I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I saw
the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed first
then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it seems to
me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those blades will
miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to shake the seeds
down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the rental
agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a stand-alone
type.

The machine will work fine if your lawn is perfectly flat.

jaygreg wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I saw
the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed first
then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it seems to
me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those blades will
miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to shake the seeds
down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the rental
agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a stand-alone
type.

??? There is no such thing as a perfectly flat lawn in my neighborhodd (or
anyboby else's I've ever seen).

"Stubby" wrote in message
. ..
The machine will work fine if your lawn is perfectly flat.

jaygreg wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I
saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed
first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it
seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those
blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to
shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the
blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the
rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a
stand-alone type.

Right. You're going to have trouble. The tines will not touch at some
points and it will have problems getting over the rises. That was my
experience.


jaygreg wrote:
??? There is no such thing as a perfectly flat lawn in my neighborhodd (or
anyboby else's I've ever seen).

"Stubby" wrote in message
. ..
The machine will work fine if your lawn is perfectly flat.

jaygreg wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I
saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed
first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it
seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those
blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to
shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the
blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the
rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a
stand-alone type.

"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I
saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed
first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it
seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those
blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to
shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the
blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the
rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a
stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within the
limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan mataway's that
drop the seed behind the slice and they work very well on level soil away
from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your job and go heavy with the
seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio. (perfect time of the year to do
that here right now)

Steveo... I live in NEO also. What mix lawn seed do you use for an average
residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've been buying a
mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I thought was fair. I'd have
to look up my records for the exact price but I remember at the time doing a
comparison and they won the race.

I'm taking a drive into Holms county today and will probably come across a
few places to buy seed and fertilizer. I'd like to have a benchmark. What
ferilizer composition do you use on lawns now and what's a fair price to
pay?


"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment rental
showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When I
saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops seed
first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows rose; it
seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the grass and those
blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's enough vibration to
shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the
blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then this
machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at the
rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much as a
stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one
you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within the
limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan mataway's that
drop the seed behind the slice and they work very well on level soil away
from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your job and go heavy with the
seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio. (perfect time of the year to do
that here right now)

jaygreg said:

What mix lawn seed do you use for an average
residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've been buying a
mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I thought was fair. I'd have
to look up my records for the exact price but I remember at the time doing a
comparison and they won the race.

Purchasing your grass seed by price usually involves receiving seeds from
several species you'd most likely rather not have. Check for "other" on the
label. It may only say "2% other", but that can equal a couple dozen plants
per square foot of a, perhaps unwanted, species in the mix. Just food for
thought. =)

--
Eggs

-Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

This is probably late for your shopping trip but at any rate, Jay. I use
Lesco 50/50 for most general sunlight applications. I pay less than $2 a
pound for it and it produces a steady product. (how much less than $2
depends on how many pounds I buy)

I'm surprised you're in the market for that much seed. Your op sounded like
a diy homeowner question. Should I tell you how much to charge for it too?

"jaygreg" wrote:
Steveo... I live in NEO also. What mix lawn seed do you use for an
average residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've
been buying a mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I thought
was fair. I'd have to look up my records for the exact price but I
remember at the time doing a comparison and they won the race.

I'm taking a drive into Holms county today and will probably come across
a few places to buy seed and fertilizer. I'd like to have a benchmark.
What ferilizer composition do you use on lawns now and what's a fair
price to pay?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment
rental showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When
I saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops
seed first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows
rose; it seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the
grass and those blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's
enough vibration to shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and
onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then
this machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at
the rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much
as a stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one
you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within the
limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan mataway's
that drop the seed behind the slice and they work very well on level
soil away from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your job and go heavy
with the seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio. (perfect time of
the year to do that here right now)

I noticed that when looking at the bags, Eggs. Thanks.

"Eggs Zachtly" wrote in message
...
jaygreg said:

What mix lawn seed do you use for an average
residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've been buying
a
mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I thought was fair. I'd
have
to look up my records for the exact price but I remember at the time
doing a
comparison and they won the race.

Purchasing your grass seed by price usually involves receiving seeds from
several species you'd most likely rather not have. Check for "other" on
the
label. It may only say "2% other", but that can equal a couple dozen
plants
per square foot of a, perhaps unwanted, species in the mix. Just food for
thought. =)

--
Eggs

-Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

I left before your message arrived but as it turned out, I only got to Home
Depot. I though I'd run into a few grain elivators on the trip but I didn't.
Anyway, I did jot down the contents of several different bags I thought
might be appropriate. One is from Lesco; Premium Sun and Shade. The other
was Vigaro Sun-Shade Lawn Grass Seed Mix. Fifty pounds would put me around
$50. My experience with grass seed hasn't been something I crow about. I
love movin' earth with machines but I had plantin' and growin' stuff. I'm
sure I end up using a lot more seed than I have to. I've got about 2000 sg
ft. to reseed and I'm now thinking my best bet for success would be to
thatch it first (with a regular thatch machine, not that "thaching"
reseeder) to make sure I clear a good area under the top carpet of grass so
the seeds will take hold then either use that reseeder to plant (would seem
like that night be overkill though) or just a spreader (probably would
suffice) then cross my fingers. Comment? When would I furtilize and with
what combinbation?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
This is probably late for your shopping trip but at any rate, Jay. I use
Lesco 50/50 for most general sunlight applications. I pay less than $2 a
pound for it and it produces a steady product. (how much less than $2
depends on how many pounds I buy)

I'm surprised you're in the market for that much seed. Your op sounded
like
a diy homeowner question. Should I tell you how much to charge for it too?

"jaygreg" wrote:
Steveo... I live in NEO also. What mix lawn seed do you use for an
average residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've
been buying a mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I thought
was fair. I'd have to look up my records for the exact price but I
remember at the time doing a comparison and they won the race.

I'm taking a drive into Holms county today and will probably come across
a few places to buy seed and fertilizer. I'd like to have a benchmark.
What ferilizer composition do you use on lawns now and what's a fair
price to pay?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment
rental showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a turf
seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should use. When
I saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the machine drops
seed first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over them, my eyebrows
rose; it seems to me a lot of seed will simply fall on top of the
grass and those blades will miss them. It doesn't look like there's
enough vibration to shake the seeds down through the existing lawn and
onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs to
thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher then
this machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone. The guy at
the rental agency says the machine will thach as well but not as much
as a stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one
you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within the
limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan mataway's
that drop the seed behind the slice and they work very well on level
soil away from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your job and go heavy
with the seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio. (perfect time of
the year to do that here right now)

$1 a pound? What blend is it? I use 10-18-10 (or there abouts) for food on
new installs.

"jaygreg" wrote:
I left before your message arrived but as it turned out, I only got to
Home Depot. I though I'd run into a few grain elivators on the trip but I
didn't. Anyway, I did jot down the contents of several different bags I
thought might be appropriate. One is from Lesco; Premium Sun and Shade.
The other was Vigaro Sun-Shade Lawn Grass Seed Mix. Fifty pounds would
put me around $50. My experience with grass seed hasn't been something I
crow about. I love movin' earth with machines but I had plantin' and
growin' stuff. I'm sure I end up using a lot more seed than I have to.
I've got about 2000 sg ft. to reseed and I'm now thinking my best bet for
success would be to thatch it first (with a regular thatch machine, not
that "thaching" reseeder) to make sure I clear a good area under the top
carpet of grass so the seeds will take hold then either use that reseeder
to plant (would seem like that night be overkill though) or just a
spreader (probably would suffice) then cross my fingers. Comment? When
would I furtilize and with what combinbation?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
This is probably late for your shopping trip but at any rate, Jay. I
use Lesco 50/50 for most general sunlight applications. I pay less than
$2 a pound for it and it produces a steady product. (how much less than
$2 depends on how many pounds I buy)

I'm surprised you're in the market for that much seed. Your op sounded
like
a diy homeowner question. Should I tell you how much to charge for it
too?

"jaygreg" wrote:
Steveo... I live in NEO also. What mix lawn seed do you use for an
average residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've
been buying a mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I
thought was fair. I'd have to look up my records for the exact price
but I remember at the time doing a comparison and they won the race.

I'm taking a drive into Holms county today and will probably come
across a few places to buy seed and fertilizer. I'd like to have a
benchmark. What ferilizer composition do you use on lawns now and
what's a fair price to pay?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment
rental showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a
turf seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should
use. When I saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the
machine drops seed first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over
them, my eyebrows rose; it seems to me a lot of seed will simply
fall on top of the grass and those blades will miss them. It
doesn't look like there's enough vibration to shake the seeds down
through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs
to thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher
then this machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone.
The guy at the rental agency says the machine will thach as well
but not as much as a stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one
you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within
the limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan
mataway's that drop the seed behind the slice and they work very
well on level soil away from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your
job and go heavy with the seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio.
(perfect time of the year to do that here right now)

Whoops! That's more like $50 for 25 lbs., not 50lbs.

Here's the mix... though you're probably not interested with this new
valuation:

Lesco Premium Sun and Shade. 25lbs for $53.47 $2.14/lb). 99.9% weed free.
We'll call this
"Seed A."

Vigaro Sun-Shade Lawn Grass Seed Mix. $25.29 for 10lbs ($2.53/lb) . This is
"Seed B"

Seed A Seed B

Standard Kentucky Blue 31.74 24.83
Greenville Premum Rye 30.74
Brittany Chewing Fescue 17.79
Shademark Red Fescue 17.54
? Creeping Red Fescue 19.44
Barlennium Perenial Rye 18.79
Ambrose Chewing Fescue 17.43
Premier II Perenial Rye 9.89
Barclay Perenial Rye 7.69
Other crop seed 0.20

Will that mix of ferilizer be sufficient to take care of the entire area I
reseed or do I
have to come back in October or Novemeber to feed with more phosphorous?
"Steveo" wrote in message
...
$1 a pound? What blend is it? I use 10-18-10 (or there abouts) for food on
new installs.

"jaygreg" wrote:
I left before your message arrived but as it turned out, I only got to
Home Depot. I though I'd run into a few grain elivators on the trip but I
didn't. Anyway, I did jot down the contents of several different bags I
thought might be appropriate. One is from Lesco; Premium Sun and Shade.
The other was Vigaro Sun-Shade Lawn Grass Seed Mix. Fifty pounds would
put me around $50. My experience with grass seed hasn't been something I
crow about. I love movin' earth with machines but I had plantin' and
growin' stuff. I'm sure I end up using a lot more seed than I have to.
I've got about 2000 sg ft. to reseed and I'm now thinking my best bet for
success would be to thatch it first (with a regular thatch machine, not
that "thaching" reseeder) to make sure I clear a good area under the top
carpet of grass so the seeds will take hold then either use that reseeder
to plant (would seem like that night be overkill though) or just a
spreader (probably would suffice) then cross my fingers. Comment? When
would I furtilize and with what combinbation?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
This is probably late for your shopping trip but at any rate, Jay. I
use Lesco 50/50 for most general sunlight applications. I pay less than
$2 a pound for it and it produces a steady product. (how much less than
$2 depends on how many pounds I buy)

I'm surprised you're in the market for that much seed. Your op sounded
like
a diy homeowner question. Should I tell you how much to charge for it
too?

"jaygreg" wrote:
Steveo... I live in NEO also. What mix lawn seed do you use for an
average residential preestablished lawn and how much do you pay? I've
been buying a mix from a local grain elivator in Seville that I
thought was fair. I'd have to look up my records for the exact price
but I remember at the time doing a comparison and they won the race.

I'm taking a drive into Holms county today and will probably come
across a few places to buy seed and fertilizer. I'd like to have a
benchmark. What ferilizer composition do you use on lawns now and
what's a fair price to pay?

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
I'm considering thatching and resseding my lawn. A local equipment
rental showed me a machine by Classen
(http://littlewonder.com/turf-seeder-self-propelled.asp) called a
turf seeder (he called it an overseeder) that he thinks I should
use. When I saw the arrangement of the blades - considering the
machine drops seed first then lets the 24 or so blades roll over
them, my eyebrows rose; it seems to me a lot of seed will simply
fall on top of the grass and those blades will miss them. It
doesn't look like there's enough vibration to shake the seeds down
through the existing lawn and onto the furrows the blades create.

Is this a recommended way to get seed into a mature lawn that needs
to thicken to prevent unwanted weeds? Or should I rent a thatcher
then this machine to plant the seed when all the thatch is gone.
The guy at the rental agency says the machine will thach as well
but not as much as a stand-alone type.

Lesco sells a machine that operates on the same principal as the one
you're
looking at, and I've heard they work OK as long as you stay within
the limitations of a slice seeder. We have a couple of the Ryan
mataway's that drop the seed behind the slice and they work very
well on level soil away from tree roots. Be sure to criss cross your
job and go heavy with the seed. I run 10 lbs/1000sg ft here in Ohio.
(perfect time of the year to do that here right now)

"jaygreg" wrote:
Whoops! That's more like $50 for 25 lbs., not 50lbs.

Gotcha now Jay. You did say "Fifty pounds would
put me around $50" in your your first equation but that new math can be
cornfusing at times.

Your fertilizer should last you to the end of the growing season or six to
eight weeks. Be careful not to load it with food after that, in prevention
of spring disease. Good luck with it.

ps. sorry for the snippage but I'd rather not top post if it's all the
same.

"Steveo" wrote in message
...
"jaygreg" wrote:
Whoops! That's more like $50 for 25 lbs., not 50lbs.

Gotcha now Jay. You did say "Fifty pounds would
put me around $50" in your your first equation but that new math can be
cornfusing at times.

Your fertilizer should last you to the end of the growing season or six to
eight weeks. Be careful not to load it with food after that, in prevention
of spring disease. Good luck with it.

ps. sorry for the snippage but I'd rather not top post if it's all the
same.

ps. sorry for the snippage but I'd rather not top post if it's all the
same.

Help me out here, Steve. You mean I should reply at the end? My browser
always lands at the top so I just figured that's here I'm supposed to begin.
If there's an etiquette issue here that I've violated, I appologize. Just an
ol' country boy at heart.

jaygreg wrote:

[....]

Help me out here, Steve. You mean I should reply at the end? My browser
always lands at the top so I just figured that's here I'm supposed to begin.
If there's an etiquette issue here that I've violated, I appologize. Just an
ol' country boy at heart.

question first, answer second.
the accepted usenet etiquette is to bottom post.
which means your reply goes after that which you
are replying to.

check your news reader settings [configuration] and
you should be able to select whether your reply begins
at the top or the bottom.

as for myself, I don't really care but some get so
very very upset when their rules are not followed
and therefore you hear the words TOP POST...

Jim - real Country Boy, living it!