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Overseeeding Tall Fescue

bobkro Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 28 Mill Spring, NC

2008-03-10          152060

I put down about 1/2 acre of sod last spring, and the turf was good looking/weed free. Last summer was drier and hotter than normal, and the turf began to look puny/yellow/bare in spots.

I'm thinking about overseeding the bare/puny spots with the same mixture of tall fescue as the sod. Do I first need to remove the thatch from from lawn, and if so, what technique/tool would work best?

b

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Overseeeding Tall Fescue

earthwrks Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 3853 Home Office in Flat Rock, Michigan   Pics

2008-03-11          152079

In these parts we have Kentucky Blue Grass sod that has 5 species of seed with Rye. The Rye takes root first. The reason for the 5 other species is that any given time one or two species will be diseased or infected with fungus. It eventually dies out but the others take over with out even being noticable.

I'm thinking you need to dig up some samples and take them to your sod supplier and let them diagnose the problem before you start spreading the problem and infecting other areas---if that is even the issue.

It could also be pest beetle larvae eating the roots in areas. ....

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Overseeeding Tall Fescue

DennisCTB Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2709 NorthWest NJ   Pics

2008-03-11          152081

I am assuming the sod has fully rooted. It is best to create some crevices for the seed to fall into in the turf. You can rent an overseeder, which cuts into the soil and drops the seed in one pass. The ones they have here are too big for my B7610 Kubota, you need an L sized tractor for the ones available.

For a small area you can rent a thatcher with blades (not springs) that can be set to make grooves about 1/4 inch deep. Another option I have never tried but heard other people use was to use a core aerator, but those holes seem to deep. I also have a 40" cheap spiker that used to work well in my old yard, but is useless here with the higher rock content. ....

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Overseeeding Tall Fescue

DennisCTB Join Date: Nov 1998 Posts: 2709 NorthWest NJ   Pics

2008-03-11          152082

One other thought which always stops me from overseeding in the spring is that this is the time to put down Crab Grass preventative, which stops you from seeding, and only prevents if you don't scratch the barrier. In addition scratching up the surface now will just invite lots of other weeds like dandelions. I have always thought that mid August to early September was the optimal seeding time if you had a choice. Most of my spring seeding efforts have struggled under the summer sun and had a tough go of it.

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