mladams922
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 8:40 pm

Can't seem to get a lawn started

All,
I'm in South Central PA and I purchased a house last year. When I purchased the house it had a small yard but attached was a gravel parking area. I wanted to extend the yard by removing the parking area. So I removed the stone and dug down about 7 inches. Then I ordered filtered top soil and filled in what was removed. I planted grass seed and it started growing but it was really patchy with lots of bare spots. So I went to Lowes, purchased Peet Moss and biodegradable seed blanket, and more seed. I put down the moss, then the seed, then the seed blanket. I ran the sprinkler for about an hour to dampen everything.

The spots that were bare originally really started to grow quickly, but one night I accidentally left the sprinkler on all night and I think some fungus set in. Now the spots that were bare are growing great, but the spots that had grass are all dead, but the seed blanket still hasn't degraded.

I want to plant new seed but when I try to remove the blanket the seed that's growing comes up with it. I'm really stuck as to what to do! I really want to remove the blanket and plant new seed but don't want to rip up what's growing. Should I just remove the blanket and start over?

Thanks for any suggestions!

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13965
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

There were a lot of beginner mistakes. You added topsoil and the seed did not grow well until you added peat moss and a seed blanket.
Start with good soil. Topsoil may not be what you think. Add 4-6 inches of compost and an inch of manure and till that all in. Level it out so there are no high and low spot and grade it so it slopes away from the foundation and out the yard.

If it is a small area that can be sprinkled with a hose then get a hose timer to turn it on and off automatically. That way you won't underwater or drown the grass. Otherwise, consider putting in a sprinkler system. It will give even coverage and with a timer you don't have to remember to water. You will have to do sprinkler maintenance though.

Moisten the soil before you seed it. It should not be soggy, but it should not be very dry either. It should be friable. You can use the hydro mousse to seed the lawn. It will help to keep the seeds moist. For the first couple of months especially if you are going to put in a lawn in summer, you may have to water 4 times a day for 15-20 minutes at a time.

https://plantscience.psu.edu/research/ce ... ablishment



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