Allowing the grass to go to seed - now what?

[Jaybird180]

I have been working on my lawn for the last 3 years after buying our home (in DC suburbia). My neighbor makes it tough with his plush green that looks like a postcard.

I somehow now have decent coverage after recovering from the damage chemicals applied by Tru-Green (as hired by me) and previous owner-occupant neglect that made patches of Mojave in my front lawn.

My thumbs are brown, but I trim, edge, cut, re-trim and debris blow with the best (er...maybe next best) of them. I decided to go natural and try and stay away from the sterile hybrid seeds and chemical treatments, etc. I do use fertilizer (sparingly) and like how the lawn responds. I don't have an irrigation system and dislike "wasting" water.

I decided to follow the example set by a neighbor a few houses down, except I cant go wild kingdom for 2 years like they did. My grass has produced seed shoots, with some nearly waist high. After researching the lifecycle of grass, I decided I would do this, and it is emotionally tough.

The forecast is for T-storms on Thurs & Fri, so I thought that Wed would be good to knock down the seed shoots with my John Deere (I will try to acquire and install the mulching block-off plate by then), while pulling the plug aerator.

What's the best and speediest way to seed the grass while ensuring I don't harm the seeds? Should I not even run the blades and just let the shoots run under the tractor deck so the seeding will fall (will it work?) or is it OK to mulch the grass? I read somewhere that simply walking through wild grass fields causes seeding from the shoots. I plan to fertilize again about the end of the month with Scott's feed stuff with weed control (I have a lot of clovers and plugs of crabgrass) - with a proper dosage.

 

[Bob Noel]

As I understand it, the best time to seed is the fall.

 

[Jaybird180]

As I understand it, the best time to seed is the fall.

I think you're right, but I haven't noticed the grass producing seeds except spring. I'd have to somehow capture and store the seeds to do that.

I think...

 

[tonycondon]

just let it go until the neighbor offers to mow for you.

 

[Alexb2000]

This may not be the advice you want to hear, but the way I do lawn reclamation is to rent a sod cutter and remove all the weedy crap.

Check the soil conditions carefully. If there is any doubt add a few inches of good topsoil. I have never seen good turf grass grown on poor soil, even with an unlimited chemical budget.

Re-sod or hydro-seed.

Then you'll have an excellent lawn you can manage and one that won't fight you for 10 years. Also, seems to end up being cheaper in the long run.

 

[RJM62]

Good grief... it's just grass. Go buy the best crabgrass seed you can find and be done with it.

-Rich

 

[weilke]

I somehow now have decent coverage after recovering from the damage chemicals applied by Tru-Green (as hired by me) and previous owner-occupant neglect that made patches of Mojave in my front lawn.

The only thing harder on a lawn than the DC summer is our local Tru-Green contractor

I plan to fertilize again about the end of the month with Scott's feed stuff with weed control (I have a lot of clovers and plugs of crabgrass) - with a proper dosage.

If the crab-grass is already there, it is too late for the scotts stuff. It is a crab gras preventer not a crab-grass killer (kind of like de-ice instead of anti-ice ). I used it for the pre-season feeding this year and it worked as advertised, the areas that used to get invaded by crab-grass are fine this year. Also, the stuff works by inhibiting germination, so if you are hoping for your auto-seeding to do any good, you don't want to put the early-season scotts stuff on there. They have the regular spring stuff with weed-killer, but even that may influence your seedlings. You may have to go with the plain NPK and worry about the weed-o-rama later in the season .

For the clovers, the weed-b-gone clover stuff works like a charm. Just spot-treat the areas with a garden-sprayer.

 

[tonycondon]

my philosophy is as long as its green i don't care

 

[denverpilot]

As the new owner of 3.5 acres of 50% dead prairie grass from a dry winter, and a well water permit that would only allow watering 20,000 sq. ft. of it, even if I wanted to... I suspect "green" will be whatever Mother Nature makes of it, after it recovers in a few years. The trick will be in keeping the weeds from taking over.

The neighbors say, "We've never seen it do that." and they've been here a lot longer than we have, and theirs is half-dead, too. Last year, everyone was mowing it down weekly.

 

[JOhnH]

This may not be the advice you want to hear, but the way I do lawn reclamation is to rent a sod cutter and remove all the weedy crap.

Check the soil conditions carefully. If there is any doubt add a few inches of good topsoil. I have never seen good turf grass grown on poor soil, even with an unlimited chemical budget.

Re-sod or hydro-seed.

Then you'll have an excellent lawn you can manage and one that won't fight you for 10 years. Also, seems to end up being cheaper in the long run.

If you want good grass this decade, you will follow this advice, AND install an irrigation system. It would be a shame to go to the work and expense only to let it die of thirst.
Otherwise, follow Rich's advice.

 

[tmyers]

Tru-Green called me the other day and asked if there wasn't some way they could earn my business.

I said, Apply something that will make my lawn green, weed free and not grow and I will buy it. Fortunately they didn't offer to put down artificial turf.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Before you do anything, start with a soil test. All the seed and fertilizer in the world will do you no good if the soil ph is incorrect. If the soil tests good, and there's good organic matter in the soil, regular mowing will keep the weeds in check and allow the grass to form a good root bed. If weeds are more than 50% of lawn vegetation, it makes more sense to kill the lawn with Roundup or other herbicide and start again. If it's around 25% or so, try a broadleaf weed herbicide. 2,4d and Banvel make a good mix.

I broadcast overseed the patstures in February. The repeated freezing and thawing of yhe ground .helps work the seed int naturally.

 

[N801BH]

As the new owner of 3.5 acres .... and a well water permit that would only allow watering 20,000 sq. ft. of......

What............ ..

The state sells you a well water permit and then limits the size of lawn you can water ??

 

[denverpilot]

The state sells you a well water permit and then limits the size of lawn you can water ??

Welcome to the high plains, where people still shoot each other over water rights...

 

[tonycondon]

What............ ..

The state sells you a well water permit and then limits the size of lawn you can water ??

colorado has to get all the water before it can run downhill to kansas

 

[Jaybird180]

Before you do anything, start with a soil test. All the seed and fertilizer in the world will do you no good if the soil ph is incorrect. If the soil tests good, and there's good organic matter in the soil, regular mowing will keep the weeds in check and allow the grass to form a good root bed. If weeds are more than 50% of lawn vegetation, it makes more sense to kill the lawn with Roundup or other herbicide and start again. If it's around 25% or so, try a broadleaf weed herbicide. 2,4d and Banvel make a good mix.

I broadcast overseed the patstures in February. The repeated freezing and thawing of yhe ground .helps work the seed int naturally.

The county used to do soil testing, then they contracted it to a state owned university, now I have no idea who does it locally now.

 

[Clark1961]

What............ ..

The state sells you a well water permit and then limits the size of lawn you can water ??

Depending on where you are in Colorado a domestic well permit might not allow any use outside the house. A hose bib was not part of a new home built in the South Platte drainage...

 

[CJones]

The county used to do soil testing, then they contracted it to a state owned university, now I have no idea who does it locally now.

I'm assuming your state ag school has some sort of 'extension' service. Check with them on where to get soil test done. Usually the school has a lab that does it or they sub it out to another lab. Usually around $15/sample IIRC. It's well worth it when you consider how much fertilizer you may waste by applying rates blindly.

As far as doing some 'natural' overseeding - you'll have marginal results at best. The seed needs to make contact with the soil to properly germinate and build a turf base. If it's waist high already, you've probably got quite a bit of undergrowth there that will inhibit good soil contact. And if you're mowing it, you're putting even more plant matter in the way.

What kind of grass are you trying to grow? Lots of grasses look like crap and/or die out if you cut them more than 1/3 of their total growth at once. Depending on what kind of grass it is, and where you are located, it might not be able to survive the summer - overseed fescues in fall/early spring as they are a cool weather grass - bermuda/zoysia need a little more heat to get the ball rolling.

As already mentioned - pre-emergent is just what it says "PRE" emergent. They have some post-emergent weed & feed that I have had some success with, but even the post-emergent stuff will definitely hamper any attempts at overseeding anything for up to 90 days or so.

 

[Everskyward]

As the new owner of 3.5 acres of 50% dead prairie grass from a dry winter, and a well water permit that would only allow watering 20,000 sq. ft. of it, even if I wanted to... I suspect "green" will be whatever Mother Nature makes of it, after it recovers in a few years. The trick will be in keeping the weeds from taking over.

The neighbors say, "We've never seen it do that." and they've been here a lot longer than we have, and theirs is half-dead, too. Last year, everyone was mowing it down weekly.

I know you live somewhere out here not too far away and my property is green right now because of all the spring rains. I haven't watered it in... years. But then I don't try for a "lawn". It's just field grass, weeds and wildflowers (soon).

 

[Chip Sylverne]

The county used to do soil testing, then they contracted it to a state owned university, now I have no idea who does it locally now.

Where are you in the DC area? I'm in Frederick County. Almost any Southern States can get it done for you, I think Eddie Mercer Ag Services does it ( or can tell you who does) and there is a lab out in Walkersville that does it as well.
All Maryland livestock farmers have to do a manure management plan, and as part of that a soil test is required every three years.

If you're in VA, can't help ya.

 

[denverpilot]

I know you live somewhere out here not too far away and my property is green right now because of all the spring rains. I haven't watered it in... years. But then I don't try for a "lawn". It's just field grass, weeds and wildflowers (soon).

Yeah the dry winter stressed it all over here. It's normally just mixed field grasses. Now it's a patchy mix of buffalo grass and dirt.

The buffalo grass survived and would be great as a permanent solution if it didn't take massive amounts of water to get buffalo grass started.

The spring rains were too late to save large areas of it. At least an acre is dead, if not almost two acres.

 

[Jaybird180]

Where are you in the DC area? I'm in Frederick County. Almost any Southern States can get it done for you, I think Eddie Mercer Ag Services does it ( or can tell you who does) and there is a lab out in Walkersville that does it as well.
All Maryland livestock farmers have to do a manure management plan, and as part of that a soil test is required every three years.

If you're in VA, can't help ya.

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