Planted new seeds. What's next?

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ATYU
Posts: 31
Joined: July 3rd, 2017, 9:47 am
Location: Central NJ
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Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by ATYU » October 12th, 2017, 7:41 pm

Hi y'all,

Here's my progress so far.

Yard Size = 5000 Sq ft.

Applied grub killer
Got soil tested - viewtopic.php?t=23024
Killed and dethatched existing grass.
Sprayed shampooed water for couple days.
Top dressed about 15 cu yd of black soil (with mixture of compost..supposedly).

Threw down the following during the first wknd/week of October.
A bag of gypsum
A bag of lime
Half a bag of 18-24-12 Starter Fert - 50#/bag
4 bags of Milo - 36#/bag
About 15+ lbs of following seeds.
  • Bewitched Kentucky bluegrass - 20%
  • Midnight Kentucky bluegrass - 20%
  • NuGlade kentucky bluegrass - 20%
  • Diva Kentucky blugrass - 20%
  • Zodiac Chewings Fescue - 20%
And blanket sprayed with 5 Gal of water + Tenacity mixture (measured based on the syringe's recommendation).

Now, I'm just watering it twice a day. I'm seeing some tiny grass popping up now. I also see some weeds (looks like those broad leaf), but they're somewhat white-ish so assuming it's Tenacity's effect.

I've the following stuff.
Headway G fungicide.
Bayer Grub/insect killer.

The stuff I plan on getting.
Dimension 0.25G Pre-M.
Lesco 0-0-7?!

My question is, what should I do next? How should I prepare for Winter and then Spring?

Thanks in advance.

STL
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by STL » October 13th, 2017, 7:59 am

Sounds like you put in a lot of work!

The next thing I'd do is keep the ground moist and read. Read the fall nitrogen thread, the articles (there's a lawn maintenance schedule), and as many renovation threads as you can get to. Do searches as you get more questions.

Did you have a grub problem? I wouldn't apply that again unless you have to. Same for the fungicide. Also, stick with your soil test recommendations as close as you can. That advice there is the best you'll get.

HLG also mentioned mulching leaves and fall N. Maybe add a pre em in with your dimension once your grass is mature enough and that should carry you through to next spring.

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » October 13th, 2017, 2:18 pm

Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Sometimes 1,001. :D
I'm seeing some tiny grass popping up now. I also see some weeds (looks like those broad leaf), but they're somewhat white-ish so assuming it's Tenacity's effect.
This is good. Sounds like you're what - 1 or 2 weeks from seed down maybe? You have germination, and the white you see is consistent with the bleaching I see Tenacity do to to dicots on a new planting.

If your babies don't make it out of sprout n pout before your average first frost date in a week or so (seems quite unlikely), I'd forego fertilizing it now.

Keep it moist but not too wet, and avoid having a recently watered lawn freeze with upcoming frost.

Every day of growth counts!

I'd probably forego Tenacity / pre-m this fall if you just dropped seed a few weeks ago. By the time 4 weeks roll around you won't have much time for Tenacity recovery, and the turf will be mostly shut down @ 60 days for Dimension (Dec 1) Get it all ready for spring!

ATYU
Posts: 31
Joined: July 3rd, 2017, 9:47 am
Location: Central NJ
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by ATYU » October 14th, 2017, 7:56 pm

Thanks guys for your reply.
Yes, I've been reading the internet quite a bit and it makes me happy and scared at the same time - more on this later.

1) I'll try to take a picture and post it here soon.
2) I don't see any grub problem or fungus yet, I was thinking about throwing it down more as a preventative.
3) I'm trying to keep the ground moist as much as possible. Sometimes, I can even feel it when I'm walking on the soil/lawn when re-positioning the sprinkler...lol
4) It's been about 2 weeks since seeded.
5) I'll reduce watering after next week.
6) I'll skip on any more tenacity, pre-em, and fertilizer for the season.
7) My scare is, what if the seeds don't sprout n pout before the winter/first frost? Would those seeds be dead when Spring rolls around? I want to throw down pre-em in Spring and if I need to re-seed in Spring, I'm afraid I won't be able to do that. :(
8) Is there any "winter-ization" I need to do?

Thanks again for your input y'all! :)

STL
Posts: 385
Joined: August 30th, 2016, 2:01 pm
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by STL » October 15th, 2017, 9:39 pm

I wouldn't worry about (2) unless you have an issue. Fungicide and insecticides can help but they also do some damage so generally best to reserve for when really needed.

For (7), are you worried about the seeds germinating or the seedlings maturing enough before winter? If the latter, I think you'll be fine. At least don't worry about it too much since there's not much you can do. Evaluate in the spring and you can always avoid spots with your pre em if you need to seed more.

(8) did you read the fall nitrogen thread I mentioned? It specifically talks about winterizing. Very important part of your plan.


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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » October 15th, 2017, 10:31 pm

There's a lot of info out there and not all of it is good or helpful for a new lawn nut:)

Keep it simple. Winterize at the right time and pick it up next spring. You may need to reseed some naturally, but grass is pretty resilient.

Next spring, even if you have lighter coverage, you can pump it up and get it to thicken up considerably.

ATYU
Posts: 31
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by ATYU » October 16th, 2017, 2:02 pm

Thanks again guys for your input.

@STL, yes, I did read the Fall Nitrogen Regimen thread..briefly. lol

Here's what I took away from it.
I need to get Urea 46-0-0.
Throw it down @ 1#/K rate until the first frost date (Around Oct 22nd).
PAUSE for a month
Throw it down once more @ 2#/K rate.

Is that correct?

How do I know when it's OK to throw it down that one last time based on the following point?

(8) The grasses of newly-seeded renovations should not be treated with the Aggressive program until you are certain that the Spout-and-Pout stage is fully completed. Failure to follow this point may lead to forced top-growth when the grass should be pausing to accomplish root-growth.

I'm seeding new grass for the first time and not sure if I can just look at it and say, "Yerp, the grass is no longer growing. Time to thrown down Urea for one last time." lol Should I just go by the frost date + 4 wks?

Also, what happens to the seeds that don't germinate? Will they be wasted or will they germinate in Spring?

What's your opinion on dormant seeding? can I throw down some saved seeds before the winter? If so, when do you think is a good time?

Thanks again guys~

STL
Posts: 385
Joined: August 30th, 2016, 2:01 pm
Location: St. Louis, Mo
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Re: Planted new seeds. What's next?

Post by STL » October 16th, 2017, 4:25 pm

ATYU wrote:
October 16th, 2017, 2:02 pm
Thanks again guys for your input.

@STL, yes, I did read the Fall Nitrogen Regimen thread..briefly. lol

Here's what I took away from it.
I need to get Urea 46-0-0.
Throw it down @ 1#/K rate until the first frost date (Around Oct 22nd).
PAUSE for a month
Throw it down once more @ 2#/K rate.

Is that correct?

How do I know when it's OK to throw it down that one last time based on the following point?

(8) The grasses of newly-seeded renovations should not be treated with the Aggressive program until you are certain that the Spout-and-Pout stage is fully completed. Failure to follow this point may lead to forced top-growth when the grass should be pausing to accomplish root-growth.

I'm seeding new grass for the first time and not sure if I can just look at it and say, "Yerp, the grass is no longer growing. Time to thrown down Urea for one last time." lol Should I just go by the frost date + 4 wks?

Also, what happens to the seeds that don't germinate? Will they be wasted or will they germinate in Spring?

What's your opinion on dormant seeding? can I throw down some saved seeds before the winter? If so, when do you think is a good time?

Thanks again guys~
If your two weeks post seed down and your average first frost date is Oct 22, you're likely not going to be out of sprout and pout by then, which means hold off on more N until the last winterize app.

S&P is when top growth of new grass stops. It's developing its roots and you don't want to push top growth at the expense of that root growth during this time. How long it last varies but can be around thirty days post germination or up to a several weeks. It's one of those 'you know it's when you see it' types of things. When it's done, it'll start putting on top growth again and looking more mature by the leaves thickening up some and being less wispy.

Per the fall nitrogen regiment, you want to stop N at your average first frost date, this is assuming you're out of S&P. This Pause period is to allow the grass to start to wind down for the season naturally.

The final winterizing app is done after top growth stops for the season. There's then around a two week-ish window where the top isn't growing but the roots still are. That's when you want to give it one lb of N /k from urea. This last app helps the roots develop more and the grass store energy for next season. You know when it's ready by observing how much you take off when you mow. Keep the mower set at the same setting and mow every week. When no more is being cut off, it's time.

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