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by Rett Davis | |
Gardening Q&A by Rett Davis appears in
Alamance County's daily newspaper, The Times-News,
every Sunday in the Accent section. Each week's installment is
posted to this
website, beginning with January of this year. Scroll to the bottom of
this page to navigate to other Gardening Q&As. Please contact
Rett via e-mail with questions
or
comments in regard to this column.
Question:
When is the best time to plant fescue grass seed in our area?
Answer:
The recommended dates for sowing fescue grass seed is from late August through the middle of October. This is the preferred time to sow this grass over all other times of the year. These dates are the result of years of research by N.C. State University. For lawns that are full of shade trees it is advised to sow the seed in late August and early September to allow the grass to become established well in advance of leaf fall. Late seeded fescue tends to get smothered by falling leaves. Fescue seed that is sown in November and December has more difficulty germinating do to much colder temperatures and drier weather conditions.
Question:
I want to overseed my fescue lawn due to some thinning over this past summer. Do I put fertilizer down with my seed?
Answer:
Hold off on fertilizing until you see the germination of the seed you sowed. Once your new grass is up and growing, fertilize with a starter fertilizer or a garden grade fertilizer that is high in phosphorous such as 10-20-20 (10 lbs. per 1000 square ft) or 18-24-12 (6 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft). The extra phosphorous aids in rooting and the nitrogen will green up the turf within 10 days of rainfall. Other grades of starter fertilizer are on the market depending on the fertilizer manufacturer. Read the label for coverage rates.
Question:
I counted over 12 different types of grass seed to buy at a local retailer. Some were for high traffic areas, some were for shady areas, while others claimed to be the best for our area. How can you make any sense of this?
Answer:
What used to be a simple chore of buying grass seed, has over the years become quite a daunting task. Determining what is in the bags can be made simple by reading the seed tag or seed mixture printed on the back. There are many copyrighted trade names that are marketed such as Enviro, Statesmen, Bud's Blend, Carolina Mix, Confederate, Southern Gold, Rebels, and many more. They are all blends of at least 3 or more fescue varieties. What is important is what is in the bag. The fescue varieties that are in those bags will change from year to year, but the brand name will not. So, the Confederate you sowed last year in all likelihood is not the same this year. A majority of the blends sold here contain one or more of the top rated fescues that have been tested in our state. N.C.State University tests the performance of hundreds of new fescues for a minimum of 5 years before they compile their recommendations. Seed companies strive to put these in their blends of fescues. I have sent these ratings to all local garden centers to help them with their customers. I can furnish you with a list or you can view them on line at www.turffiles.ncsu.edu.
Question:
I have been told I should add ryegrass to my fescue to help it germinate faster. Is that true?
Answer:
There is really no need to mix ryegrass in with fescue. Fescue will germinate within 10 days if planted within the time frame I have already mentioned and if there has been sufficient rainfall or irrigation. Ryegrass is an annual grass that will die off naturally in early summer. It becomes an eyesore in the lawn when this happens. It also competes with fescue for nutrients and light. When lawns are sowed in November and December, ryegrass is often added because it germinates much faster than fescue and gives the homeowner some sense of a lawn, although it will be short lived one.
Question:
How much grass seed does it take to overseed a lawn?
Answer:
If you are overseeding an existing fescue lawn to thicken it up, sow approximately 4-5 pounds of fescue seed per 1000 square feet of lawn.
Question:
How much fescue seed does it take to put in a new lawn?
Answer:
New lawns are sowed at 8-10 pounds of fescue seed per 1000 square feet. Newly seeded lawns also need to be covered with straw to hasten germination and prevent erosion. Spread from 1 1/2 to 2 bales of straw per 1000 square feet. Straw should never be too that you cannot see the soil surface. Straw that is too thick smothers the newly germinating seed.
Question:
Can I just throw grass seed down or must I have the yard plugged first?
Answer:
Throwing seed on the surface of the soil is a waste of time and good grass seed. Seed must be sown in loose soil and lightly covered to insure germination. Surface sown seed is subject to predation by birds and drying out. Prepare the soil through multiple passes with a plugger or core aerator. A newer tool is now being used by many landscapers called an aerovator. It actually works better on drier soils and gives better results than a plugger. Regardless of the implement, the less time you spend on soil preparation, the more disappointed you will be with the results.
Question:
I can never get a good stand of grass in one area of my lawn due to the slope and the amount of water that drains through there. What else can I do?
Answer:
Slopes can be handled several ways. Using sod is certainly an option. If that is too cost prohibitive, I would pursue covering the seeded area with excelsior mats and pinning them down after sowing seed to secure the site. Traditional strawing will also work provided you place a bio-degradable netting over the straw and secure it to the soil surface. Neither the excelsior pads, the straw, or the netting is removed after germination.
SOUTHERN ANNEX SCHEDULE
I will be at our Southern Annex office, on the corner of South Bethel Church Rd and Snow Camp Rd this coming Thursday morning from 8 am until noon. Drop by and see me with your horticultural or forestry related questions.
North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commitment themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation, North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&;T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.