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| For many years we have had a large perennial garden in front of our house--about 20x40'. It has gotten too shady for many of the flowers and the deer have made the whole thing not so fun any more. Besides, we're getting too old and busy to keep it up. I'd like to replace with some combination of fescue lawn, ground cover, and mulch. I've sprayed and or weeded to bare dirt and I'd now like to seed. Is it necessary to till? I'd like to avoid bringing up a new crop of weed seeds (although there's plenty of those already, I know.) Could I just rake and seed? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by Ibanez540r none (My Page) on Sat, Sep 22, 12 at 14:18
| DO NOT TILL is the majority theory around here. When tilling, like you said, you bring up weed seeds. Also, because tilling is not an accurate delicate process, you end up with different depths, and when the soil actually settles, it will be rough and bumpy. Just scratch it up with a rake and seed. |
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| How about rolling? Do I need to rent a roller, can I just step on it to make good contact, or should I just leave it alone? |
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| Topdressing will give equal if not better results. No more than 1/4" of topdressing over the seed. Dry peat moss makes a good inexpensive topdressing. Easy to spread with a dustpan. Double down and roll before topdressing. |
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- Posted by dchall_san_antonio 8 San Antonio (My Page) on Wed, Sep 26, 12 at 22:40
| Yes you can just step on it. |
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| Bad advise around here. Not sure where the 'consensus' about NOT tilling came from, but is not true. Tilling a yard prior to planting has many advantages/benefits - I'll name a few: 1.- Can add lime (per soil test) at the time of tilling Yes you will have weeds (winter weeds) but nothing long term or almost nothing a post emergent herbicide can't kill. Even if you have irrigation, tilling still VERY beneficial. There several university research on this around the country that supports the above statement. To the OP, in your case because you were growing annuals in that section of the yard, you should not need to till that area in order to grow nice grass in there. |
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| With few exceptions, the costs and effort expended tilling are going to outweigh any advantages. By all means till if you can: Forget the cost of buying, renting or highering the proper equipment ( a tractor or similar, a 3pt hitch tiller that will hold consistent till depth, a box blade, a rock hound, a roller, landscape rakes, etc.) Forget the problems that arise if the soil has significant clay content. Forget the effort spent on removing any debree brought up. Forget the weed seed that is brought to the surface. Forget the time spent regrading for drainage. Forget the time leveling and smoothing the surface. Forget the time it takes the soil to settle over a period of sometimes years. Forget the addition of soil to fill low spots and reestablishing drainage as the soil settles over time and the reseeding of that new soil. Forget that there are more effortless and cost effective methods that produce as good, if not superior, results. Most important of all, forget tilling. |
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| err.... hiring. |
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