Delayed all year to do something about this mess of a lawn my builder
put in. 3/4 acre lawn is 1 yr old and patchy at best. I'd like to rent
an overseeder from HD and try an get some new growth before winter. Am
I too late? Also, if I can should I fertilize when I seed? What type of
fertilizer should I use? I've got a fair amount of small rocks that
have popped up as a result of the lack of growth and the soil is hard
packed, will I trash the overseeder if this is the case? Thanks for
your advice.

wrote:
Delayed all year to do something about this mess of a lawn my builder
put in. 3/4 acre lawn is 1 yr old and patchy at best. I'd like to rent
an overseeder from HD and try an get some new growth before winter. Am
I too late? Also, if I can should I fertilize when I seed? What type of
fertilizer should I use? I've got a fair amount of small rocks that
have popped up as a result of the lack of growth and the soil is hard
packed, will I trash the overseeder if this is the case? Thanks for
your advice.


You still have a couple of weeks to renovate. I just did mine here in
NJ 10 days ago. Apply starter fertilizer immediately after seeding.
I'd also rent a core aerator first, since your soil is compacted.
That will open it up. I've rented a slice seeder from HD before and
it was OK, but it would not be my first choice. Locally, the private
tool rental shops have better units. Make sure you mow short before
starting.

You should also have the soil PH tested and adjust by adding lime as
needed. In many areas there are state/county agri extension services
that will do it. Or you can buy one of the test kits, which are OK for
just PH.

Finally, one other consideration. If what you have is mostly desirable
grass, then overseeding is a good plan. If you have undesirable grass,
ie grass that is too coarse, disease prone etc, or more weeds than
grass, then killing what's there and then reseeding is the way to go.
To do that, you kill what's there with Roundup or another glyphosate,
then can reseed in 7 days later. You have a large area, so hopefully
you have a sprinkler system to keep it constantly wet for 2 weeks.
Otherwise, you'll be at the mercy of the weather.

Make sure you find the best grass seed of the appropriate type for what
you want to do. Lots of good info on seeds, etc avail at seedland.com

Good luck.

wrote:
Delayed all year to do something about this mess of a lawn my builder
put in. 3/4 acre lawn is 1 yr old and patchy at best. I'd like to rent
an overseeder from HD and try an get some new growth before winter. Am
I too late? Also, if I can should I fertilize when I seed? What type
of fertilizer should I use? I've got a fair amount of small rocks that
have popped up as a result of the lack of growth and the soil is hard
packed, will I trash the overseeder if this is the case? Thanks for
your advice.

You are not too late for over seeding, but I suspect it will not fix the
problem.

Soil conditions, drainage, shade etc all come into play. I doubt if you
can do the testing and correction work before it will be too late to seed
this fall. However I suggest that is the way to go. Find out why the
original seeding failed first and correct that. You can start with the
Hamilton County Extension Service and see what they suggest. Don't rely on
local commercial sources as they all tend to find problems that their
product or service can fix.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

You should try out rec.gardens. Zone 5 grass planting is time is usually
Sept. 15. With the generally warmer winters we're having I think you have
time.


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Delayed all year to do something about this mess of a lawn my builder
put in. 3/4 acre lawn is 1 yr old and patchy at best. I'd like to rent
an overseeder from HD and try an get some new growth before winter. Am
I too late? Also, if I can should I fertilize when I seed? What type of
fertilizer should I use? I've got a fair amount of small rocks that
have popped up as a result of the lack of growth and the soil is hard
packed, will I trash the overseeder if this is the case? Thanks for
your advice.