On 22 Nov 2004 09:14:26 -0800, wrote:
Well, I have been told a billion times that autumn is the time to plant
and feed, so having bought a home with about 3 patches of grass, I
rented a tiller and tilled up about 6" of soil, fed it, seeded it,
tamped it, fed it and seeded it again, covered it with hay and started
watering.

After about 3 weeks, nothing has come up. I noticed a few sprouts
yesterday, but it just doesn't look good.

You may have overdone it on the fertilizer (did you use a starter fertilizer
according to instructions?), and my guess is that you left it a bit late
to plant, but I wouldn't be surprised that next spring you'll find you've
got a fairly decent stand of grass. Three weeks is about the minimal time
before you see much in the way of seedlings for Ky Bluegrass, etc.

I'm assuming you've used a seed mix that probably has a fair percentage
of Kentucky bluegrass in it... if the soil temp is below about 55, you're
probably pretty much done for bluegrass germination this season... but the
seedlings you have will continue to grow next spring (barring some
catastrophe). And yes, newly germinating lawngrasses look terribly scruffy
and bare, but fill in well if well cared for.

I'm a little more concerned you used "hay" for covering... hay includes
seeds, so you may have some really interesting spots next year... and some
interesting weeding next year. I would have sooner see you use straw
(stems only) or compost for cover over the seedbed, rather than introducing
seeds of unwanted species in the hay.

About five years ago, I wound up having to redo my mom's back lawn in Iowa
in late fall, after the trenching company had been through. It was mid
October, but soil temps were still in the 60's, so we planted a bluegrass
fescue mix and covered it with municipal compost. I tossed some annual
ryegrass seed over the top for quick germination and winter cover before I
left for my home. A friend who was mowing kept me apprised of the
progress (he was sure I was crazy planting that late) -- looked pretty
awful up till about December, when the seedlings were big enough that
you could see a green haze over that dark compost from a distance.
Snow came in mid December, and lasted pretty much through February. Still
pretty scruffy in appearance in March, and then when it warmed up in
April, everything took off nicely. When I saw it again in June, it was
a little thin, but definitely the species we'd planted, except for
one spot where one of the neighbors dogs had decided to dig. Replanted
that, and it was a good solid stand by early July (except for the replanted
spot -- that took coddling till October).

Hang in there... lawn takes time to grow properly. Keep things moist,
but don't overdo it with fertilizer and mowing until the seedlings
are growing nicely for you.

Kay Lancaster