GFRfan wrote in message news:QL8Sc.282313$XM6.11416@attbi_s53...
Probably wrote:


"SCR" wrote in message
...

I am starting a portion of my lawn over again. I have loosened up the
soil, fertilized,
and seeded. I now have placed hay all over. Is is necessary to
continue to water when
using hay? (so far no results!)





That grass is never going to grow.
This is the WORST time to plant seed. Fall is the best time, then
spring,
but NEVER in the dead heat of summer.
How well did you loosen up the soil? And what kind of fertilizer did you
apply? You shouldn't have done that. Any kind of fertilizer with a weed
killer in it such as "weed n feed" and the grass won't germinate.
Grass seeds ALWAYS need to be kept moist. You must water the seed every
day. I wouldn't have covered with hay, I would have covered with a
product
called "penn mulch" instead.
What type of grass seed did you plant anyway?


I plant grass seed in the summer all the time. As long as you keep it
wet, water deeply every morning before 11:00 am for about 2 weeks, and
the grass will come. I am in Iowa so I guess the local weather would be
a huge factor in success or failure. Iowa versus the Arizona desert or
Florida.
It really is best to plant in the spring or, better yet, fall because it
just needs less babysitting.
And hay works fine and is cheaper than the manufactured mulch, but is
harder to manage. If cost is not a factor, then the manufactured mulch
is preferrable as "Probably" suggested.
And, if you fert., use a plain starter fert. DO NOT use weed and feed.


You can plant grass in summer, just like you can go to the beach in
January, but neither is advisable. Summer requires a lot of water,
there is intense competition from weeds, and cool season grasses like
fescues and blue grass don't like to grow in high temps. In another
month, it will be the optimum time to seed, so why do it now?

Watering deeply once a day is not what seed needs. The surface
should be kept constantly wet, which usually means watering it several
times a day lightly when temps are high, which is one reason why
summer is the worst time. A quarter inch 4 times a day is what it
needs, not an inch once a day. Also, hay generally has weed seeds
present, so I'd avoid using it. Peat moss or weed free straw are
preferable.