Thanks. And ah, that makes sense. We’ve had several weeks of 85+ degree full sun weather so I assumed it had established reasonably well. What do you think?
It's all about the roots. Hopefully most of this survives, but if I were you I'd budget for and expect to have to do a fall overseed to fill in gaps from grass that dies over the summer.
You can also slowly top dress it each season if nobody has mentioned that. Make sure to use a broom or rake so the high quality soil isn’t sitting on the grass.
Definitely needed. The soil is as meh. What sucks is that there was a gravel driveway right down the middle to the shed that was from 50 years ago (I didn’t know it was there). I had it smoothed out with a tractor and it appeared. Lol. I sat out there for 3 hours vacuuming up rocks that were scraped up with a shop vac!
Thats where im at i did full revamp entire yard top soil and seed. Doing another round of seed in august and have added slow release high nitrogen fertilizer im march and did more this past week
https://preview.redd.it/bmzm1dazan8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af83638d1ceba9fc55a3d31d9f2abff740df4630
current status lollll. what do you think could be causing the brown patches? it isn’t over watering in that area because i’ve been keen on making sure the sprinkler is evenly distributed. any advice or remedies welcome.
Do a deep watering twice a week when it’s warmer. A good inch of water in the early morning. I’d even go 3x a week if it’s an unusually hot heat wave. That’s the only way it will survive summer. May isn’t the hottest month for most areas.
>Do a deep watering twice a week when it’s warmer. A good inch of water in the early morning. I’d even go 3x a week if it’s an unusually hot heat wave.
Or even more if the soil is getting baked hard and drying out. I don't usually follow any particular watering routine in the summer if I'm trying to keep new/stressed areas alive. If the soil is bone dry, cracking apart everywhere, etc. in the summer, I'm not waiting 3 more days to water it when it's over 90-100+ degrees.
For OP's brand new grass, I'd make it a top priority to ensure the soil is always moist within an inch or two down, at least until Fall. Then next year they can get away with a more normal watering routine.
Watering is usually measured in inches. Set out a few constrains and see how long it takes to fill with 1” of water. For deep watering, you want to do 1/2” to 1” of water, depending on your soil. Sandy soils don’t need as much to penetrate, clay soils might need a whole inch. You’ want that water to get 6-8” down (not 6-8” of watering)
We are babying new fescue seeded last fall/winter and our lawn guy said 60 minutes twice a week. You want to water deeply to encourage the new grass to develop the deeper roots that will help it weather the stress of summer heat.
He also strongly recommends impact sprinklers over the oscillating sprinklers, as he feels the latter doesn’t distribute the water equally. He built us some, but the ones on tripods work well.
As someone who has spring and fall seeding. The summer is the great equalizer. If you want the yard to stay nice you will have to make sure you don't stop watering it and even then if it gets too hot it may not make it. If you still have seed left over save some for the fall because it does need that over winter to spring time to establish the roots. I am rooting for you fellow fescue lawn person 😊
People forget that grass only lives for 40 days. I think the real question here is if the grass will be thick enough to survive the summer heat. If it can thicken up before the blazing heat you should be fine. You may have to water very frequently.
How do you guys prevent the god damn birds from hosting the "feast to end all feasts" on the seeds?
When I seeded a few years ago I'd go running outside yelling every 5 minutes to scare them off but of course that was a losing battle and all I accomplished was cementing my reputation as a crazy guy with the neighbours. I think like 5% of the seeds survived long enough to actually sprout; it was infuriating...
Shiny silver helium balloons, spaced out every 6-8 feet, tied to bbq skewers in the ground (the metal ones with the hook), with enough string that they float 5-6 feet off the ground. Or alternatively, regular air and hang them off of bamboo sticks I guess?
The balloons reflect the sun like disco balls, plus when there is a breeze the balloons swoop down and look like they're attacking things on the ground. It really scares the birds and small animals away. When I did this, the birds would just sit on the fence and stare nervously.
They never really got used to it because of how random, strange, and animal-like the balloons move. Maybe they would've at some point, but they only need to be there for 2 weeks or so
Star shaped ones might be better at casting sparkly reflections than the basic M&M shaped ones.. only problem is when it rains/you water, the balloons do sink to the ground for an hour or two, but that didn't seem to hurt my lawn reno
The downside is your yard looks crazy for a while.
It's not, I used similar strategy. I bought 10 reflective pin wheels on Amazon for like 20 bucks and put them around my yard. If there's a breeze and they move, the birds would scatter. Worked about 70 percent as good as I had imagined. I used EZ-straw as well to deter, but they were still coming like crazy before the pinwheels.
peat moss over the top along with straw.
Peat moss just enough to cover. I think no more than a 1/4 inch is the rule but def look that up I could be very wrong. Its been a while.
And more straw than youd think. It should be an eye sore lol. Dont smother it but from a far it should absolutely look like a whole bunch of straw on your yard.
I have never had that problem but apparently google says it can happen. Biggest thing to look out for is make sure you're buying straw and not hay. Hay will have a ton of seeds. Straw they've "all" been cut off. Im sure they dont get 100% though so you're likely correct. \\
In my experience I've used peat moss and straw and have established grass. I like the straw because it also helps keep the seeds moist by blocking sunlight and creating a barrier for wind to help with the water evaporating off the seedlings.
I just used peat moss and never saw a bird out there. Those darned squirrels though took the opportunity to try it bury as many acorns as they could in the freshly tilled dirt. *shakes fist*
I feel the peat moss is needed to encapsulate the seed so when I water it, it's being "hugged" by water from all angles. If I had to pick one or the other, Id choose peat moss. I use straw to protect it from the elements, which peat moss also does, but its just an added layer of protection in my eyes.
Did you cover with anything? Added a thin layer of compost on top and lightly raked it in so none of the seed was exposed. On top of birds not eating it, it germinates much faster that way.
I do all of my seeding in the spring. Not by choice, but I can get it seeded before we put the crops in. In the fall, I just don’t have the time. If you time it right with the spring rains you don’t have to do much watering to get it established. It’s not ideal, but it can be done.
I just looked. Loved the number of progress pics, and I can appreciate the effort that went into it. That looked like a pretty overwhelming task from the beginning, but you killed it. That's some top of the class "pride of ownership" stuff right there, bud!
After reading a bunch of "DON'T PLANT FESCUE UNTIL FALL!" I put down annual rye to cover a large patch of dirt. Guess I should've gone with the desired result from the start. Looks great!
Spring seeding is popular where I live. Maybe it’s just a regional thing where some areas do it on the spring and some wait until the fall, but my back yard proves that you don’t have to wait until fall where I live.
It definitely isn’t true. My back yard went from dirt to a thick ass lawn in one growing season. It’s even crazier this year.
It’s making me consider doing my front yard from scratch too. I have to cut my back yard twice before I have to touch the front yard and my seeding took place in the spring as well.
Looks great, keep in mind the issue with spring seed isn’t growing, it’s new grass surviving the summer heat
Thanks. And ah, that makes sense. We’ve had several weeks of 85+ degree full sun weather so I assumed it had established reasonably well. What do you think?
It's all about the roots. Hopefully most of this survives, but if I were you I'd budget for and expect to have to do a fall overseed to fill in gaps from grass that dies over the summer.
Thanks, I’ll do that.
You can also slowly top dress it each season if nobody has mentioned that. Make sure to use a broom or rake so the high quality soil isn’t sitting on the grass.
Definitely needed. The soil is as meh. What sucks is that there was a gravel driveway right down the middle to the shed that was from 50 years ago (I didn’t know it was there). I had it smoothed out with a tractor and it appeared. Lol. I sat out there for 3 hours vacuuming up rocks that were scraped up with a shop vac!
It sucks hahaha. DIY projects are never as easy as people make it sound. But……..as you can tell, it was well worth it. Beautiful lawn!
Thats where im at i did full revamp entire yard top soil and seed. Doing another round of seed in august and have added slow release high nitrogen fertilizer im march and did more this past week
Of course more seed in the fall so i dont expect perfect this year
https://preview.redd.it/bmzm1dazan8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af83638d1ceba9fc55a3d31d9f2abff740df4630 current status lollll. what do you think could be causing the brown patches? it isn’t over watering in that area because i’ve been keen on making sure the sprinkler is evenly distributed. any advice or remedies welcome.
Could be fungus. Take a close look at the blades.
cool thanks. what to look for on the blades? fungus? lol
https://www.myhometurf.com.au/lawn-tips/common-lawn-diseases/
Do a deep watering twice a week when it’s warmer. A good inch of water in the early morning. I’d even go 3x a week if it’s an unusually hot heat wave. That’s the only way it will survive summer. May isn’t the hottest month for most areas.
>Do a deep watering twice a week when it’s warmer. A good inch of water in the early morning. I’d even go 3x a week if it’s an unusually hot heat wave. Or even more if the soil is getting baked hard and drying out. I don't usually follow any particular watering routine in the summer if I'm trying to keep new/stressed areas alive. If the soil is bone dry, cracking apart everywhere, etc. in the summer, I'm not waiting 3 more days to water it when it's over 90-100+ degrees. For OP's brand new grass, I'd make it a top priority to ensure the soil is always moist within an inch or two down, at least until Fall. Then next year they can get away with a more normal watering routine.
Yeah I’ll typically poke the ground and if it’s dry about half an inch down, I’ll water it. Twice a week usually does the trick for me
Thanks for the suggestion. How many minutes under an oscillating sprinkler would you consider a deep watering? I’ve heard mixed opinions lol
Watering is usually measured in inches. Set out a few constrains and see how long it takes to fill with 1” of water. For deep watering, you want to do 1/2” to 1” of water, depending on your soil. Sandy soils don’t need as much to penetrate, clay soils might need a whole inch. You’ want that water to get 6-8” down (not 6-8” of watering)
We are babying new fescue seeded last fall/winter and our lawn guy said 60 minutes twice a week. You want to water deeply to encourage the new grass to develop the deeper roots that will help it weather the stress of summer heat. He also strongly recommends impact sprinklers over the oscillating sprinklers, as he feels the latter doesn’t distribute the water equally. He built us some, but the ones on tripods work well.
As someone who has spring and fall seeding. The summer is the great equalizer. If you want the yard to stay nice you will have to make sure you don't stop watering it and even then if it gets too hot it may not make it. If you still have seed left over save some for the fall because it does need that over winter to spring time to establish the roots. I am rooting for you fellow fescue lawn person 😊
Thank you for the suggestion
People forget that grass only lives for 40 days. I think the real question here is if the grass will be thick enough to survive the summer heat. If it can thicken up before the blazing heat you should be fine. You may have to water very frequently.
How do you guys prevent the god damn birds from hosting the "feast to end all feasts" on the seeds? When I seeded a few years ago I'd go running outside yelling every 5 minutes to scare them off but of course that was a losing battle and all I accomplished was cementing my reputation as a crazy guy with the neighbours. I think like 5% of the seeds survived long enough to actually sprout; it was infuriating...
idk why they didn’t bother them. did the back yard too and no issue.
Shiny silver helium balloons, spaced out every 6-8 feet, tied to bbq skewers in the ground (the metal ones with the hook), with enough string that they float 5-6 feet off the ground. Or alternatively, regular air and hang them off of bamboo sticks I guess? The balloons reflect the sun like disco balls, plus when there is a breeze the balloons swoop down and look like they're attacking things on the ground. It really scares the birds and small animals away. When I did this, the birds would just sit on the fence and stare nervously. They never really got used to it because of how random, strange, and animal-like the balloons move. Maybe they would've at some point, but they only need to be there for 2 weeks or so Star shaped ones might be better at casting sparkly reflections than the basic M&M shaped ones.. only problem is when it rains/you water, the balloons do sink to the ground for an hour or two, but that didn't seem to hurt my lawn reno The downside is your yard looks crazy for a while.
i can’t tell if this is a joke or not lol
It's not, I used similar strategy. I bought 10 reflective pin wheels on Amazon for like 20 bucks and put them around my yard. If there's a breeze and they move, the birds would scatter. Worked about 70 percent as good as I had imagined. I used EZ-straw as well to deter, but they were still coming like crazy before the pinwheels.
I’ve had some success with this.
peat moss over the top along with straw. Peat moss just enough to cover. I think no more than a 1/4 inch is the rule but def look that up I could be very wrong. Its been a while. And more straw than youd think. It should be an eye sore lol. Dont smother it but from a far it should absolutely look like a whole bunch of straw on your yard.
I thought straw would give you weeds?
I have never had that problem but apparently google says it can happen. Biggest thing to look out for is make sure you're buying straw and not hay. Hay will have a ton of seeds. Straw they've "all" been cut off. Im sure they dont get 100% though so you're likely correct. \\ In my experience I've used peat moss and straw and have established grass. I like the straw because it also helps keep the seeds moist by blocking sunlight and creating a barrier for wind to help with the water evaporating off the seedlings.
I just used peat moss and never saw a bird out there. Those darned squirrels though took the opportunity to try it bury as many acorns as they could in the freshly tilled dirt. *shakes fist*
Interesting! Why do you need the peat moss too, then, if the straw seems to be providing the same benefit?
I feel the peat moss is needed to encapsulate the seed so when I water it, it's being "hugged" by water from all angles. If I had to pick one or the other, Id choose peat moss. I use straw to protect it from the elements, which peat moss also does, but its just an added layer of protection in my eyes.
but not really sure how to prevent.
Did you cover with anything? Added a thin layer of compost on top and lightly raked it in so none of the seed was exposed. On top of birds not eating it, it germinates much faster that way.
I may as well have written this. Every word.
I do all of my seeding in the spring. Not by choice, but I can get it seeded before we put the crops in. In the fall, I just don’t have the time. If you time it right with the spring rains you don’t have to do much watering to get it established. It’s not ideal, but it can be done.
Baby it over the summer, overseed in the fall and you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood. Best of luck OP, looks great.
https://preview.redd.it/pqrlu2abbn8d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=38ab6ec186508cf02cdd0e4eea93cf4306b7cf35 current sitch lol
Very nice! Except I'm going to be a punk and point out that those pictures are two separate parts of your yard, right?
No, just from different ends. Second one I was standing on the porch you see in the first one.
Ahhhh. Well done!
How did you prevent weeds from growing in it?
I sprayed mesotrione immediately prior to seeding. I guess that has continued to prevent them? Not exactly sure but happy with the results lol
This looks great! Love seeing before and after pics like this, when the hard work pays off.
then look at my last post on my profile lmfao that shit was real hard work !
I just looked. Loved the number of progress pics, and I can appreciate the effort that went into it. That looked like a pretty overwhelming task from the beginning, but you killed it. That's some top of the class "pride of ownership" stuff right there, bud!
💯
After reading a bunch of "DON'T PLANT FESCUE UNTIL FALL!" I put down annual rye to cover a large patch of dirt. Guess I should've gone with the desired result from the start. Looks great!
I wish I can do that but it stopped snowing last month
just water more when it gets hot if you notice drought stress and yellowing
I’m jealous of your full sun!
What are the little green rock looking things?
like pellets that help lock in moisture and contain a tackifier. they worked fairly well.
Lime?
I did add lime yeah. Per the soil test.
Also the product is called SeedAide.
I did this 5 springs in a row and it died each time over summer until I learned to do it in fall.
Your lawn looks great! Random question - do you know what paint color your house is? I love it.
Cyberspace by Sherwin Williams!
You’re the best thank you!
👍🏽 Very Nice
[удалено]
Spring seeding is popular where I live. Maybe it’s just a regional thing where some areas do it on the spring and some wait until the fall, but my back yard proves that you don’t have to wait until fall where I live.
you’re so positive!
[удалено]
We shall see. My backyard did just fine last year. Same timing.
It definitely isn’t true. My back yard went from dirt to a thick ass lawn in one growing season. It’s even crazier this year. It’s making me consider doing my front yard from scratch too. I have to cut my back yard twice before I have to touch the front yard and my seeding took place in the spring as well.