Can You Grow Grass Without Covering The Seed

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2 жыл бұрын

I tested whether or not uncovered grass seed can grow a new lawn this Spring. I did this because I get questions all the time about grass seed germinating if it's just placed on the ground on bar dirt.
In previous years I tested this out in a controlled environment but this year I decided to test it out in the hardest of conditions a 1000 square foot spring lawn at high elevation.
► How I Paint Grassy Weeds Away: • You've Never Killed GR...
You can see my entire lawn kill and renovation series on this lawn which I'm dubbing Phil's Lawn in the following playlist: • Phil's Lawn - Kill A L...
The next video in this series has to do with the tips, tricks, and techniques that go into mowing new grass from seed. That video can be found here: • When To Mow New Grass ...
If you are thinking about trying to grow grass from seed over a full lawn then you should understand how much more difficult it is when you opt to leave the seed uncovered. Every time I've grown grass before this and likely every time I'll do this in the future I'll be covering the seed up with a top-dressing of some kind.
I recommend you cover yours even if it costs a bit more money than you'd like to spend; it will save you lots of time and work and your results will be much better and consistent.
See the following video on how to fully prepare a seedbed for seed, spread the seed, and topdress it for the best germination possible: • How To Grow New Perenn...
If you plan on spreading peat moss on top of the seed then consider getting a peat moss spreader. Yes, it's a one-trick pony but it's probably going to save you money in the long run by limiting your loss of seed during the germination stages.
One good low-priced peat moss spreader is the Walensee spreader which can be found here: www.amazon.com/dp/B09P8LSYLQ/...
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Пікірлер: 228

@TurfMechanic 10 ай бұрын

►►► Want to fix your lawn for the long haul but don't know where to start? I can help! Click here right now and get started today: turfmech.link/dont-know-where-to-start ◄◄◄

@Lorgic 9 ай бұрын

nice test, i have a feeling uv light kill seeds cells. its not about getting dry direct sun light kills it.

@BLUE6_6 2 ай бұрын

I love the research you r doing not covering grass seed..... I did the same thing a month or two ago at a bare spot. It's taking a while to grow fully, however, it's coming along.... Keep me posted on the progress... BLUE

@norain31 9 ай бұрын

we covered with news papper it held the water kept the sun off and just mowed the paper into the lawn later. worked for us .

@robertlark10 2 жыл бұрын

Just had a tree removed with huge roots. Lots of lawn damage, so think this is perfect advice. Thanks TM!

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck on the repair! I'm sure you'll enjoy the new look when it's all done. :D

@gk9417 Жыл бұрын

Thanks Yes I’m tired of covering the seed with topsoil all the time ✌️👍🇨🇦

@mikeo8890 10 ай бұрын

I use a drip line with rotating nozzles for the sunny spots, and it works very well.

@JP-ue6jj 9 ай бұрын

Found this vid very helpful, mentioned key points others seems to miss No way am I a professional, have been successful over the yrs doing several lawns on my properties. Never covered just constant spraying of water with a heap of plastic bags as makeshift scarecrows. Seemed to work Certainly will take a few pointers from this particular vid as I’m about to redo my backyard. Thanks a heap

@iwayned 2 жыл бұрын

I have completed a number of spot reseeding with co,mposted earth - but this video helped me to understand the process too! thanks.

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

That's great to hear Wayne, thanks for sharing 👌

@tribulation138 2 жыл бұрын

Don't worry about those types of birds in the video Those are American Robin's. They don't eat seed but like the fresh soil because it's easier to pick off worms and other bugs.

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Good to know, obviously there are other birds that do eat seed though, I think I only filmed just a few birds on the lawn during this project at random. Lots of people complain about the birds eating all their seeds before they start growing...just another reason to cover the seed if possible, at least in the sunnier locations that will be slower to germinate.

@AsaSpadeSS Жыл бұрын

Good to know because theyre always in my lawn I'm trying to renovate.

@PTaylor1087 Жыл бұрын

As far as birds go, finches, sparrows, and a few others like Buntings WILL eat grass seed. But Robins, Bluejays, and Grackles will NOT. A thing I did was set up bird feeders in another spot of the yard to keep the birds away from the new grass seed and keep them fed enough to not even bother with the grass seed.

@jhnshep Жыл бұрын

I had problems with ants, they'd root around and start bringing the seed back to their entrances lol

@rodgersandrodgers8191 Жыл бұрын

What about the Rats of the Air, Pigeons? What to do about them?

@codykulesza7076 Жыл бұрын

I’ve had a hill in my yard that has been eroding the past few years last year I filled the soil seeded then lightly compacted some grass grew but barely, this year I just heavily over seeded and extremely lightly raked it in and it took off this year

@yryang1 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! It is a nice experiment.

@UncleFjester 10 ай бұрын

I have a lot of rough area with native grasses and weeds, I can't mow it. My intention is to toss a lot of seed out days before all of my aspens cover everything and then the snow. My hope is a fair portion of seed will germinate in the spring when things warm up. this has lowered my expectations on any results. So thanks

@user-rx3dc1vp5r 10 ай бұрын

Very helpful, thank you for sharing!

@Lachhmag Жыл бұрын

Underrated channel, great content dude

@JwlsMambo Жыл бұрын

We have the same Costco playground! My kids love it 🎉

@princephilip-v5t Жыл бұрын

We grow 250 acres of rye grass by just spreading it on the surface. Depends on soil moisture. In dry times we direct drill, otherwise it works perfectly

@sabrinakingsley798 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for saving me 16 minutes

@princephilip-v5t Жыл бұрын

@@sabrinakingsley798 we do mow and roll it to try and ensure it makes contact with soil, or run livestock on it to press it in.

@markc3653 Жыл бұрын

This is a very useful video for me and my project personally as I took my lawn down to Bear dirt regraded it, etc. I did take a pull behind the thatcher rake and broke up the soil very well before I seated then ran it back around after I seated so I have seed both on top and under the dirt but what I'm seeing in this video is exactly what I'm seeing happening in my yard so it lets me know kind of what's going on and what to expect

@kenta3148 Жыл бұрын

I used to cover my seed with straw. It works but the straw will be there a long time. If I pick out the straw, the grass pulls out with it. So now I use bagged grass clippings and it works great. I hand sprinkle the clipping for about 80% coverage of the seed. Need some sun to get through but moisture stays good. Nothing to pick up later.

@chrishowis4164 Жыл бұрын

I'm going to try that... thanks for the tip..

@heehee2023 7 ай бұрын

Wonderful video! I sowed the seeds 4 weeks ago and they are doing very well. However, yesterday's extremely heavy hail caused significant damage in several spots. I think it's probably okay, but I've given up on seeking perfection. I can fix it later.

@catalinstavaru5355 Жыл бұрын

Not covering the seeds when I started my new lawn is one of my biggest regrets. The result was average and it could have been great from the first year. Waiting months for the next overseeding opportunity while looking at an ugly lawn every day is not fun :)

@marcstoogood8478 10 ай бұрын

Did the birds eat it? It should have still germinated

@ilude214 Жыл бұрын

Hey GS, wondering if you have a video of the setup you use to play DCS? Loving the videos keep it up

@timjohnson6278 Жыл бұрын

Great topic. When you throw a thin layer of dirt on the seeds, doesn’t it just rinse off with all the watering? Seems like you would need a thick layer. Instead i just try to loosen the dirt with a de thatcher rake before throwing the seeds. But not sure if this is the best method.

@chrisryan8863 Жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed this video. I have resorted to using peat moss or a light covered of soil when I am seeding new areas. It just takes too long and the seed tends to move to much it rains hard, etc. But you did prove it can be done with patience.

@rogerandjoan4329 Жыл бұрын

I use peat moss too. It’s the easiest to spread. It’s probably pretty good at absorbing water too.

@oilman1758 9 ай бұрын

I was thatching my lawn and had many bare spots. I simply over seeded (did not cover it ) the whole lawn with Black Beauty. The bare spots did have a harder time germinating but where the seeds went into the non bare areas did very well because it is protected from the sun. When I over seed again in the early spring the bare spots that had weak results will have slightly better results because there is some grass there now. Rolling it in will have better results because you are pressing the seeds into the dirt for a better result in the bare areas. I always find that I see the full results 1 year later. That's when the grass is fully grown and you can see how it grew into the spots. Not to mention the overall appearance of the lawn will change. Black Beauty is expensive compared to other brands, but I have the best outcome with it.

@atlskateman Жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video and information.

@Johnny53kgb-nsa Жыл бұрын

Good job, the lawn looks great.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Thanks John, next video is the update...if you think this looks good the update will wow you even more! 😁 hope you catch it.

@iqlawnsolutions1301 2 жыл бұрын

What brand swingset is that in the background?

@DavidJenne Жыл бұрын

Loved this! BTW, those birds are Robins and don't eat seed... just worms and bugs. 🙂

@carlosalvarezrivas416 3 ай бұрын

What can I cover it that is not expensive like pea moss some good top soil spread with the pea moss spreader machine? Thanks

@pandarush. Жыл бұрын

You mentioned that a blend in the shade is growing well. What is the blend, please?

@TheKSheffy Жыл бұрын

How soon before it’s safe to walk on after the seeds are sowed?

@JL-qo7cs 10 ай бұрын

Would have liked to know what kind of grass seed you used. What is cider grow?

@jinxtacy Жыл бұрын

What a strange neighborhood. I love it. So much character.

@Snoopydoggie143 Ай бұрын

Hello what do you mixed with to kill weeds and help the grass grow?

@jcman3113 2 жыл бұрын

Fairly new subscriber here and I like the video. Idea for a video - especially for cool season grass. Does pre-germinating help? Could do a few test plots with uncovered seed, uncovered pre-germinated, covered seed, and covered pre-germinated seed. I was going to try some spot patching this spring with pre-germinated seed but weather was all over the place. When I did a scarify and overseed last fall I think I would have had better results using pre-germinated seed but that was before I was doing more research on the topic. Curious as to if you have experimented with pre-germinating?

@shanescull9552 Жыл бұрын

Idk why you would hand sow grass seeds you know how long that would take? If your trying to germinate veggies that’s a different thing but your not going to hand sow every 1/16 of inch planting grass seeds. Unless you got nothing but time

@raymondmcdonald7085 2 жыл бұрын

Good advice for the newbie on careful watering. My new lawn I planted 2 years ago had the seed covered with topsoil but when the rains came made rivulets thus carrying away the seed. It took an extensive amount of repair and reseeding in the spring due to the size of the project. The lesson I learned was to put temporary drain lines diverting the water to non sensitive areas.

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Oooo, very creative solution especially for lawn spaces that are maybe on slopes.

@Mark300win 2 жыл бұрын

Cover it with a thin layer of peat moss, it moves way less because of heavy rain

@satorizero5448 Жыл бұрын

Great video

@DS-yo4uw Жыл бұрын

Nice. Can't wait to see the final results. How's about seeds which are converted with the blue stuff to keep moisture in? Scotts turf builder. Is that going to improve the success?

@DS-yo4uw Жыл бұрын

So...I did a little experiment myself inside. A week ago I seeded two containers with cool season, sun/shade mix. One has the blue-covered Scotts, one with Johnathan Green Black Beauty Ultra. The seeds we placed on the top of the soil and lightly pressed in my fingers. Spritzing with water a couple times/day, most days (so somewhat of a moist/dry cycle, not continuously moist). After 7 days the Black Beauty has about 4-5x more sprouts. This is surprising to me, and very interesting as the Scotts is about 50% by weight blue-stuff, so if this holds up pound/pound the BB seems to be the better choice. I also have a similar experiment outside (my lawn) in late Sept in New England. Three 20x20 areas with the different seeds (also different cover amounts). Sprouts are appearing, but not enough to make an assessment of the germination/density.

@darkshaman7087 Жыл бұрын

My self loosens the soil the give a rake to even out and remove the stones and then seed over and give it a quick rake over as to protect the seeds from birds

@idlesquirrel Жыл бұрын

Great video. Thank you. I plan to not cover mine. Thanks for the watering tip!

@JBSwanstrom 2 жыл бұрын

I have several areas that I am working on and am trying a couple of things. Pre-emerging my seeds with alfalfa pellets, dang those pellets are thirsty and also diy sod grown indoors in trays with plant lights. Another week and I'll have 20sq ft of sod!

@possiblyacop2465 Жыл бұрын

How'd the sod project go? I've been growing KBG plugs in my windowsill just to see how it turns out, thinking I'll transplant them to a couple bare spots if they grow in well enough. But an actual tray of sod sounds like fun too!

@hermanhale9258 Жыл бұрын

I save styrofoam meat trays and clam shells and plant grass seeds in them and keep my trays outside near the kitchen door. Usually I put a used coffee filter or two with the grounds on the bottom of the tray, and the potting soil or compost on top of that. And when I transplant I place another used coffee filter/grounds on the patch of lawn and put the contents of the tray on top of that.

@motavice3499 4 ай бұрын

Here's what i did. Leaf blow/rake any debri Dethatch grass Overseed Cut grass with no bag Water it which the seeds need but it pushes the cut grass down over and around the seed like a barrier for moisture and too much sun exposure. It's worked great for me.

@ctskidoo 2 жыл бұрын

I find covering with straw is a big difference vs no coverings. Only problem is the neighborhood turkeys claw the straw away to get to the seeds lol

@photoeducationbydaniel 4 ай бұрын

How many bags of seed did you use here for this project? I have an issue with judging the amount

@OvGraphics Жыл бұрын

Hello TM. In a day or so I intend to go plant straight rye GRASS seed on a couple of small food plots just to see what happens. The plots already have the normal deer mix on them...but seems to me like that stuff only really super takes off in the dang spring. The ground is about as rough as you can imagine....disked only. No dragging or smoothing...and October is our dryest month here. Happens this way every year and some wheat and oats do come up eventually. But this time around...rye grass. Nobody ever tried it there before. I'll be using a cheap manual spreader which works pretty good....Spread and go. See what happens.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Good luck! Im assuming you are doing annual rye? Should be easier to control by Spring. Also, maybe after droping the seed on the plots you could cover them up with burlap or straw mats to hold moisture. This might help them pop faster for a true cover crop over late fall and winter.

@OvGraphics Жыл бұрын

@@TurfMechanic Thank TM. Well...it's a little rustic for all that. Ha. And yep.... Ya know, rye...the rye kinda rye is in a common deer blend, or you just buy it straight out. This time around I'm laying down good old grass seed. It will be gone when everything else starts popping this spring. The experiment is to see if it'll just grow out there in the woody woods without help. If you're curious I'll holler back later.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

@@OvGraphics always curious, update me if you think about it

@chrisglenn2096 2 жыл бұрын

Great job! I wish you would’ve used a lawn roller on HALF the lawn to compare results!

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris...YES, I wish I had done that too, or maybe covered the seed on half the lawn to show the difference side by side. Ohh well, maybe I'll do another video in the future with a comparison element to it.

@samsilver6871 Жыл бұрын

How do u keep the birds away?

@trollhunter8842 2 жыл бұрын

I heard using hydretain during seeding works miracles.

@dann285 Жыл бұрын

Wher do folks install a new seed lawn going into the summer??

@liveyourbestlawn 2 жыл бұрын

I missed seeing the grass last winter, so I did a similar seeding trial in a small controlled environment. Interestingly the university of Minnesota Extension has shown that optimally 10% of the seed should be visible. Makes me wonder if I've been top dressing too heavy.

@hermanhale9258 Жыл бұрын

By mistake I dumped some grass seed into a container I wanted to plant lettuce in. I put about an inch or two of soil on top of the grass seed and planted the lettuce, thinking the grass seed was too deep to grow. But plenty of it did grow.

@liveyourbestlawn Жыл бұрын

@@hermanhale9258 interesting. As long as there's seed to soil contact the seed will dig its roots in and push through, looking for the light.

@michellezunnurain 8 ай бұрын

Yes

@craigschray4486 2 ай бұрын

I just spread seed and put straw down but the wind blew much of it away. So I just keep watering it

@BrenttheGreat Жыл бұрын

Is this mostly bluegrass?

@darkhumphrey Жыл бұрын

what about in clay soil

@WeCanoe54 Жыл бұрын

Hi - thanks for the vid! If a moisture meter shows the soil as moist or wet, can I skip watering that day? Many thanks!!

@enzomoya1689 2 ай бұрын

10:18

@matthijsverweijmeren6114 Жыл бұрын

quickest results with covering up with transparent plastic foil creating a greenhouse environment and prevent it from getting dry

@dinmavric5504 Жыл бұрын

threw down so much clover in bare parts of the yard. most of it ended up being pigeon food, some has germinated though. but next time i'm covering.

@thoacampbell2898 2 ай бұрын

I'm learning alot from your videos. Question: I have a new lawn from seed in 3.5 weeks. I see a ton of spots, should I sprinkle in compost/topsoil to fill in the bare spots and then seed again?

@TurfMechanic 2 ай бұрын

I would say no, I'm guessing you have a cool season lawn so correct me if I'm wrong. Give it some fertilizer, let it grow long. If you can get a root growth stimulant on it before Mid June then you'll just ride out summer and then in late summer to early Fall you can put extra seed down in the thin spots for a fantastic end of season. If you seed now (end of Spring) most of the sprouts will come up and then die through summer. Do the topdressing and overseed in August. You'll waste less money on seed because if you do it now you'll probably need to do it again in august/sept anyway which will double your seed expense.

@stevenm3141 Жыл бұрын

Uncovered quickly turns in a feeding festival and/or wind tunnel. Erosion also adds to the problem. At the very least hay, fresh cut grass should be used to cover up.

@photoeducationbydaniel 3 ай бұрын

You have germination after three days right?

@miguelamontesp610 Жыл бұрын

When just some of the seeds sprout, do you seed again immediately on the barespots or do you recommend to wait some time after the first mowing to seed again?

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

my video for tomorrow morning addresses this exactly. I overseed thin spots again if need be or if I desire a more perfect look. Check Monday's video out for more though. In this video however I didn't overseed as the point was to show how seeding a lawn without covering the seed was the main point.

@SVW1976 Жыл бұрын

This just makes everything harder for you. If you already have a lawn and you want to add seed then go go ahead and just spread it. But if I was doing a restoration like this i would cover it with some soil, peat, or hay.

@TurfandStem 2 жыл бұрын

For spot seeding, I try to put a cover over it. When I renovated my large area of lawn, almost 25,000 sq/ft, a covering just isn't feasible or economical.

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

When I do small spot repairs even big tupperware bowls work well. They are super easy to take on and off and protect the seed way more than leaving them exposed. Works like a charm. For bigger spot repairs garden crop cover works like a charm too. Peat moss over full "normal size" lawns certainly is messy and physically challenging to apply but man it sure helps the seed to come in efficiently...and you're right as lawn size starts approaching 1/2 acre or more then the cost of topdressing the seed in both money and time starts getting out of hand and that's when doing the seeding at the optimal time of year becomes even more important. I keep telling my friend that lives at this house that doing this through Spring is way harder than if we were doing this in Sept.

@juzoli 2 жыл бұрын

You should still rake it, so those seeds will be partially in ground at least.

@jenniferhunter4074 2 жыл бұрын

@@TurfMechanic What about using shade cloth to cover the sunny sections of the lawn? I use them with my raised garden beds for my veggies. 40-50% shade cloth pegged down just above the ground might work?

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

@@jenniferhunter4074 I use frost blankets or crop cover all the time ordinarily. Have a number of vids on the channel showing me using them. They work very well especially in cool weather where speed of germination is less important. For hot weather they also help but don't hold the moisture in as well so I still use a bit of peat moss usually. My seeding last year using these combined tactics resulted in very fast very consistent germination even in the Spring.

@rodgersandrodgers8191 Жыл бұрын

What type of seed did you put down? Thank you for sharing this.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

This Lawn was seeded with a 50% mix of tall fescues and a 50% rate of creeping red fine fescue.

@StevenCampbell1955 2 ай бұрын

Small areas like that show would hav benefited by raking lightly to incorporate the seed even to a shallow depth. Or heavily over seeding if cost is not a factor.

@Coinfox Жыл бұрын

Awesome

@brucehall8570 11 ай бұрын

So I laid my seed on Sunday, and I typically lay down straw, but this time I didn't, but I think I'm regretting my decision so today is Wednesday, can I still put the start down or is it to late, btw still no germination at all

@TurfMechanic 11 ай бұрын

Go for it, I see no harm, only upside potential

@garethburke7296 Жыл бұрын

Please please "help" I'm new to the gardening business.I decided to upgrade my lawn.The earth is very chalky?I cut lawn on lowest setting.Hired a scarifier which amazed me just how much moss ect came off.I manualy aerated 🤐 used good quality fertiliser in my spreader followed by smartland gro sure smart lawn seed.No roller so had to rake & tread in seeds.Then I realised I hadn't put down my organic top soil 😬.The prep toke me a good couple days & am now begining to think it's all in vain as I've cut out a key ingredient.I have been water sprinkling past 2 days but my question is... can I now go back and topsoil & re-seed again over the seeding I've already put down.So basically I want to add quality soil now if that can be done? Or am I now to late.. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.... Its been keeping me awake at night 😅

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Go ahead and cover it up now, after only 2-3 days nothing is germinating yet so just cover it up and keep watering. You probably don't even have to add any more seed.

@wllingtonsingh5080 2 ай бұрын

Is there different types of seeds.Seeds for sun and shaded area?

@380stroker 2 ай бұрын

Yes

@stevej-j6p Жыл бұрын

Great video! Starting from scratch like this, how many years does it take to have a really full lawn?

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Same season is all you need. Starting now it can be full by November. Here is the same lawn after aon overseed and fertilization in August. The lawn is almost completely full now. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i9RxfqSf1s_Qo2w.html

@OregonBacon Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the video... after getting a bid to cover an acre in seed with some system I've never heard of for nearly 10K I decided I'm going to spread it myself for 1K. It was all weeds before with fox tales and not level so we did hire someone to level the soil, then bought chainlink fence doubled it up with a rope to pull behind the riding lawnmower to finish it up. Going to just seed and found your video... appreciate it.

@johnp82 Жыл бұрын

So if the seed dries up too much, can you just water it more to bring it back or is the seed dead at a that point?

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Good question, my less than scientific answer is that ungerminated seed can dry out and be brought back by starting to water it again but germination rates will start declining if this happens severly or frequently. Some seed however will never come back while others may start germinating and then die off very quickly if they dry out too much...that of course means they can't germinate again. Even thin germination will thicken up over time as the sprounts mature and thicken into more substantial plants. This is why some people add more seed to get dense turf fast while others take the slower route and get dense turf the following season. Hope that is helpful.

@seckintufan5191 Жыл бұрын

I am living in Türkiye and city climate is like your texas. I throw seed on soil and didnt put topsoil on it. I Just press seeds to soil by my feet. 2 time a Day mornjng and night i wster them . İt is under sun all day. What should i do to success?

@msk3905 Жыл бұрын

Do you need to do i? No i do it all the time, does all of it grow no but if you over apply you can get good results. Ideally you should cover or sink a bit but there are times that i don’t have time so i just throw down seed with decent results but not as good as when i slightly embed. Sometimes in a hurry ill cover slightly with peat moss. Even if i do it correct my results are mixed so if seeding from scratch no matter how you do it you’ll need to do it a few times over the years.

@enochrry6024 Жыл бұрын

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have the seeds soaked in water a couple of days before putting them down on the ground?,.I've even seen some people who have the seeds and soil in a wheel barrel germinating,then put both on the ground.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Yep, presoaking them is helpful and can speed up germination. Makes spreading a bit more tricky but not too much harder. I soaked seed for faster germination in this vid if you want to take a look kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mrSnpt2bsp2-fJc.html

@p007lee 2 жыл бұрын

Covering seeds seems like the winner here.

@mikephillips950 Жыл бұрын

Definitely , less food for the birdies (lol).

@visionquest414 Ай бұрын

hey :) Did you roll over the seed to ensure seed to soil contact?

@TurfMechanic Ай бұрын

I believe I foot tamped it for this video, it's been a couple years so my memory is fuzzy but that's what I usually do since I typically work on smaller lawn spaces where that's feasible.

@visionquest414 Ай бұрын

@@TurfMechanic Gotcha.. really loving your vids... I tried again to grow some grass the other day in some spots. I was unsuccessful. M uncle was hear the other day. He has a lawn himself. I asked, any idea why it's not growing. He looked and asked "where's the seed?".. as though I'm not supposed to cover it at all.. I barely had it under the soil though. 1I made it nice and lose.. Added some new top soil. ut down seed... Patted it in to soil with my hand.. sprinkled some top soil on it and thats it.. Am I supposed to tap it again after sprinkling some top soil? He made it seem like I shouldn't put anything on it. It was rather discouraging. I've seen your vid where u grew grass without covering it.. but I dont know why it's not growing. I picked up Scott' ez seed repair to see if that would work? So frusrated...

@brothertax 2 жыл бұрын

I think I missed it. What type of seed are you using?

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Half tall fescue half creeping red fescue, I left that out of the vid to keep it all more palatable to beginners. Very shade tolerant and low maintenance with high drought tolerance.

@asegarra5279 2 жыл бұрын

Nice work. I have an area under some trees that I had groomed allowing a lot more sun through and planning on seeding. What type of grass seed did you put down?

@TurfMechanic 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Angel, it was a ~50% tttf mix of three different varieties and a ~50% creeping red fescue. I think the Tenacity bleached a bit of the fine fescue near the playground which I probably accidentally overapplied in that area but the color seems to be coming back. Since the whole lawn zone a quite shady for a lot of the day I wanted a higher density of creeping red mixed in. Also both should require low inputs in future seasons in terms of water and fert, this is great for the homeowner who is not a lawn fanatic. Low maintenance is very high on their list for the time being.

@asegarra5279 2 жыл бұрын

Good to know, thanks

@ezpz4659 Жыл бұрын

Can I use Coco Coir, instead of Peat moss?

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Yes, that's better to use but not as common, a bit harder to work with but definitely go that route if you can.

@DAH-ss1nu 2 жыл бұрын

What do you think about "scratching it in" where you spread the seed on bare dirt and then rake it in with a grass rake? I've had fairly good results covering a large area (.4 acre) by laying down the seed and then using the riding mower to run a tow-behind agri-fab scratch dethatcher over it several times and the seed appeared to disappear into the dirt. The area was just too large to put down peat moss.

@danielleg2616 Жыл бұрын

Is your yard over 2000 sq ft?

@DAH-ss1nu Жыл бұрын

@@danielleg2616 Well over, total grass area is close to 3/4 an acre, maybe more.

@rodgersandrodgers8191 Жыл бұрын

I thought someone once told me... Do not put down pre-emergence within a certain period of time after new seating or overseeding. Did I misunderstand what he said?

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

You didn't misunderstand, when seeding a new lawn space you should probably wait at minimum three months if not more to apply pre-emergent because it can root prune baby grass and slow new root development in the immature stand. Many lawns however can take a dose or three of mesotrione after sprouting to control weed competition, mesotrione has both pre and post emergent like traits but the process is different and the effects are short lived.

@WeatherNut27 Жыл бұрын

I tried nothing, peat moss, straw and compost. Straw worked the best, then peat moss

@ptaeiy 2 ай бұрын

Can I cover with grass clippings?

@TurfMechanic 2 ай бұрын

I think that's a great idea, make sure you have enough to cover well though because as grass clipping dry out their size drops considerably. They wont hold moisture like peat moss either so if the layer is too thin they won't help the seed much

@ptaeiy 2 ай бұрын

@@TurfMechanic Thanks for the quick reply. I'll try it.

@jamesritz7254 9 ай бұрын

Yes. Next

@boscobeans Жыл бұрын

Mix your seed with equal volume of clumping unscented kitty litter. Spread so the correct amount of seed (not mix) is used and water lightly and frequently as shown in your video. NO NEED TO COVER. No need to top dress unless you are trying to smooth out your lawn.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Whoa! What an interesting idea; I don't know when I'll try this but I will have to soon. Thanks for the out of the box idea Bert!

@blasesanzone1556 Жыл бұрын

I use the cheapest stove pellets that I can buy and spread them by hand on top of the seeded areas. You don't need to put them down too heavily because once they get wet they expand to 3-5 times their size out of the bag. The pellets retain moisture and disintegrated after germination took place. Really works well.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

@@blasesanzone1556 another really cool idea, thank you for sharing!

@robertchandler2124 Жыл бұрын

I will try it but if I get an influx of cats going potty in my yard I know who to blame! ;)

@stevenmiller3330 Жыл бұрын

Couldn't you have pre germinated the seed and then done exactly as you did. Probably would have been much faster

@rogerandjoan4329 Жыл бұрын

Doesn’t the tenacity interfere with germination of grass seed?

@jonathanjonathan5695 Жыл бұрын

Nope - its best use is as a pre-emergent for seeding.

@rogerandjoan4329 Жыл бұрын

@@jonathanjonathan5695 All the other weed killers always say to wait weeks to put down seed after applying.

@jonathanjonathan5695 Жыл бұрын

@@rogerandjoan4329 Tenacity works differently and isn't very strong.

@rogerandjoan4329 Жыл бұрын

@@jonathanjonathan5695 I was under the impression of just the opposite. Thanks.

@iqlawnsolutions1301 2 жыл бұрын

🔥🔥🔥

@wattsobx 10 ай бұрын

was this Fescue or Bluegrass?

@TurfMechanic 10 ай бұрын

Fescue

@lazygardens 9 ай бұрын

Plant in late fall and let the snow take care of it.

@uberdome1 Ай бұрын

I dont understand why you would not rake it in. Very simple!

@TurfMechanic Ай бұрын

You'd be amazed how many people want to know if they can just drop seed on the ground, water, and walk away. Millions. I hated doing this to the lawn when I filmed this video. It's SOOO much harder to grow grass by just sprinkling the seed on the ground and walking away. It can be done but as you said, why wouldn't you rake it in or even better, cover it up with peat moss or light textured top soil?

@jonfastofficial2460 2 ай бұрын

you can grow grass without covering the seed, but you will need way more water and way slower germination process. and potentially wind blowing away your seeds

@TurfMechanic 2 ай бұрын

Truth...and expectations for visual appearance in the end should be low

@randycaulkins3644 Ай бұрын

We didn't and it grew just fine!

@madman432000 Жыл бұрын

Gopher hawk for that mole.

@rickyfuller6174 Жыл бұрын

How about overseeing an established lawn

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Overseeding an established lawn will be easier without covering because the existing grass provides cover, shade, moisture retention more than bare dirt does. If you scarify the lawn before Overseeding then that makes it work even better as that will improve seed to soil contact...but still if you do overseed and then cover it all with peat moss, straw blankets, crop cover or something else then it will take off even faster.

@hermanhale9258 Жыл бұрын

Oops, sprinkled some left over grass seed today and forgot to cover it.

@Mark300win 2 жыл бұрын

A tarp would’ve saved you alot of time and watering. Seeds don’t need sun to germinate, just warmth and moisture.

@cjat2224 Жыл бұрын

the birds have given me a lot of trouble, I don't know how to scare them away anymore, they eat my seeds... I am very upset.

@TurfMechanic Жыл бұрын

Go to a garden store and ask for crop cover, so.ething that let's light through. Lightly cover your seed bed and the birds won't get to the seed. Usually water can go though these fabrics but you may been to water heavier and maybe remove the fabric ocassionally to maintain the seedbed.