New seeding and fall

[Fanatical Meat]

Been a hot & dry summer. I have multiple large patches I need to re-seed. I plan on a blue grass fescue mix, plus a little rye seed I have left from late spring.
Now is also the time range I should apply falls weed & feed. I’m not too concerned about weeds, I have a ton of clovers now but those are super simple to deal with.
I haven’t fed my grass since spring.

Should I plant new seed and do the fall weed & feed end of September/beginning of October
Or
Should I plant new seed and follow up with a starter fertilizer
Or
Something different?

I tend to use Lesco or Scott’s fertilizer because both work good enough and are easy to acquire.

New grass is going into spots that vary from 50-50 sun vs shade to 100% sun.

 

[herm0016]

i would apply weed and feed after germination. you soil temp has to be above about 55 for germination to occur.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Yeah ideally I should have planted two weeks ago and watered but I didn’t.
I do have at least 5 more weeks of 60s plus temps.

 

[pcgeek11]

It is ill advised to weed and feed at the same time as you are trying to germinate grass.

Weed And Feed and Grass Seed At Same Time?

A plan weed and feed product to your lawn may seem like a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.

agreenhand.com

Hindering New Growth
Weed and feed products work by preventing new growth, effectively stopping weed seeds from sprouting and newly sprouted wheat from flourishing. However, the herbicides used are insufficient to target weeds only; grass grains and any new grass growth are the same.

It can take up to four weeks for the herbicide effective to fade, so sowing grass soon after applying weed and feed is likely futile because new grass won’t be able to grow.


When To Sow Seed
If you must sow grass seed after applying weed and feed, wait for at least four to six weeks before doing so to ensure the herbicide won’t prevent the seeds from sprouting. Prepare seedbeds with the help of a rake which is one of the important garden tools that every gardener should have. It helps the seeds to have proper contact with the ground and prevents any bare patches.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I didn’t know they made this without the “weed” formulation.
I don’t see any do not apply to new grass warning.
What do you guys think?

Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Lawn Food | Scotts

Fall is the best time to feed with Scotts Turf Builder WinterGuard Fall Lawn Food. This fall fertilizer builds strong, deep grass roots for a better lawn next s

www.scotts.com

weeds are a minimal issue this year, the summer was very hot and dry.
Only weed I have more than usual are clovers but they don’t stress me too much because they don’t look that bad and they are super easy to kill. I can easily wait until later to deal with the clovers.

 

[herm0016]

and get this rake. it really is the best rake i have ever used. rake the areas well before seeding to promote good soil contact.

Amazon.com : TRG GK102R The Groundskeeper II Rake, yellow : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : TRG GK102R The Groundskeeper II Rake, yellow : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

 

[Fanatical Meat]

and get this rake. it really is the best rake i have ever used. rake the areas well before seeding to promote good soil contact.

Amazon.com : TRG GK102R The Groundskeeper II Rake, yellow : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : TRG GK102R The Groundskeeper II Rake, yellow : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

I have an old school metal rake that works pretty well for this. Real similar to this but it is more like a strong leaf rake that is sort of springy.
I de-thatched around 2/3rds the area in the spring. With some raking I should be in decent shape.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've got a lawn tractor and a dethatcher attachment. You weight it down with some concrete blocks and it has long stiff wires that drag the thatch up. I do that, then go back over the lawn with a bagging mower a few times a year.

Reseeding, we usually do that in late September/early October (before Oct 15) One approach I've tried in years past is to actually plant Rye grass....it's an annual, but it's cheap and grew in spots that fescue failed for some reason. I was able to then overseed that area every few months and the fescue filled in, rather than weeds that were there.

We spread weed and feed and you could see a serious difference between our yard and our neighbor's yard. Dandelions weren't bad at all this year compared to year's past.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I've got a lawn tractor and a dethatcher attachment. You weight it down with some concrete blocks and it has long stiff wires that drag the thatch up. I do that, then go back over the lawn with a bagging mower a few times a year.

Reseeding, we usually do that in late September/early October (before Oct 15) One approach I've tried in years past is to actually plant Rye grass....it's an annual, but it's cheap and grew in spots that fescue failed for some reason. I was able to then overseed that area every few months and the fescue filled in, rather than weeds that were there.

We spread weed and feed and you could see a serious difference between our yard and our neighbor's yard. Dandelions weren't bad at all this year compared to year's past.

I’d love to have a tractor. No room to store it and lawn is just too small and not level enough to justify it.
I am jealous of what you have.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

In the spring I picked up the cheap sun joe electric power rake/thatcher.
YouTube reviews are accurate. Thing felt cheap like a kids toy, worked really well and broke the instant it hit a thick tree root.
If you have a yard without big rocks or roots this is a cheap & simple solution.

Pros:
Light and easy to handle
Works better than expected
Quiet
Easy to store
Easy to assemble

Cons:
Super fragile
Appears just about every moving part is made from plastic

 

[Scarpozzi]

I’d love to have a tractor. No room to store it and lawn is just too small and not level enough to justify it.
I am jealous of what you have.

You should be. My wife likes riding my lawn tractor....I let her mow often.

 

[Scarpozzi]

In the spring I picked up the cheap sun joe electric power rake/thatcher.
YouTube reviews are accurate. Thing felt cheap like a kids toy, worked really well and broke the instant it hit a thick tree root.
If you have a yard without big rocks or roots this is a cheap & simple solution.

Pros:
Light and easy to handle
Works better than expected
Quiet
Easy to store
Easy to assemble

Cons:
Super fragile
Appears just about every moving part is made from plastic

Easy to store is the key. You probably only want to use this a few times a year. It sucks to have something you can break down and shelf somewhere.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Easy to store is the key. You probably only want to use this a few times a year. It sucks to have something you can break down and shelf somewhere.

I have too many roots, I felt I’d be perpetually replacing it.
Sun Joe is real easy about warrenty replacements, just takes a while to ship. Extended 3(?) year was like $20.
I ended up returning it.
As earlier if you have a root & rock free yard it’s a great tool. Just assume at some point you will need to replace it.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I have too many roots, I felt I’d be perpetually replacing it.
Sun Joe is real easy about warrenty replacements, just takes a while to ship. Extended 3(?) year was like $20.
I ended up returning it.
As earlier if you have a root & rock free yard it’s a great tool. Just assume at some point you will need to replace it.

Or you just mark where you have roots and rocks and dethatch around them. It shouldn't go deeper than half a an inch.

I like the non-mechanized version I have. The wires that hang down have springs and they catch the thatch/dirt and fling it to the surface. It makes for easy collection with a bagging push mower I have. I usually end up with 6+ solid bags of grass clippings when I do that.

 

[herm0016]

I have a wire spring dethacher and core areator to pull behind my garden tractor. They work ok. You can get perennial rye as well, most of my yard is rye. Nothing really beats a good hand raking. I did my whole yard this spring, we have an acre of land and about half is grass.

 

[bbhaag]

Don't use weed and feed on or near the new grass. If you want to do both at the same time then my recommendation is to rake and rough up the area you want to seed then broadcast the grass seed and keep watering it until it germinates. Then continue to water it for several weeks. If you want to use a starter fertilizer that is fine but wait two weeks after 75% of the seed has germinated to apply it.

AFTER the seed has germinated and is starting to fill in you can spread the weed and feed on your already established lawn but keep a three feet perimeter around the areas you recently seeded. Most weed and feeds contain 2,4-D which has a tendency to drift even in granular form and you don't want it on your newly seeded grass. It will burn the shit out of it and kill the roots.

 

[RazorBladeMaster]

Yeah, that's most probably true, I'd try the same.

 

[pcgeek11]

Don't use weed and feed on or near the new grass. If you want to do both at the same time then my recommendation is to rake and rough up the area you want to seed then broadcast the grass seed and keep watering it until it germinates. Then continue to water it for several weeks. If you want to use a starter fertilizer that is fine but wait two weeks after 75% of the seed has germinated to apply it.

AFTER the seed has germinated and is starting to fill in you can spread the weed and feed on your already established lawn but keep a three feet perimeter around the areas you recently seeded. Most weed and feeds contain 2,4-D which has a tendency to drift even in granular form and you don't want it on your newly seeded grass. It will burn the shit out of it and kill the roots.

Told them already in post # 4. ....

 

[jmagg]

Incidentally.
We just did a small sidewalk project that needed a grass apron. This seed amazed me, germinated in about 6 days and mowed in 14. Ive never seen rye germinate so fast. Its coated.
https://www.scotts.com/en-us/products/grass-seed/scotts-turf-builder-grass-seed-sun-shade-mix

 

[turtile]

I'm assuming I'm too late for this thread. I'm not sure where you are located (or if you are using KBG/TF - because this advice could be totally wrong if you are using different types) but it's generally not very helpful to apply weed and feed in late August/September because the products generally don't kill the weeds common at that time of the year. Pre-emergent for winter weeds is the only herbicide that should be needed. If you are re-seeding, the tall fescue should complete very well. Fortunately, there is a pre-emergent that doesn't stop tall fescue germination called Tenacity. It will also suppress various emerged weeds as well. Not the greatest pre-emergent but it helps.

Starter fertilizer is only required if your lawn is low in phosphorus. Otherwise, it's better to use a normal lawn fertilizer. It should be done right before or during seeding. I do three applications in the late summer/fall. 1lb. N w/ slow release September, 1lb. N w/ slow release October, .5lb N quick release the week before potential ground freeze. Higher amounts might be needed depending on soil. It's better to wait until March (maybe later where you are located) to apply weed and feed and then a split application of pre-emergent later.

 

[Aharami]

Fall Seeding Supplement.pdf

drive.google.com

This will help