New house and new lawn.

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mnshutterbug
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New house and new lawn.

Post by mnshutterbug » September 5th, 2019, 9:39 am

Recommendations I see online say to set the tiller to 4 - 6 inches. Why that deep if grass seed only needs to be planted 1/4" deep?

TimmyG
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by TimmyG » September 5th, 2019, 9:54 am

No one here recommends tilling before seeding. Tilling is only ever necessary when amending soil, like when increasing organic matter for a new flower bed. Even "woke" farmers don't till anymore. Tilling interrupts the natural strata of microorganisms, and tilling a lawn will result in uneven settling.

Elaborate. Cite your references. Explain better your situation and objectives. You'll need to spend more time on your post in order to get any valuable advice.

mnshutterbug
Posts: 3
Joined: September 5th, 2019, 8:46 am
Location: SW MN
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by mnshutterbug » September 5th, 2019, 11:36 am

References? Just bits and pieces here and there online. This lawn is in a new development by Sioux Falls, SD and the house was recently built so there has been no landscaping of any kind done. My daughter wants to tackle this job on her own with a little of my help. We were both under the impression it needed to be tilled before planting the seed. It just didn't make a lot of sense to me since the seed doesn't need to be below 1/4" of soil. This yard is flat and I'd say a little compacted so could a person just use a good steel rake to loosen the soil before spreading the seed and then go over it again to rake the seed all in?

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » September 5th, 2019, 12:23 pm

Yeah dont till.

And grass seed doesnt need planted a quarter inch deep at all. It can be applied on top and pressed in with a roller. No need to rake first if you have bare dirt. Wet it, apply seed, then apply peat moss on top and roll it.

Read up on the new lawn establishment article and find some threads relevant to you. 30 minutes will save her hours of frustration over years.

mnshutterbug
Posts: 3
Joined: September 5th, 2019, 8:46 am
Location: SW MN
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by mnshutterbug » September 5th, 2019, 12:46 pm

Could you please supply a link to the new lawn establishment article? Thanks.


TimmyG
Posts: 2244
Joined: May 15th, 2012, 6:04 pm
Location: Dracut, MA
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by TimmyG » September 5th, 2019, 3:49 pm

It's one of those "articles" that seems misplaced. Go to Home, then FAQs, then click on Steps to Overseeding. Steps to New Establishment. Then again, it does provide answers to frequently asked questions, so there you go. It's not particularly detailed; I think I've seen a better post on the subject.

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HoosierLawnGnome
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Re: New house and new lawn.

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » September 6th, 2019, 6:44 am

TimmyG wrote:
September 5th, 2019, 3:49 pm
It's one of those "articles" that seems misplaced. Go to Home, then FAQs, then click on Steps to Overseeding. Steps to New Establishment. Then again, it does provide answers to frequently asked questions, so there you go. It's not particularly detailed; I think I've seen a better post on the subject.
Agreed.

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