Fall overseeding

[red211]

I like that PH tester, I have meant to bu one but haven't so far. I figure garden needs a shot also. Missed my second fert/ pre-emergent application. Dang grass was growing so fast it needed mowing twice a week. Slowed some through 18 days of dry but rain has picked up and grass is green!

[j4c11]

Originally Posted by red211

I like that PH tester, I have meant to bu one but haven't so far. I figure garden needs a shot also. Missed my second fert/ pre-emergent application. Dang grass was growing so fast it needed mowing twice a week. Slowed some through 18 days of dry but rain has picked up and grass is green!

With temps almost in the 90s, no rain and no irrigation, my tall fescue is going dormant everywhere that's not shaded in the afternoon. No more green grass for me until probably late August. It's at times like that that I wonder if maybe Bermuda grass overseeded with ryegrass in the fall would be a better choice.

[red211]

I hear ya on the bermuda. We are in a transition zone so fescue struggles in the summer and bermuda is dorment from Nov to mid April. I road up today and looked at Mother in Laws yard. Mowed it a week ago Friday, then went out of town for a week. Got back Saturday night and it rained yesterday and today. It needs a cut but not totally out of control. Saw some brown patch so looks like tomorrow is a mow and treat with fungicide. It's the first I have seen this year, dang that stuff is a pain. Costs an arm and foot to treat to.

[j4c11]

Originally Posted by red211

Saw some brown patch so looks like tomorrow is a mow and treat with fungicide. It's the first I have seen this year, dang that stuff is a pain. Costs an arm and foot to treat to.

Also being in the transition zone, I have the same issues. Generally I select tall fescue cultivars based on brown patch resistance and drought tolerance, since those are the main issues. Recent cultivars have excellent brown patch resistance and you can check NTEP tests to see which ones do best in your area. Overseeding with a higher quality seed for a few years should minimize the problem, and while you pay a little more upfront on the seed you save on the fungicide. Hemi has excellent brown patch resistance, and of course cultivars like Bullseye and Rhambler are just exceptional in all categories. Tall fescue seed found a big box stores is generally made up of older cultivars that are sometimes 20 years behind and inferior in quality.

[red211]

Very true on the seed, this fall will get a better mix. Mowed two days ago and put down the granular fungicide yesterday. Had to water it slightly to activate. Hit the spots where it was really showing good, let mother nature water the rest. It was "only" $50 a bag to treat 10,000 sq ft. That got all I needed, only two more times and that will get through the summer. Mother in Law is paying and it won't put her in the poor house. She always says she doesn't care about yard but said yesterday she has the best yard on the street. Might not be the best but it is one of them.

[j4c11]

Getting close to that time of the year again, when we must replenish our grass so that we may have something to cut with our Cubs. My front yard takes a beating during the summer as it's oriented towards the West , and so it receives full sun in 100 degree heat from around 11:00am until the sun sets. Needless the say, tall fescue quickly goes dormant. I expect some of it will just die, especially younger grass planted last year. Thus, another round of overseeding will be in order. This year I have chosen to use Speedway Tall Fescue , because it came out #1 in the Raleigh NC NTEP tests, and also because I like to have genetic variety in my lawn. In addition, this year I am also going to try to mix Hybrid Bluegrass in with the Tall Fescue, and since there's a lot of direct sun, I have picked Spitfire KBG, a hybrid Texas and Kentucky Bluegrass also produced by Seed Research of Oregon which is supposed to better withstand full sun and heat. And since it's KBG, it should spread via rhizomes and fill in any problem areas next year.

With only about 4 weeks to go, I took some of the seed and planted it in a plastic container so I can become familiar with germination times and rates. The seed was spread on top and not covered by or pushed into the soil. Once again, mere soil contact and water were sufficient. These are the results after 5 days.

As expected , the KBG is slower to germinate, but it is starting to.



After 5 days, the tall fescue is germinating nicely. First signs of germination could be seen after 3.5 days.



The roots on the tall fescue are impressive after just 5 days. That's about 3 inches in length. Even so, I can't help but feel that the Bullseye variety I used last year had even more vigorous root growth.



If all goes well I intend to tease the neighbors by planting a golf flag on my lawn .

[titleist1]

Originally Posted by j4c11

If all goes well I intend to tease the neighbors by planting a golf flag on my lawn .

100% green all year 'round!!

[j4c11]

Originally Posted by titleist1

100% green all year 'round!!

Looks nice! What kind of grass to you typically grow up there?Kentucky Bluegrass, Tall Fescue?

[titleist1]

The grass around that flag is 100% DuPont Plastic....Considered doing the rest of the yard but what would I do with my cub then?!?!?!

The rest of the yard is a contractor fescue grass seed mix i used last year. It is a constant battle against the crabgrass moving in and taking over.

I have a very good patch of zoysia in one section that I hope to spread to the rest of the lawn by taking plugs from there. It is about the only area that is crabgrass free. Gonna take a few years for that to take hold though. patch in the foreground of pic is the zoysia. In the background you can see where the crabgrass invaded the fescue but can't make its way into the zoysia because its too thick.

My strategy going forward where the fescue is now is to overseed with a good fescue and put plugs of the zoysia in while treating with a crabgrass preventer.

[red211]

Originally Posted by titleist1

100% green all year 'round!!

Cheater!!!

Thanks for the info on heat tolerant fescues. I am getting ready for dirt disturbance in the yard myself. The brown patch up the hill sure took a toll on the MILs yard. Bermuda is winning the battle in my West facing front yard but I will give it the fescue treatment for the next six months. Core plugger is ready for action, pallet drag is ready, cub is ready, only 30 more days!