated, then you would be using 8 lbs of TTTF (10 lbs minus 20%) and 2 lbs. of KBG. This would give you about the same ratio but the seeding rate would almost be double, approximately 2 million TTTF seeds, and 2 million KBG seeds per 1000, or 4 million seeds per 1000. Too much seed can lead to damping off, and overcrowding of new seedlings, not a good thing. I recommend sticking to amounts that give you the proper number of seeds in addition to the ratio you want. So if the seeding rate for your TTTF is 8-10 lbs per 1000, then use the middle number of 9 lbs per thousand to get the number of seeds to use, which is 2.025 million. Then split that in whatever way you want to get the ratio of seeds. I hope this is clear, if not, let me know. |
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- Posted by Lawn_Hobby none (My Page) on Sat, Aug 11, 12 at 9:58
| Ok, tiemco. Thank you. And what about overseeding? How do the rates differ? And do you generally pay any attention to the rates listed on the seed bags? |
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| Overseeding is generally done at half the new lawn rate. Yes, the rates on the bag should be followed. |
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