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| Hi All,
I have a 1 acre property which is all weeds, almost no good grass growing. At this point I do not have sprinklers, planning to get them before the heat of next summer. Should I seed now? If so, should I add some starter fertilizer? How should I prep my yard of weeds? Should I scalp the lawn then powerseed? Is scalping even needed? The yard has horrible soil (newer house). Should I add some pre-emergent in the spring before the weeds start to pop up? Or will this be too harsh on the newer grass seedlings? Sorry for all the questions but I am pretty desparate at this point. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Without irrigation you can forget about seeding the whole acre. Grass seed needs to be kept continually moist for 14-30 days depending on the grass you use. Ideally this whole process should have been started in the spring after the thaw. You say your soil is terrible, only a soil test will tell you how terrible it is, and if it's really bad your lawn will under perform, and will be somewhat of a waste unless you can nurse it along while improving the soil. If it's as bad as you say it is then everything should be killed with round up, it's one of the only effective ways of getting rid of weeds without affecting germination. If you have to seed this year I suggest you do a much smaller area, say the front yard, and a section of the back that is more manageable, maybe 5-8K square feet total. If you must seed, then I would stick with either perennial rye or tall fescue since they both germinate and grow quickly. KBG produces better turf, but it's much more finicky in the beginning. Its "childhood" is much longer, it doesn't tolerate poor soils as well, and generally needs to be started earlier than the other major cool season grasses. So if you have to seed, here's what I would do. Get a soil test ASAP, and send it to Logan Labs, get the basic test. Mark out an appropriate area that you can keep moist with sprinklers and hoses, and round up those areas on a dry day. Scalp it all in a week. Seed (using PR or TTTF with the notion that you might kill it all next year), topdress, use starter fertilizer, and keep it moist for two weeks. Of course this is oversimplified for now, but if you are really going to do this I'm sure this is one of many posts. |
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- Posted by sandyman720 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 7, 11 at 7:56
| So do you think it would be best to wait until I get sprinklers installed (maybe early spring time)? |
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| It's the only way to keep all that area watered, although seeding in spring isn't the best option. If you do so you will be well advised to use a herbicide called Tenacity, since you will be fighting weeds from spring to fall. One thing you could also try is dormant seeding, where you spread seed in December before snowfall. The seed will work into the soil with the snowmelt cycle and germinate when soil temps rise in the spring. This method works fairly well, especially if the spring is a rainy one. |
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- Posted by sandyman720 NJ (My Page) on Wed, Sep 7, 11 at 15:32
| If I decide to round up should I do it in the spring time and then seed in the spring when I have sprinklers? When are we talking here? April? How long should I wait before I start to seed after the roundup application? |
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| OK, here are your options. 1. Soil test, and renovate areas that you can irrigate with hoses and sprinklers now. 2. Soil test, kill weeds now and amend soil till late fall. Dormant seed in winter before first snowfall. 3. Soil test, kill weeds, amend soil now till late fall. In spring once sprinklers are installed and weeds are actively growing, round up everything, seed when soil temps are above 55 degrees. Use Tenacity to control weeds in spring with new grass. 4. Soil test, kill weeds, amend soil till fall. In spring, have sprinkler installed, continue killing weeds till June. Round up in August and seed yard. |
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- Posted by yardtractor1 none (My Page) on Sun, Sep 11, 11 at 0:39
| Simply, but not simple mindedly, put: the contractor has likely graded all of the topsoil, leaving either clay or sand (the extemes). In either case you would be better served in amending the soil and seeding after your watering system has been intalled. A soil analysis would be needed before you can determine what amendments are needed, Sandy soil will certainly need organic material, clay soil is much more challenging. Contact your local extension office for advice. |
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- Posted by sandyman720 (My Page) on Tue, Sep 13, 11 at 15:03
| How about this approach: 1 Soil test now |
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| Sure, you can do that, but you will have to check with the Tenacity instructions on what regiment you should use. I think you have to apply it weekly for 4 or 5 weeks. Also keep in mind that spring seeded turf requires more water and care as it has to make it through summer at a young age. |
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- Posted by bassplayer7 6 (My Page) on Wed, Sep 14, 11 at 0:02
| If I remember correctly you apply Tenacity 2-3 weeks apart. I believe you are only able to apply 2x 8oz/acre per year for resistance management - I'd be surprised if it's weekly for that long. If you apply it as a pre-em you need to activate it with some water. |
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