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FAQ's
How long does it take for grass seed to germinate
- Depending on mixture, you should expect initial growth for most varieties
to begin in 7 days provided adequate moisture is available, soil is warm enough
and conditions allow for germination
- Kentucky Bluegrass will take up to 30 days to germinate.
- The more ryegrass in the mix the faster the grass will establish
- The more bluegrass in the mix the slower the grass will establish
- First mowing should take place in 3-6 weeks when the grass blades reach
3" in height
What is endophyte?
Endophyte is a naturally occurring fungus that grows symbiotically in the grass
plant. It produces compounds that prevent insects from feeding on the leaves
and stems of the plant. Many Perennial Ryegrasses and Tall Fescues available
commercially are high endophyte. The lawn seed package will usually state whether
it contains any high endophyte species. Endophytic grasses are safe in lawns,
however the grass clippings should not be fed to livestock, as it will make
them sick. If you have a pet that occasionally feeds on grass that is fine.
The problem only occurs with animals whose staple diet is grazing grass.
Should I seed or lay sod?
Before you start, you may question whether to use seed or sod. Both options
have advantages, which need to be weighed.
Seeding
Pros:
- Cost
- Seeding a lawn is a fraction of the cost compared to sod.
- Customization
- Seeding allows you to use different blends for different areas on your property
(sun, shade, etc.).
Personal satisfaction is another factor. Seeing a lawn germinate from seed
and fill into a lush stand of turf gives the same sense of accomplishment
one feels from raising vegetables in a garden or preparing a spectacular meal
from scratch.
Cons:
It takes 4-6 weeks for a new lawn to fully establish. During this time you
want little to no traffic on it. You'll also need to keep the ground moist through
most of this period. It is also susceptible to invasion by weeds during this
establishment time.
Sod
Pros:
Sod is an instant lawn. One day bare ground, the next day a fully-grown lawn.
It's hard to beat that. Most sod growers are experienced, professional turfgrass
managers. They produce a high quality product and use improved varieties that
aren't readily available in the retail market.
Cons:
Cost is the biggest factor here. For many people, sod isn't in their budget.
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When is the best time to seed?
- Best time to seed is late summer – early fall.
- The exact timing will vary from location to location and from year
to year.
- The hot days of summer should be past before seeding.
- Fall seeding allows two establishment periods (fall and spring) before
the grass must go through a hot, dry summer.
- Soil temperatures are warm to promote fast germination and the nights
are cool.
- Increased morning dew helps keep seeds moist.
- Reduced pressure from competitive weeds.
Can I seed in the Spring?
Yes, apply seed in Spring when soil temperature reaches 15°C (60°F)
- Ideally mid May to mid June If you have spread grass seed in the early
spring, it will not germinate until the soil temperature reaches about
15°C (about 59°F). |
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What can I do about weeds in my lawn?
The best defense against lawn weeds is a thick healthy lawn. If you choose
to use a pest control product always read the label and follow all directions
and precautions.
If weeds are a problem consider the following guide*
- A few weeds in the lawn? - Dig by hand; ensure you remove the entire
root.
- Many weeds scattered throughout the lawn? - Use Lawn WeedOut®
Ready-To-Use to spray the individual weeds.
- Many weeds in few areas of the lawn? - Use Lawn WeedOut® Attach
& Spray or Lawn WeedOut® Concentrate to spray the area.
- Many weeds over the entire lawn? - Use Lawn WeedOut® Attach &
Spray or Lawn WeedOut® concentrate or use a premium slow release
lawn fertilizer with weed control (in place of a regular fertilizer
application) to treat the entire lawn
*Grass seed germination is not compatible with weed control products
used on lawns. They cannot be applied within 6 weeks of each other. As
a general rule - seed in the spring and weed in the fall or weed in the
spring and seed in the fall. |
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What can I do about lawn insects?
Here is some information about the common lawn insect pests. The best defense
against insect damage is a thick healthy lawn. If you choose to use a pest control
product always read the label and follow all directions and precautions
Grubs
Grubs feed on the roots of the grass. Damage is identified as dead grass
that can be lifted like a piece of carpet. Grub damage is usually first
noticed in mid- to late August; damage will first occur in the sunniest,
driest locations of the lawn and can spread very quickly during dry conditions.
To check for grubs, cut and turn over a 1 ft square section of grass at
the edge of a brown area. Grubs will be found within the top couple cm
of soil. The grubs are milky white with a brown head and a darker tail.
They will be curled up in a "C" shape and may be up to 1.7 cm (3/4 inch)
long. 5 or more grubs in a square foot can cause damage to the lawn and
treatment should be considered. For good grub control it is important
to follow all of the following steps.
- Remove as much of the thatch as possible with a heavy raking.
- Pre-soak the lawn with water. Ensure that the soil is wet down to
the grass root zone
- Apply GrubOut®. Follow the label directions for application rates
and coverage.
- Water-in to rinse the GrubOut® off the grass blades and into
the soil
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Chinch Bugs
| Chinch Bugs can cause severe damage to lawns. The Chinch Bug sucks the
juices out of the blades of grass causing the lawn to turn yellowish brown,
dry up and die. The damage will first be noticed in dry sunny areas and
spread out in irregular patches. They attack the grass in mid to late summer
usually during dry conditions. To check for Chinch Bugs, remove both ends
of a large can and press it 3-5 cm into the ground at the edge of a brown
patch. Fill the can with water and keep it filled for 10 minutes. Chinch
Bugs will float to the surface. They are black to brown insects with white
on their wings, approximately 3-5 mm (1/8 ") long. Apply GrubOut® as
damage is noticed. A second application in 14 days is often required. Grass
seed varieties that contain endophyte can help reduce damage
caused by Chinch Bugs. |
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Ants
Ants are more of a nuisance than a serious lawn pest. Anthills and their tunneling
can damage your lawn by smothering the grass and drying out the soil. Ants in
your lawn left unchecked will find their way into the house. Long-term control
of ants can only be achieved by destroying the nest. Apply GrubOut® directly
to the anthills and water in. For more complete control over a larger area,
spray the entire lawn, gardens, patio and around the house with special attention
to anthills and trails.
Sod Webworm
| Sod Webworm, the larvae of Lawn Moths feed on the blades of
grass, chewing them off at ground level. Damage will appear as irregular
brown patches scattered in the driest area of the lawn. If left unchecked
these patches become larger and the entire lawn can be destroyed. Dead grass
will pull away in clumps. The larva are dirty white in colour with a dark
brown head and rows of dark spots on their back. They live in silky tubes
near the roots. The adults are small light coloured moths that fly up from
the lawn in the evening when they are disturbed. Damage usually appears
in late August and September. Apply GrubOut® when damage is first noticed
or when moths are plentiful. For best results apply in the afternoon or
evening to a moist lawn. Grass seed varieties that contain endophyte
can help reduce damage caused by Sod webworms. |
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Cranefly Larva
| The adult Crane Fly looks like a large mosquito. The larvae,
called leatherjackets, feed on the grass in the fall and spring. The worst
damage is done in March and April. By mid June leather jackets stop feeding
and move deeper into the soil to pupate. Leatherjackets are found just under
the surface of the soil. Cut and roll back the sod to check for leatherjackets.
The regions hardest hit with leatherjacket damage are Southern ON, BC, Nova
Scotia. The domestic product registered for leatherjacket control at this
time is Diazinon. Commercial applicators are using Sevin and Diazinon. |
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Can I grow a "Low Maintenance" lawn?
There are currently no "No Mow" grasses that are suitable for lawns.
Some grass varieties do require less maintenance than others. What this means
is the grass will require less water and fertilizer than other species. Less
water and fertilizer does lead to slower growth and less frequent mowing however
it is important to be aware that your lawn will not look as lush and thick as
a well maintained turf area. Low maintenance species aren't as competitive
as other grasses, which can also leave your lawn more susceptible to weeds and
take longer to recover from damage due to high traffic, drought, insect damage,
etc.
There aren't too many low maintenance lawnseed mixes available on retail shelves
however you can look for products that contain higher quantities of fine fescues
(creeping red, chewing and hard fescue). If you can't find a specific
"low maintenance" mix, pick up a shade mixture. These mixes
tend to have 60% or more fine fescues and despite the "shade" moniker,
they will also thrive in full sun. Fine fescues require less water and fertilizer
than perennial ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass. Your lawn won't look as lush,
but you can also forget about it for few weeks without serious consequences.
Since low maintenance species aren't as competitive as other grasses you will
need to seed a little heavier than normal (3.5 kg per 100 m2 or
6-7 lbs per 100 ft2). You should also overseed each fall to keep
your lawn thick and reduce the opportunity for weeds to become established.
Another component in low maintenance lawns is white clover. As a legume, white
clover has the ability to fix its own nitrogen from the atmosphere and therefore
requires no nitrogen fertilizer. Furthermore, it thrives in a "lawn-type"
setting and is very drought tolerant. The one downside is that once introduced,
it could become a dominant component in your lawn and a selective weed herbicide
will also kill the clover.
Wildflowers
For large acreages where mowing isn't an option, wildflowers provide a beautiful
groundcover. Establishing a stand of wildflowers requires a fair bit of work
but the results can be spectacular.
Here's a quick guideline to follow:
- Timing
- Like grass seed, spring or fall will work, however a dormant fall seeding
is most effective. Seed late enough so that germination will not take place
until the following spring. By exposing the seed to cold (even freezing)
temperatures, you help to break the dormancy that some wildflower seed have.
- Site Preparation
- Making sure the site is weed free is very important for once you seed, you
cannot use any herbicides to selectively kill the weeds. Use the summer leading
up to seeding to eliminate weeds through a combination of herbicide application
and cultivation.
- Seeding
- Wildflowers should be very lightly seeded compared to grass seed –
100 grams (1/4 lb) will cover 100 m2 (1,100 ft2).
Because of this, it is best to mix the seed with a carrier to ensure even
distribution. Saw dust, peat moss and vermiculite all work very well. Mix
one part seed with nine parts carrier. Once seeded, role the site for better
seed to soil contact.
- Establishment
- If the area you are seeding is small enough, you may want to weed the stand
by hand for the first year. If the site is to large for that, then mow once
a month in the first year but keep the cut height above 12-15 cm (5-6 inches)
so as not to cut down the emerging wildflowers (they will not grow
much higher than this in the first year). A flail mower or weed eater
works best for this.
- Maintenance
- The good news is that there is very little. Once established, you really
only need to mow the stand once a year in the late fall or early spring. This
will clear off the debris and allow good re-growth the following season. It
will also help shatter mature seeds from the annual wildflowers so that they
can be seeded back into the stand.
What is the best choice for erosion control?
On steep slopes, where erosion is likely to be a problem, select a ground cover
that will root firmly to hold the soil in place. From the mid US to northern
Canada, one of the best species for erosion control is crown vetch. It is best
grown in sunny, well drained areas. It is very winter and drought hardy. It
is also a legume like clover so it will fix its own nitrogen. Crown vetch blooms
prolifically with pinkish purple flowers. Once established, the site will explode
into colour each summer.
The main drawback to crown vetch is that it is very slow to establish. In the
first year, you barely be able to see any. In the second year it will start
to show. However once it is established, it will be very aggressive and over
the next few years will likely colonize the entire area that you planted.
Because of its slow start, crown vetch is best seeded with a cover grass. A
mix of ryegrass (perennial or annual) and creeping red fescue works well. These
grasses will hold the ground while the vetch first establishes and then eventually
takes over.
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