 There has been a repeat of extremely dry weather the past
several falls. This has led to grass seed lying there until
moisture became available. The end result was grass germinating
about Thanksgiving. Then the weather didn't cooperate as well,
and the new seeding was lost to a freeze before it was actually
established. Hence, the renewed interest in spring seeding.
Spring seeding should be done between March 15 and April 1
for the best chance of success. The reasons for the early date
are the heat and the long germination time for Kentucky
bluegrass. It can take up to a month for bluegrass seed to
germinate. This means an April 1 seeding might germinate May 1.
Then add six to eight weeks for it to become established, and
this could be close to July 1. Usually we tend to get hot
weather about then. Waiting a few years for those fall seedings
to take root will probably increase those trying again this
spring.
Let's start with the basics. The normal seedings are a blend
of Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescue. Some blends also include
a perennial ryegrass with the other two species. The fine fescue
is much better in shade, and the perennial ryegrass will provide
quicker cover.
The seeding rate is generally 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet
in bare dirt seedings. Use 2 pounds per 1,000 square feet in
overseeding thin lawns. Of course, this can run into some real
money when doing very large areas. Many rural seedings are done
more on the basis of a pound per 1,000 square feet. There are
almost 44,000 square feet in an acre, so you can do the math on
this one.
Fertilizer is always an area of many questions. The place to
start is a soil test. This will tell you where you are starting
from. Basic soil test levels for phosphorus, potassium and soil
pH should be in the neighborhood of 40, 350 and 6.1,
respectively. Phosphorus and potassium are on a pound-per-acre
basis. This must be considered if you use labs that report in
parts per million, which will give numbers half as large. These
numbers will provide a great environment for grass. Grass will
really grow in very poor conditions, but it certainly won't have
that manicured lawn "look" many strive for.
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Lacking a soil test, or being at recommended fertility levels,
general maintenance applications provide a pound each of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium per 1,000 square feet of lawn area in May
and again in September. Really lush lawns will usually have twice as
much nitrogen applied in a season, but split among four
applications. Hang on to your wallet this year, as fertilizer prices
have increased dramatically.
If you decide to try seeding this spring, remember a couple of
things related to weed killers. Number one, you can't use crabgrass
preventer in the same season as you put down seed. The crabgrass
preventer doesn't know the difference between grass seed and weed
seeds. The second rule is to mow the new seeding at least three
times before trying any broadleaf weed killer. Generally this means
spring broadleaf control doesn't happen when you seed in the spring.
The end result is if you seed in the spring, you control weeds in
the fall. Seed in the fall, and you control weeds and crabgrass in
the spring. If you do plan to use a crabgrass preventer, time it so
it is on about the time the forsythia blooms. This would be the
approximate soil and air temperature needed for the crabgrass to
germinate. April 1 is a good guess, but this date can vary widely
with the weather. Many crabgrass preventers also only last for four
to eight weeks, so plan on repeating the application in June anyway.
[By JOHN FULTON, University of Illinois Extension,
Logan County] |
