Re-seed?

c-town – posted 07 April 2004 21:40

ted was kind enough to reply last November and now I’m back…

Long story short – a flaky landscaper didn’t install our lawn (new construction) in Cleveland until the first week of November. The contractor is no longer in business and nowhere to be found – (luckily we only paid half up front, which I think we recouped with the work that was completed). We’re still looking at yard of dirt with a few random tufts of green. I figure it will be easiest to finish up myself and was going to go buy seed and starter fertilizer.

My question is should I buy enough seed to cover the entire lawn? Or am I jumping the gun? ted thought it would probably be May before it was time to seed. Would I be better off waiting a few more weeks to see if anything else pops up as the weather gets warmer? thanks in advance

cohiba – posted 08 April 2004 18:45

C town,I am looking at the same problem at work with a new construction project that finished in mid November. I have decided to plant a mixture of Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucy Bluegrass. Now. The ryegrass will come up within the next few weeks and the blue will follow later. Important to do it early so that the turf has a few cuttings on it before you start treating for weeds. If you can, try to find a local sprayer guy to put some Dimension Herbicide down in June. This is a PRE/Post crabgrass emergent. Wait out the summer and reseed in September.

Good Luck…..

ted – posted 08 April 2004 21:32

yeah, you want high temps in the 60’s and 70’s for the seed to respond correctly- it’s the temps that are important- not the calendar.

GrassMaster – posted 17 April 2004 08:54

Is sodding an option for you? That might be easier…a little more costly initially, but you’d save a lot of hassle that comes with seeding.