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Lawn was punched today
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Posted by
bogey123 NJ 6 (
My Page) on
Wed, Sep 21, 11 at 17:55
| guy wasn't supposed to show up until tomorrow and the original plan was to mow low tonight. The ground is soft so I didn't want to run the tractor over it closing up all those holes so I went ahead and overseeded anyways (Midnight KBG). We are expecting 3 days of showers and mild temps so next chance to mow will be Sunday or Monday at which time the lawn will be fairly long.
The seed sheet says 14-21 days for germination. I am hoping the rain washes the seeds into the holes and also breaks up the plugs.
Anyone have any suggestions about what else to do? Lawn is mostly KBG with some fescue in a few shady areas (those are fairly small and got overseeded with a scotts shade mix). |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| I've never heard of mowing after overseeding, but I can't think of any reason that it wouldn't work (especially with KBG) except if it was really soupy. The KBG will take long enough to sprout that you should be able to cut it nice and low - be sure to bag it, though. You will have to be wary of the plugs if they are still up. Again, no facts here, just some thoughts/guesses. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| thanks for the input, I mulch mow so bagging is not an option. The midnight cost me about $90 for 10lbs including shipping. Seeing that I cannot seem to find it anywhere else but via the net, thats what I went with. The shade mix I got at HD was about $15 for a small bag so I didn't feel like the midnight was all that expensive actually. If the rain stops for a few days, I will give mowing a shot. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| I guess it depends on how long your existing grass is. If you mulch mow and its fairly long it might form a thick layer on top of the seed you just overseeded, hopefully thats not the case and the seedling will grow through the mulched grass...gl though. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| It was dry Sat & Sun so late afternoon I mowed the front, but only to normal height no lower. The grass was for the most part dry though there was lots of moisture in the underlying soil so things were a bit wet but came out ok. I hope it doesn't rain tonight and will mow the back tomorrow night if we don't get rain. The plugs for the most part are gone as the 3+ inches of rain we had on Friday disintegrated them. I will have to reseed a few sections that are on a slope as the seed I put down no doubt washed downhill. I have about a pound and a half of the midnight left which should be more than enough. I have a few larger spots which need more attention. After the hurricane came thru I raked out all the dead grass (the result of a new doggie last year) and 1 spot (about 5 or 6 feet in diameter) in particular that for some reason the grass dies each year. Not sure what to do about this area as each of the last few years I have raked it out, added soil and replanted. The new grass always comes in nicely but never makes it thru the following summer. I have irrigation so its not that it doesn't get water. Any ideas? |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| Did the area used to have a tree? |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| it is possible that a tree was there, when I bought the house I had a large section of the back half cleared, but they used a bulldozer to pull the stumps out, I guess its possible that they cut one flush and put some soil over it as I was not at home when the work was done. I will drive a stake into the ground and see what I hit. I had a couple of trees that I lost in my front yard due to root compaction, I had those stumps ground out, covered in topsoil and planted grass with out any issues since. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| Here is an update on things. The midnight is coming in nicely. It has been wet here in NJ the past 10 days with another few more days to go, but the temps have been ideal for growing grass. Unfortunately the rest of my grass has been growing rapidly and it will be perhaps Thursday or maybe Friday before its dry enough to mow again. By that point, the little guys should be doing just fine. As for the spot in the back, I drove a steel rod into the turf about 12 inches (I only had a 14 inch piece of steel) and did this in about 4 places, and hit nothing of substance. This one spot seems to be the spot exactly in the middle of the yard, middle part of the house that must get the most sun of the day, every day. So perhaps I need to get more water into this area in the summer? Easily done, but I had that zone on 20 minutes already which gets lots of water on everything, but maybe just not this area. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXStfcUNGTk |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| further update, things are coming in nicely, we have had about 3 weeks of mild temps and rain on and off. Had to run the sprinklers late last week when it was in the mid 80s for 2-3 days, other than that it has been hi 60s / low 70s, perfect grass growing weather. Still a few spots where it is thin but mostly things are very thick and lush. Will most likely mow again on Sunday assuming it drys out. Still don't know what to do about that spot out back, maybe have to dig out the soil and replace? Anyone with any ideas? I guess it is possible that the soil in that spot is no good due to a refueling spill or something when the lot was cleared? |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| I doubt it would be something like a fuel spill. I've seen that before in lawns and it typically will grow back in that area before too long. My guess is it is a disease that is harbored from year to year in the soil. If I were you, I would call up my local extension office and see if there is someone there that can help. Otherwise, if you can find a quality, knowledgeable lawn service in your area, you could call them and get one of them to come out and try diagnosing it. For us to help diagnose it, we will likely need more information of symptoms or signs as it died (if any) and pictures may help. |
RE: Lawn was punched today
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| Thanks for the input. the dead grass was just that, dead almost as if it got no water and burned out. I know that part of the lawn gets sprinkler coverage from irrigation system so I know thats not it. No sign of a fungus like brown patch or red thread. I think I will take your advice and get a pro's advice next spring, it is too late to do anything this year and the new grass is coming in nicely. |
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