Newly Seeded lawn questions.

capecodder

I have recently seeded using tall fescue from Jonathan Green roughly 22 days ago. It just started to germinate within a week. There are some spots that are still bare. So far I have laid down starter fertilizer. The spots that are bare have seed that has not germinated yet, my question is, will these seeds eventually germinate? or do the seeds die off? Should I lay down fertilizer now or is it too soon since I recently used the starter fertilizer? or should I be using more starter fertilizer? Im new to all this so im kind of learning as I go. Any help is appriciated.

Thanks!

oh'mike

I'm no landscape expert---so bear that in mind.--

The spots that didn't take---scuff the soil and reseed--the old seed may have sprouted and then died off--

Ease up on the fertilizer--the earth has plenty already--the seeds will be burned and killed by to much fertilizer--

Covering the seeds with straw will help keep the soil moist and provide shade to the tender new sprouts.

Leave the fertilizer in the shed until the new grass is strong and needs mowing or you can burn out the healthy young sprouts.

If I'm wrong someone will set you right---Mike---

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capecodder

Should I give the seeds on the bare spots more time to germinate or should I just re-seed? Im just wondering if im rushing it. Other than this weekend, it hasnt been very warm around Southeastern Mass either.

DrHicks

Some seeds take 3 weeks to germinate - and that under ideal conditions. I guess if it was my lawn, I'd wait awhile longer. What difference does a week or two really make?

Hopefully sdsester will chime in on this. He knows a lot about grasses.

sdsester

Thanks for the compliment but I know no more than anybody else that managed turf for many years to make at least part of a living.

Dr. Hicks is absolutely right though. Turfgrass mixes usually contain hybrids of perennial rye, bluegrass and fescue to make them adaptable to sun and shade. Some of the cheaper blends and/or those that advertise fast germination have high volumes of annual ryegrass which only grows one season. It is also coarse and by its nature a real nutrient hog.

Of course their are other species of turf but probably not what you got in seed form.

Under ideal---warm, moist, etc.---growing conditions annual rye will germinate in about 5 days. Perennial rye will take about 7-10 and bluegrass and fescue 14-21 earliest. People make the mistake of not keeping all the seed moist for the necessary period of time or mowing to soon and dislodging just germinated grass shoots.

So as suggested, and assuming you used fresh and quality seed, I would exercise some patience in your instance and especially if temperatures have been cool. It will do its thing. I hope you top dressed it so it does not sunburn or dry out too fast. Again, keeping it evenly moist but not wet until it all germinates is the best key to success.

MLMIB

What's your watering pattern? I replanted my whole lawn with pure tall and fine fescue last year and watered it every morning for 20 minutes to keep it moist. Some didn't sprout with the rest and I just went back later to fill those in.

If you did plant pure fescue I would assume the birds ate it, it washed away or something to that effect. As said above, scratch the soil and put new seed down and put straw over or a very lit sprinkling of new dirt to keep the seed as you sprinkle it.

Your good on fertilizer. You should have amended the soil prior to planting to make up for deficiencies and now you need to wait until about the second or third mowing to fertilize IMHO.

Ravenworks

I always mow high, then the second year of my new lawn I let the grass grow some seed then mow high again.I don't know if this is by the book but it seemed to work for me cause my yard is luscious.

capecodder

Ive been watering for about 20 minutes early morning and 20 minutes around 5:30 pm to keep the seed moist. I know that the seed hasnt washed away or been eaten by birds since I can still see the seed that I have raked in. It just hasnt germinated yet. I will give it another week and re-seed. I think I might just be rushing it since the first two weeks I seeded had a high temperature of roughly 35-40 degrees F.