The Grass Doctor

Did we seed our yard right???

My husband and I are first time home owners. We were not happy with the amount of grass in our yard, so we attempted to seed it last weekend. We roughed up the yard with a rake, put down the fertilizer (with an automatic spreader), put down the seed (also with the spreader), put hay over it, and have been watering it twice a day. I know it has only been 6 days, but I am worried we did it wrong. It appears that most of the grass seed is still sitting on top of the dirt. Is it normal to be able to see the seeds almost a week later? Also, when should we start to see some growth? Thanks in advance!!!!

Public Comments

1. It's hard to give you a great answer because you didn't say where you live, however here are some general thoughts: 1. Although thousands of people do it, Spring is not the most favorable time to plant grass seed. Fall is a much better time. Don't worry about that now. 2. Usually you would not want to apply fertilizer at the same time you apply seed - Here's why. Fertilizer draws moistrue to itself. That's why fertilizer clumps up in the bag if you keep it for a while. Because of this, it can harm the grass seedlings as they emerge by drying them out. Lots of people call this burning - but it is really known as dessication. Again, you can't do anything about that so don't sweat it. 3. If you put hay over it you may have a problem later on. Hay has a lot of seeds in it which will germinate leaving you with a weedy mess. If you used straw and not hay, you will have a slightly smaller problem. The best thing to do is not to top dress with anything. 4. Some grass seed takes longer to germinate than others. Bluegrass seeds can take up to 3 weeks to germinate while some perennial rye and fescue grasses will germinate much more quickly. The things that determine germination period are temperature of the soil and soil moisture. If you keep the seeds moist, but not flooded, they will be fine. Grass seeds gerninate on the top of the soil so seeing them is not a big deal. You should see grass starting to sprout when you have had the seed down for a little over a week, and when the soil temperature is about 60 degrees for a couple of days. Mother nature is always smarter than we are. Be patient. You will have some work cut out for yourself in the fall, but you should see grass this spring. I have lots of information for "Baby Bloomers" like you on my blog: http://plant_doctor.typepad.com/ Good luck! Bug Doc
2. Just give it time and make sure you keep it watered. Grass seed needs to stay wet and not dry out.....but not too wet. Give it about 2-3 weeks and you will see some coming up.