New Grass?

[Mr. Nailz]

Is one type of seed better for a little sandier soil then another. Did some construction and have to replant, looking for suggestions on which variety is best. Thanks.

[Powerstroke]

As far as buying a brand name grass seed versus the generic stuff, I wouldn't worry too much about the name on the bag.

If you have someplace near you that sells seeds exclusively for farmers, gardeners and landscapers etc those are the places to go, especially if you'll need a lot of seed. They will have quality products in bulk.

Otherwise if you're going to Bachmans, Home Depot etc, find a grass seed mix with the lowest percentage of weed seeds. Make sure that it has the right mix that you need based on the amount of shade in the areas you are planting and whether you have high traffic ares or places that receive a lot of stress like dog urine or road salt.

As far as clay soil versus sandy soil, there really isn't much to do about that. The big thing will be to water enough in that sandy soil.

[Steve Foss]

Sandy soil, as well as not holding water, which Powerstroke indicated, also can be fairly sterile in its nutrient content. Not always, but pretty often that's the case, so be ready to fertilize if your new (and consistently well watered lawn) starts to struggle after a couple of months.

It depends on how much is sand and how much loam. Pure sand is tiny crushed and eroded pieces of rock, usually some type of silica rock such as quartz. It has virtually no nutrients. Nutrients come from broken down plant material, of which pure sand has none. The less loam in your sandy soil, the less fertile it is.

I'd also let your fingers do some walking through the yellow pages to look for lawn seeding specialists. While you won't be doing business with them, the smart ones will certainly be willing to spend a friendly moment or two on the phone with you and can give you a recommendation on the best seed type for your soil situation. Because, while you aren't hiring them now, if it comes time to hire someone to do that work, you'll remember the friendly good advice and hire THAT person.

Also, the U of M extension service is online and a search of their Web site may yield all the info on sandy-soil grass care issues and seed varieties you may need.

[bucketmouth64]

I live in Isanti County the land of sand. Make sure you have a good base of black dirt (4 inches). I've found out that red fescue work better than Kentucky blue grass in this area. You can find red fescue seed at Walmart.

[walleyeaddict]

I have had the best luck using a matis till too scuff up the ground first...keeps the seed in place even after rain or watering.