Is this a good time to seed the lawn? Just bought a bunch of weed and seed. We may be getting some snow here soon which is great for the lawn after seeding. Thoughts?
The reason I was gonna do it now is because I remembered last year.....I seeded right before the last snow storm and as the snow melted, it watered the seed into the ground perfectly and the grass came in amazing.
Yeah you definitely can dormant seed as its called Â
I also hire lawn people to maintain my lawn throughout the season(not a landscaper). It's hard for me to be too much of a lawn nut with 2 dogs that basically have a 2 acre toilet in my backyard.
I have 2 acres of lawn, it's totally worth it to me to pay $80 a month to have someone else do it.
that's dirt cheap. In MA it's like $50 per cut for a half acre.
and from mid-to-late April through end of June you have to (or should) cut at least once a week.
If I got that price quoted to me I might re-think doing my own lawn. But..I do have a tractor mower so it's not a lot of work and kind of fun.
pj, we are talking about two different things.... Â
To get my lawn cut, it's $50 per cut, which is really cheap.
I also have people come and spray the weeds, seed, lime and whatever else they do like 6 times per year(comes out to like $80 per month).
I see. Yeah, I cut my own grass, but I do pay a service to put down fertilizer, seed, flea & tick spray, etc.
I pre-paid this year and it's $700 for I think 8 applications.
When I added up just the cost of fertilizer/weed & feed with the Jonathan Green 5-step program it was right around that price, so it makes sense to have someone else do it.
2 acres. The material alone costs what I am paying these guys. Plus it would take me forever where these guys ride on some Segway looking thing I finish it in no time.
2 acres. The material alone costs what I am paying these guys. Plus it would take me forever where these guys ride on some Segway looking thing I finish it in no time.
I work from home and the guy who does my house does maybe 4 houses on the street and I watch him when he does my yard, it looks like a lot of fun applying that fertilizer (etc) from the segue. Maybe it gets old, but I think he's a part owner of the company and I can think of a lot worse ways to spend your days.
There were 5 different brands of weed and feed. Its what the Lowes guy recommended. I didn't create the bag, I just bought it.
Weed & feed is absolutely a thing, I think Jim is being too literal.
You can absolutely apply weed & feed to your lawn that will kill certain weeds and strengthen grass, but it won't seed new grass. And it will kill probably kill seeds that haven't germinated. I think that's Jim's point.
then he has a good pt. The Lowes guy is a moron. I want new grass. I have certain areas that don't have any grass(I cleared out a ton of brush last year and now it's just dirt.
Is weed killer / pre-emergent plus fertilizer. There's no seed in it.
Seed and feed is seed plus fertilizer.
Generally, the combo products are inferior to doing the steps separately. Also generally the combos are more expensive.
If you want a pre-emergent (stops seeds from germinating, i.e., crabgrass), apply something like Preen for Lawns mid-april (when the forsythia blooms).
For new grass, get a bag of your desired seed. Not the patch stuff, not the "coated" seeds, just seed only. Drop dress it with a thin layer of something like manure or peat moss. Give it a bit of starter fertilizer.
then he has a good pt. The Lowes guy is a moron. I want new grass. I have certain areas that don't have any grass(I cleared out a ton of brush last year and now it's just dirt.
And you shouldn't apply most weed & feeds to newly seeded lawns for I think 6 weeks, (the package should say it).
Soil temps are still too cold and there's still risk of temps dropping again. Spring isn't the best time because the new grass doesn't have enough time to put down roots deep enough to deal with summer heat.
If you want to give it a shot anyway:
- Wait until the rest of the lawn is actively growing and daytime temps are steadily in the 60s or above for at least a week or two (usually mid-late April).
- For your first fertilizer application use a Step 1 for new lawns that uses Tupersan as the pre-emergent. It won't prevent germination of cool season grasses. Both Scotts and Agway make versions that are readily available to the public and any lawn contractor you have can probably get you better stuff.
- Use only Perennial Rye for seed. It's the only strain that will germinate fast enough (7-10 days) to have a chance to get roots down before summer.
- Only spot treat weeds in May/June - no full lawn application.
Even with this you need some luck along the way - i.e. a cooler than normal late spring/early summer.
and get a guy who only does grass seeding and fertilization. I did this 2 years ago and the results are amazing. Most landscapers just spread some shitty seed and don’t know what they are doing with pre emergence or fertilizer - their business is pumping out lawns to cut and clean up.
My guy power seeds and uses a certain seed that allows for a fertilizer + weed killing combo that doesn’t hurt new germination. Then apply lime 3x per year. He’s cheaper than a landscaper by a wide margin.
but how it takes all depends on how the weather is for may/june. If we have a dry and warm may and june than the roots may not get deep enough before drought season and youll lose most of what you plant.
And you really don't need a pre-emergent if you have a healthy lawn. Your lawn will be full enough to crowd out any potential weeks. I haven't put down pre-emergent in years.
In fact, I avoid Scotts products altogether.
I am a straight milorganite man now and it is absolutely incredible for the lawn and pretty much dummy proof.
and don't seed until nights are consistently above freezing Â
Personally, I'd wait. But then again, I have a sprinkler system and am kind of a lawn nut. I have no issues babying new grass throughout the summer.
Your mileage may vary.
My formula is pretty easy - set the sprinkler timers to water 1" per week and adjust depending on rain.
Lime 3x a year.
Put down Milorganite at bag rate every two weeks.
Pretty much it - best lawn on my street.
that's dirt cheap. In MA it's like $50 per cut for a half acre.
and from mid-to-late April through end of June you have to (or should) cut at least once a week.
If I got that price quoted to me I might re-think doing my own lawn. But..I do have a tractor mower so it's not a lot of work and kind of fun.
I also have people come and spray the weeds, seed, lime and whatever else they do like 6 times per year(comes out to like $80 per month).
I also have people come and spray the weeds, seed, lime and whatever else they do like 6 times per year(comes out to like $80 per month).
I see. Yeah, I cut my own grass, but I do pay a service to put down fertilizer, seed, flea & tick spray, etc.
I pre-paid this year and it's $700 for I think 8 applications.
When I added up just the cost of fertilizer/weed & feed with the Jonathan Green 5-step program it was right around that price, so it makes sense to have someone else do it.
I work from home and the guy who does my house does maybe 4 houses on the street and I watch him when he does my yard, it looks like a lot of fun applying that fertilizer (etc) from the segue. Maybe it gets old, but I think he's a part owner of the company and I can think of a lot worse ways to spend your days.
Same rule applies. You can’t apply weed killer and seed your lawn at the same time,
Weed & feed is absolutely a thing, I think Jim is being too literal.
You can absolutely apply weed & feed to your lawn that will kill certain weeds and strengthen grass, but it won't seed new grass. And it will kill probably kill seeds that haven't germinated. I think that's Jim's point.
otherwise no clue.
Seed and feed is seed plus fertilizer.
Generally, the combo products are inferior to doing the steps separately. Also generally the combos are more expensive.
If you want a pre-emergent (stops seeds from germinating, i.e., crabgrass), apply something like Preen for Lawns mid-april (when the forsythia blooms).
For new grass, get a bag of your desired seed. Not the patch stuff, not the "coated" seeds, just seed only. Drop dress it with a thin layer of something like manure or peat moss. Give it a bit of starter fertilizer.
And you shouldn't apply most weed & feeds to newly seeded lawns for I think 6 weeks, (the package should say it).
If you want to give it a shot anyway:
- Wait until the rest of the lawn is actively growing and daytime temps are steadily in the 60s or above for at least a week or two (usually mid-late April).
- For your first fertilizer application use a Step 1 for new lawns that uses Tupersan as the pre-emergent. It won't prevent germination of cool season grasses. Both Scotts and Agway make versions that are readily available to the public and any lawn contractor you have can probably get you better stuff.
- Use only Perennial Rye for seed. It's the only strain that will germinate fast enough (7-10 days) to have a chance to get roots down before summer.
- Only spot treat weeds in May/June - no full lawn application.
Even with this you need some luck along the way - i.e. a cooler than normal late spring/early summer.
My guy power seeds and uses a certain seed that allows for a fertilizer + weed killing combo that doesn’t hurt new germination. Then apply lime 3x per year. He’s cheaper than a landscaper by a wide margin.
This. So much this.
And you really don't need a pre-emergent if you have a healthy lawn. Your lawn will be full enough to crowd out any potential weeks. I haven't put down pre-emergent in years.
In fact, I avoid Scotts products altogether.
I am a straight milorganite man now and it is absolutely incredible for the lawn and pretty much dummy proof.