"Barry Thompson" wrote in message
...
The slice seeder, power seeder and renovator are all the same basic
machine.
Like Chet said, it slices grooves, drops seed and works the seed into the
soil in one pass. This is a very good machine to use on the entire lawn or
just problem areas. The key to any seeding job is soil contact. You can
get
80% or better germination with slit seeding as opposed to 50%-60% with
aeration and overseeding just because of the better contact.

I use a power seeder in lawns that have had problems with weeds and
crabgrass. I run it over the problem areas without any seed in the hopper
to
get rid of the crabgrass "skeletons", then rake off the thatch. Add seed
and
run over the areas again two times, the second pass at a diagonal to the
first. (The grass fills in quicker this way than if you make perpendicular
passes. Don't rake off any more thatch - at least not until the seed has
rooted good. This way, you don't need to cover with straw.

You're in New England, so I assume you have a bluegrasss lawn or maybe a
bluegrass/fescue blend. When getting your seed, go to a reputable dealer
instead of using the cheaper WalMart / K-Mart / Hardware store seed.
Tested
germination rates should be around 90% and weed content should be 0%.
Early
spring seeding would probably do ok for you. Bluegrass starts germinating
at
around 60 degrees, fescue a little warmer. Get a blend of the grass type
you
prefer. Don't go with one seed variety - you'll be setting yourself up for
some problems. In a two-way or three-way blend you hedge your bets. If one
type is susceptible to a certain problem - disease, drought, insect - the
others are usually resistant. That's the way the good companies blend
them.

I get my seed from Lesco. In Ohio, the bluegrass blends did fine. Here in
Tennessee, I'm using tall fescue blends and they're doing fine.Make sure
you
use preemergent in the spring to head off the crabgrass. Just make sure if
you seed in the spring that it is up and has been cut twice before putting
the preemergent out.

Hope this helps.

Barry


Hey Barry, where have you been. It's nice to hear some input from someone
who knows what he's talking about.

Peter H