Lawn Renovation Guidance

[Pirate Russ]

Guys,

I have been reading items at this site for the last several weeks and I am amazed at the level of knowledge/expertise. As a result, I have a few questions as I plan my renovation.

I live in the Northern New Jersey and I had wanted to have my renovation underway by now but I was scared off by the threat of a drought warning. With all the rain we have had, I no longer need to worry about that. Therefore, at this point, I have sprayed RU on my front lawn 2x (8/14 & 8/18). While the lawn looks dead, I still see a few spots of green. I plan on respraying on Thursday. The goal is to prep the area over the weekend and seed on Monday 8/30 (I am assuming it is not too late). Anyway, here are my questions:
*I plan on putting down a KBG blend (Midnight, Bewitched, NuChicago, Emblem and Award). Is there an issue with putting down too much seed. The recommendation is 2lbs per 1000 sq ft. Any issue with putting more than 2 lbs down (and if not, what would be the maximum lbs to drop). Also, I have an old mix of Midnight II, Bewitched and Bedazzled. Any issue with dropping some of that as well?
*Like everyone else, I am concerned about POA. While I love the idea of dropping the seed, rolling and topdressing with Peat Moss, I would just be concerned that I would not get the seed to soil contact I need (given the existing dead grass). In addition, my mower only goes down to 1.250. Is this going to be a problem? If it is, I will just plan on using a Slit Seeder
*What should be the fert schedule on the new grass? In the past, i would put starter down at seeding and then either put starter down again 6 weeks later and then a winterizer? What do you guys recommend for a fert schedule?
*Finally, in regards to Emblem, I hear that is very agressive. Will that end up taking over most of the lawn?

Guys - Thanks again.

Pirate Russ

[eriocaulon]

In regards to the recommended seeding rate, try to stick to 2-3 lb/1000. Too much and the seedling growth will stall and fungus will be a real issue.

If you've seen poa in your lawn, you could be looking at a real problem if you disturb the soil. Certainly if you have a lot of thatch in your lawn, you could dethatch trying not to disturb the soil. The key with KBG is to keep the seedbed uniformly moist. Personally, I don't think it requires any more seed/soil contact than any other grass seed--it's just that the germination period must see favorable conditions for such a long time.

Over time, Emblem can make up a larger % of your lawn compared to the others, but I find it hard to believe it will outcompete the other cultivars and cause them to die. You will still have a healthy makeup if your lawn is healthy. In any case, Emblem is beautiful so I don't see much of an issue.

[Pirate Russ]

Thanks for the response. I have my watering schedule all set up. I will have timers that go off at 10am, 2pm and 4pm. I will also probably water the area before i head off to work. As a result, I think I should be able to keep the seed moist. Many folks talk about topdressing the area with Peat Moss. I would be afraid that I would spread it around and leave it too heavy in spots essentially smothering the seed. Is this a valid concern?

[GaryCinChicago]

Many folks talk about topdressing the area with Peat Moss. I would be afraid that I would spread it around and leave it too heavy in spots essentially smothering the seed. Is this a valid concern?

Nope. Have you ever worked with Canadian sphagnum peat moss before? It is as light as goose down.

*What should be the fert schedule on the new grass?

Every two weeks, 1/2 Lb of nitrogen, during the remaining growing season.

After a hard freeze and top growth has stopped, when you make that last cut of the season, the final clean up mow of all the leaves (Thanksgiving + ?) - 1 to 1.5 Lbs of nitrogen.

[Pirate Russ]

Gary,

Thanks for the reply. In regards to the fert schedule, is it 1/2 lb of nitrogen 2 weeks after initial seeding or after germination (which could be 4+ weeks)? And I am glad that you think I will need to mow the lawn. I have prepared myself for minimal to no top growth this year. Thanks again.

[Bestlawn]

(Midnight, Bewitched, NuChicago, Emblem and Award).

Why so many varieties and why those particular varieties?
How many square feet are you covering?
How much seed have you purchased so far?
Do you have shade?

Please explain your prior concern for a drought warning and why recent rainfall changed your mind? The reason I ask is that you will have to water the seeds to keep them moist since it isn't likely to rain every day for the next month or so.

Yes, Emblem is very aggressive and will dominate the lawn. The reason is that Aggressive Types grow/reproduce at such a faster rate that the others cannot compete, so you can imagine the inevitable shift.

Your planned irrigation schedule is scaring me. You will find a schedule in this article. Modify for the sake of weather (temps and rainfall) to keep the seedbed moist. Otherwise, don't irrigate. Too wet for too long, and your seeds will rot. Not moist for too long, and they will dry out. Just keep an eye on them, but you don't have to be anxious. And, most often, you don't have to worry about early morning because the lawn is already moist from dew.

Canadian sphagnum as Gary suggested, not just peat moss.

[Pirate Russ]

Bestlawn - Thanks for the response. In Northern NJ, we were under a drought watch. Since we received over 6 inches of rain in the past week, I have no concerns about a pending water restriction. I would not have done a renovation if we were under a drought restriction.
In regards to the variety, Midnight, Bewitched and NuChicago are the recommended mix from SSS. I then added Emblem and Award as they have great color and appear to spread very well. The overall renovation is 1100 sq feet. I bought 10lbs of seed so I have more than enough. My front is pretty much full sun. I had read that you should water 3 times a day for 10 minutes at 10am, 2pm and 4pm. I am going to monitor this schedule to see if this is keeping the seed moist. The next few days the temperatures are supposed to be high so I will adjust accordingly. Thanks for the link.

[GaryCinChicago]

Gary,

Thanks for the reply. In regards to the fert schedule, is it 1/2 lb of nitrogen 2 weeks after initial seeding or after germination (which could be 4+ weeks)? And I am glad that you think I will need to mow the lawn. I have prepared myself for minimal to no top growth this year. Thanks again.

At time of seeding, you can apply a 'starter fertilizer' *if* your soil needs the phosphorous. The nitrogen in the starter may or may not aid with the new seedling emergence, depending on germination time. See, nitrogen escapes and dissipates rapidly. If you get germination in 10 days (weather dependent) then yes, the nitrogen (most) is still available. If you are still waiting for germination after 4 weeks due to the weather, then no, all the nitrogen is gone.

Once the grass has germinated, now the seedlings can use the nitrogen and a steady, lighter feeding every two weeks keeps them satisfied.

[Pirate Russ]

Gary,

As always thanks for the reply and advice. I did the renovation on Sunday. I ended up using a slit seeder as I have had good sucess using that in the past (just did not feel I had enough areas where i could have had good seed to soil contact by just dropping seed). Nonetheless, i definitely ended up putting down more seed than I planned (luckily i had enough). i hope this does not create an issues (what are your thoughts). Anyway, i loved the tips here about using the roller. I have only used a roller on areas that I seeded on Top Soil. I think in this renovation, with the use of the slit seeder and the roller, I had good seed to soil contact. Now the waiting begins. Thanks for the advice.

[GaryCinChicago]

Nonetheless, i definitely ended up putting down more seed than I planned (luckily i had enough). i hope this does not create an issues (what are your thoughts).

Well .... it could very well be an issue.
On a 1100 sq. ft renovation, that area would need up to 3 Lbs of KBG seeds. (meaning *if* you applied 2.5 lbs, you're good still)


So, how many pounds did you drop down?

[Pirate Russ]

I would have to check the container, but I probably put down around 5lbs. I must admit that when I have used slit seeders previously, I always ended up putting down too much seed. Nonetheless, I have never had a problem (i.e the lawn has turned out fine). I would think that if I was using a mix with 20% PR putting down too much seed might be an issue because the Perrenial Ryegrass would end up dominating the lawn preventing the KBG from germinating. In this case, it was a 100% KBG. Anyway, I really think that after this experience I am going to move away from Slit Seeders and just Top Dress the lawn with Screened Topsoil and use a spreader to put down the seed. The Slit Seeders are just too much of a wildcard (and the calibration is always an issue). Anyway, thanks for the response and I will keep you updated on the progress.