New seeded lawn?

[311Hemi]

Ok, I seeded my lawn 10 days ago. I have a green fuzzy covering over much of the area but a lot of it is still showing a lot of dirt or mainly dirt with a few seedlings here and there. The sunniest areas have the least amount of seedlings, and the shaded has the most even though it has watered the least. Some smaller areas are very thick....possibly where seeds pooled up after it rained hard right after I put the seed down (I redid it all the next day).

I have been watering 6am and 6pm most days. A few days I only did 6 pm. I would assume I would not expect all seedlings to be up in 10 days...so I am probably jumping the gun a bit.

1) Anyone know how long it can take for all seeds to germinate that will germinate?

2) Since there is still a lot of dirt showing....when should I first mow? I think I need to wait to put down more fertilizer until after I mow a few times.

3) Do I wait until fall to put more seed down, and once I do that do I need to rake it in again? Seems like if I did that now I could disturb the current root system.

I am probably getting a bit anxious......just wondering some of these details from those who have done it.

[nofishfisherman]

I seeded some areas in my yard earlier this summer and then another patch about 10-14 days ago. Both in a dense shade area under a pine tree.

Both times I seeded the grass acted the same way.

It has come up thin in some areas and thick in others. I water in the am and pm a little each time.

The first section of grass that is now 1-2 months old filled in nicely only a few thin spots which i have gone back and reseeded.

It just takes time for the grass to come up and then thicken up and spread out. It will happen though. I would just keep doing what your're doing. It worked for me atleast.

I mowed for the first time when the grass with 3-4 inches high, i have since mowed 3-4 times.

My newest grass is probably 3 inches high but still a little thin. I plan on letting it thicken up a little before I mow it for the first time.

Next step is to seed my entire front yard.

[Ralph Wiggum]

It'll take a lot longer tahn 10 days for it all to germinate. There are different varieties in the seed, and they'll all germinate at different rates. I reseeded my whole backyard last fall, and it takes a while to fill in. Midsummer is not a good time to reseed because of the heat, but just make sure you keep vigilant with your watering. My lawn looked fantastic this spring. People who didn't see it prior to my work don't believe that it was completely tilled and reseeded in September.

[Quetico]

Ok most grass seed varieties take 17-28 days to germinate. Be patient. If you put down annual rye grass it will come up first. your Kentucky Blue will take the longest.

I would wait a 1.5 to 2 months before mowing newly seeded areas. Mowers are tough on new seedlings. Give them time to established, let the areas get long.

When doing new seeding I always insist on using an erosion control blanket or something like Scotts Patch Master. This will hid the bare spots, help the soil retain moisture, help aid in germination, keep the soil cool and other aspects. Basically your lawn will come in more evenly between the sun and shade areas. If you lay a blanket or mat right now it will still help. The seedlings will grow thru.

Be carefully to read the packaging before adding fertilizer to newly seeded areas. Some fertilizers should not be used on areas seeded within the past 2 months. You'll add fertility but you will kill the reason your laying it down.

Just be patient. Add a bit more seed now and cover the area will an erosion control blanket. You can get starter fertilizer impregnated blankets cheap a the local hardware store.

[311Hemi]

Thanks for the info. Some of the grass is already 2-3" tall (maybe more), so if I wait 1 month it's going to be very long.

Should I be letting it get realllly long?

[Powerstroke]

Quetico is right on. Kentucky Bluegrass takes an average of 21 days to germinate. Most seed varieties contain a mixture of seeds including annual ryegrass. It comes in in 7days but will die at the end of the season cause its an annual. Its meant to establish cover and prevent erosion while the rest of the seeds continue to germinate.

I also planted new seed and I've only got the ryegrass up so far.

I think you're doing well by keeping in moist. Shaded areas will do well because the soil stays cooler and wetter longer. Seeds don't need sun as much as they need warmth, water and time.

Don't worry about the length. I would wait at least until you've got more than 5" of growth. Maybe cut the waterings to once a day. You could do some fert, but its only gonna make the annual grass grow faster.

[311Hemi]

Good to know. It must be mainly the rye grass I see at this point (and some weeds). I am getting tall skinny mushrooms that come up over night also. With the heat today and later this week I have gone to 3 - 20 min waterings (6am, 12pm, 6pm). Been trying to keep the surface from drying out too much. I will usually go out and the surface is dry down about .5"........

My mix was:

-Perennial rye grass

-Kentucky Blue Grass (2 kinds)

-Creeping Red Fescue (2 kinds)

-Chewings Fescue.

[Powerstroke]

Being dry is not a terrible thing. Mine was getting water every other day, but I waster pretty deeply.

If you're getting mushrooms, thats a sign of too much water. You want the seeds to stay moist, not just the topsoil. Let the ground dry out some more.

[Powerstroke]

Being dry is not a terrible thing. Mine was getting water every other day, but I waster pretty deeply.

If you're getting mushrooms, thats a sign of too much water. You want the seeds to stay moist, not just the topsoil. Let the ground dry out some more.

Sounds like a shady mix or a sun/shade mix.

[311Hemi]

Being dry is not a terrible thing. Mine was getting water every other day, but I waster pretty deeply.

If you're getting mushrooms, thats a sign of too much water. You want the seeds to stay moist, not just the topsoil. Let the ground dry out some more.

Sounds like a shady mix or a sun/shade mix.

Good to know. I have been afraid to let it dry thinking that the seeds that are slower to germinate might not do that if I only water once a day.....especially on 90*+ days with sun. Seems everything I have read lead me to believe that it should be damp at all times, but when I water at 6:00pm it must stay very moist through the night. Thus the mushrooms. I would assume they wont damage anything.....I have been watching for mold and have not seen any.....

If I put the sprinkler on for over 30 min it seems to pool....so I have been trying to keep that from happening in the begging stages. I think after this weekend I will go to once a day watering for a little more time.

They said it was a sun/shade mix.

[Powerstroke]

I could tell by the variety you mentioned.

[311Hemi]

Here is the progress so far, it's been 3 weeks. Any thoughts if I need to do anything at the moment other than water. Should I be thinking about putting down more seed at any point.....or wait till late fall and just keep what I have going?

Close to the house:

The back half of the yard:

[MuleShack]

Your actually fast approaching the best time to seed Mid to later August thru mid September. It defenitely wouldn't hurt to put some more down in the bare spots and lightly rake it in. We should start to get some moisture soon here in the next week or so.

Also it wouldnt hurt to run an aerator over it too shortly after you overseed.

[Quetico]

Be patient with the lawn 311Hemi. With the high heat lately, conditions for cool season grasses has been less than ideal. I'd wait till September. Give it a few more weeks. Come the first part of September, if it still looks like that try a few things. Rake the area thoroughly so you get go seed contact. Then cover with something like patch master and keep it watered.

[hotrod1]

Are the spots completely bare? or is the grass thin? If it is just thin or you just have seedlings popping up here and there, or if you look close and see seed in the soil yet, I would just add some fertilizer to push it to fill in.

[311Hemi]

The spots are completely bare. Maybe a few pieces of grass popped up a few weeks ago. Nothing in any kind of quantity and nothing new starting to show.

[Tom7227]

I have heard of a thing called a 'slit seeder' that you can rent. If I understand it it is sort of like a corn planter in that it will break up the top soil a bit and place the seed down in a very measured fashion into the slits. Best to go crossways a few times to make sure the yard doesn't look like a cornfield. This may be the best best for you if you can find one as it avoids tearing a lot up to prep the soil.

[IFallsRon]

I'm renting a slit seeder for my back yard in a couple weeks. It has discs that slice the soil/sod and drops the seed on dirt, ensuring a high rate of germination. I've read that a good method is to make opposite 45 degree passes after your first pass.

[MuleShack]

slit seeders are great for seeding an existing lawn, but if your doing a bare area, your better off spreading the seed then raking it in. Other wise you will see the "Rows" unless you make umpteen passes over the bare area.

Spread the seed using a rotary spreader then hand rake or rent a power rake machine with out the bagger and set the discs for 1/8" contact to stir up the dirt with the seed for good contact.

[hotrod1]

Slit seeders work great over bare ground. We did our neighbors 2 acres going two directions and yes, you can see the rows but as the grass matures, it will fill in and you will not see the rows.

[MuleShack]

I made the comment because i prefer to have full coverage to prevent weed growth as soon as possible. With the "rows" it takes a while for the tillers to fill in.