On May 8, 11:36 am, "bent" wrote:
I am waiting a little longer still before I seed. I think it will be done
in 4 to 6 weeks, but doesn't matter when you start, the end is the end.

It makes a big difference when you start. Early Sept is drastically
different from July.


More than a few times I have tried to get the jump on watering seeds, and
more than a few times I watered at least twice a day for over a month, and
only some came up. I'm in Toronto, not too far from NJ, and I am going to
wait a little longer to put seeds down. If you read the bag the temp has to
stay above 15 C I think, which it is not here yet; but also states a high of
25C I think, it may be other. Anyways, the performance was so poor, and
took so long, that I assumed it was my technique.

If you think you should wait another 4-6 weeks to seed in Toronto,
then it is your technique that is causing problems. That puts you
in summer, which is the worst time. For cool season grass to
germinate, you need soil temps in the 50F's. With daytime temps in
the 60's/70's , you have that now. Also, watering 2 times a day may
be OK in late Sept, but it isn't going to keep the soil surface and
seed constantly wet in June/July, which is why that time is prime for
failure. In that period, you would have to water every few hours
during the day to keep it wet. Plus, you then are in July/Aug, high
heat and stress periods with just seedlings. If you seed in Sept, the
plants have 6 mths to establish roots before the stress of summer hot
weather. If you don't have the ability to deliver lots of water,
they're gonna die. And if you do water a lot, you get weeds plus a
prime breeding ground for fungus and disease.

Fall is the best time to seed because everything is on your side.
Spring is second best, which here in NJ would have been a month ago.
Here I'd still seed a couple small spots now, but I would never start
a general seeding at this late date.

While you think your low germination is due to temperature, I'll bet
it's be it's due to other factors, like poor seed/soil contact.



You can still water seeds
if it is cold, but I think you are almost wasting ALL that time, as the temp
has be in the ideal range, which mother nature takes care of for you if you
wait. You will be waiting anyways. I think the bag says ideal range is
15-25C. When temp is always in there, with the least amount out of that
range I think is the time to do it. Not before, not after, probably. If I
wait a couple weeks more and it doesn't work then, here in TO, then it can't
do done.

The weed killer kills the grass seed, not the grass, but not sure for
exactly how long in practice.

Not sure what this means.