Slice seeding

[reggie517]

So I haven’t had good luck with my fall overseeding the past couple years using a broadcast spreader. I am using high quality seed and kind of stinks wasting the money when it does t seem to take.

I was going have it slice seeded this fall. The landscaping company doing uses a cross cross application and they ha w said it will not damage my existing turf.

I am a little concerned as I have heard slice seeding can cause damage and my lawn is pretty good know just thin in a lot of areas and want it to thicken up.

What are people’s thoughts is it over kill on the slice seeding. Just want the seed to take so my lawn thickens up

I attached some pics of my lawn currently
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/v4sfDYn4/05-BCC806 ... A04-AF.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i.postimg.cc/xcHL0JXr/779-C3-D9 ... F75-AA.jpg[/img]

[url=https://postimg.cc/hz5VGV8n][img]https://i.postimg.cc/hz5VGV8n/A47-B98-E ... CBAFE6.jpg[/img][/url]

[andy10917]

I haven't used a slice seeder in over a decade, because I found that disturbing the soil significantly upped the number of weeds that germinate, and that it spread Poa Trivialis significantly. I had no increase in seed germination percentage when using a slice seeder.

What were your seed watering habits and top dressing habits when you failed with previous seedings?

What is the timing that you've used for "fall seeding"?

[reggie517]

Andy
Two falls ago I had the yard dethatched (huge mistake as it released a ton of POA triv that I never had) and then I broadcast spread in a two passes in different directions, rolled it and used some spagnhum moss as a top dress in the bare areas and then watered 3-4 time a day with my irrigation.

Last fall I just scaped up the soil in bare areas and then broadcast spread in two passes again and then watered again.

I typically seeded the week of or after Labor Day.

I plan on spot killing the triv before I seed this year.

Just don’t want to spend a ton of money on seed to not have the lawn thicken up again.

[andy10917]

If you have irrigation, a place as far north as NH could definitely go earlier than Labor Day - the idea is to get the seedlings as much time as possible between seed-down and first frost (light frosts don't kill, but are an indicator that the soil is cooling and growth will slow). The longer the period it has to grow, the higher the amount of grass is that will make it to Spring. The best indicator for seed-down time is as soon as the evenings begin to cool just as tad. I'll bet that is around August 10th for you, and certainly by a week later. Hot days aren't an issue for seed, as you'll have at 10-14 days before a general germination is underway.

[reggie517]

OK so I will re-seed earlier this year for sure. Any other tips or recommendations?