# To late to plant grass seed?



## goodday (Dec 24, 2004)

I decided to till my old lawn under 2 weeks ago and due to time constraints i am just fininshing getting it raked out. Any landscapers on here know if it to late in the year to put down seed. thanks.


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## Skarfer (Jan 27, 2006)

absolutely NOT! It's the perfect time.....fall is the best time of the year - we still haven't overseeded our yard, but will be this weekend.

Now you won't get much growing before the end of the year, but it'll come up nice in the spring.........


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## loganlure (Aug 15, 2008)

I replanted mine last week and it is doing great!


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## goodday (Dec 24, 2004)

This is good news, I have heard conflicting things about using straw, some say dont use it as it contains weed seeds I was thinking of spreading a thin layer of top soil over seed instead


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## loganlure (Aug 15, 2008)

I didn't spread straw... I just keep a BB gun close by to control the sparrows...  a 1/4" of top soil would be very good as well.


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## Flippin 416 (Aug 18, 2005)

I would avoid the straw...I used it last fall when I seeded in my lawn and it was overrun early on by weeds and I took every precaution to try and avoid that...and the straw was the on variable in it all that was out of my control.


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## jennis9 (Jun 13, 2008)

I redid the front lawn last year - I used peat moss on and it worked GREAT. scruff up the area - and use a handheld spreader to distribute the seed then toss out the peat and cover completely. I did a double application a week apart and got a fabulous lawn.

You will also want to fertilize with a product that does NOT have a pre-emergent in it (for weed prevention). You want to stay away from anything that will keep the seeds from germinating. I use Milorganite - a product made from pasteurized sewage sludge - works great. You can also use a liquid fertilizer as long as it has no weed/pre-emergent. I like the milorganite since it does not contain chemicals that burn the seed or existing grass and is safe for pets and kids. It's about $12/50lbs. It does contain 4% iron. 

If you want to make sure you have a super lush lawn this spring - go out this winter in between a snowfall and sprinkle seed/fertilizer then ... the seed will lay dormant in the cold temps - but will get itself into all of the nooks and crannies when the snow begins to melt. have to make sure it will snow - so the seed gets covered. 

good luck!


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## ohfisherman (Aug 16, 2007)

just did my lawn in the summer and my parents last weekend . fall is perfect for new lawns. if you can, rent a thatcher from the depot or lowes. it will pull up the old grass and break up the topsoil. rake out the old grass and then run the thatcher over the dirt. it acts like a mini rototiller. spread the seed kind of heavy and add a starter fertilizer.lightly rake the seeds. you can add peat moss if you want, just wear a mask!! you should get sprouts in around two weeks. i used all lesco products. park and athletic mix seed and their brand of starter fertilizer. after 3 weeks do another overseeding and another application of fertilizer. if you dont want to fertilize it you can use scotts in the hose end spray bottle. use the white bottle(feed), not the yellow(weed and feed). it costs around $11.00. don't cut the grass for about a month. when you first see grass it will be bright green and then turn darker later. its better to water for 1 long period rather than 3-4 shorts waterings. deep watering promotes deeper root growth. hope this helps you out. i am not a pro landscaper but this summer i did 3 lawns, 1 sod job, and 3 thatching/overseeding jobs. springtime your lawn will look awesome!!! everybody works on their lawns in the summer when it is stressed. what you do in the fall is what counts...


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## ohfisherman (Aug 16, 2007)

do not let the plows push the snow onto your lawn. aim the snowblower towards the tree lawn. the salt is big time bad for it!!! i plow and notice a big difference when i push the snow off the property versus on the grass.


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## icefisherman4life (Aug 5, 2007)

go rent a slit seeder. i dont know where you live but if your close to norton or barberton norton's tool rental has them. use that that will serve ya well. it has disc blades on the bottom and it cuts slits in the ground and it injects seed into the slits and makes your lawn thicker. also if you would aireate your yard and then over seed it that will work and you can do both but you would aireate it first before the slit seeding. the secret about getting that seed to grow is water the crap out of it. and like what the guy said earlier if it dont come up now it will will come up in the spring. but the slit seeding is the way to go. pm me if you have any questions.


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## Mamps (Feb 3, 2008)

Timing is all weather related. Now is a perfect time to seed it because it is warm during the day and chilly in the evenings. Water, fertilizer and decent temperatures!

You want to be sure that your seed has enough time to germinate AND (a big AND) get somewhat of a root system established before winter or it is a waste of money. Another option is to wait until after some hard freezes and then seed. It will not germinate until first thing in spring. Some farmers I know do the snow thing and it works well too.

A great option to use instead of straw (because it does tend to carry weeds and such) is Penn Mulch. Penn mulch is usually available at any nursery, green house or the like. It is basically recycled news paper with some additives. It also has some fertilizer built into it. It looks like hydro seeding stuff.

Also, if you want to see some grass quickly, mix in a little annual rye grass with your mix. It starts to germinate very quickly and will not come back next year so the more desirable seeds will take over.

Hope that helps.


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

I installed some drain tile around my house a few weeks ago and finaly got to planting my grass this past weekend. I used pennington sun & shade and a starter fertelizer with no additional mulch cover. Since it is prety late, should I also plant annual rye?

Front & side yard are smaller areas limited to mostly the trenched area. I seeded the bare areas and overseeded the rest. Back yard had lots of ancle turning holes, so I tilled up most of it. I would have done the entire thing, but had to keep some area for the kids to play. 

Thanks for the advice.


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## Mamps (Feb 3, 2008)

Boss,
The annual rye is used to give you some grass (though not thick) until the rest fills in. It is very cheap!
Regarding tilling, it is possible that you will have some settling spots again. Tilling is a great procedure however it does create air pockets in the dirt which only time will get the air pockets out.
Next spring you may have to use a bit of topsoil to fill in any low spots (settle spots) and put a little scotts patchmaster on top and you will be happy with the results.


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## boss302 (Jun 24, 2005)

I picked up som annual rye, figured it'd give me a better chansc of getting enough grass started to keep the mud off the kids.......

next spring, I plan on bringing in some topsoil to topdress the third of the yard thay I didn't tear up, and figured I'd have to do some touch up of the "new" section then.

Thanks for your input


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## Fishcally Irresponsible (Mar 11, 2006)

If you are planting Kentucky Bluegrass of which makes up a large percentage of the lawns in Ohio, you more than likely have missed the window for this growing season to get germination before the on set of snow and freezing temperatures. Bluegrass requires 21 days for germination and generally 2-3 weeks of growing time before the plants go dormant for winter.
All that being said many folks seed after the ground is frozen with the anticipation of growth in the spring as the weather warms.
Rye grass has a much shorter germination period and could be planted this year if the weather holds.
September 1-15 in the prime time for Fall seedlings of Bluegrass in Ohio.


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