Need slit seeding done - recommendations

[CarvedTones]

I am not pleased with how my regular yard company has seeded the last couple of years and I asked them not to do it this year. I used to get it slit seeded and had much better results. then taht company got bought out by the one I have now and they have been doing the aeriate and seed routine instead. Anyway, I have had trouble finding someone to do slit seeding and it is getting late. I never seed before October 1st (well, I did in the past; another lesson learned), but I should have had it lined up by now. Any suggestions?

 

[Canuck]

Andy,

I have been using EPM Cary for about 15 years or so. I used to have it slit seeded about every other year, but found it cheaper to have them aerate and seed instead. This year we had it done Labor day week and with all of the rain we have been having, it seems to be doing ok. Last week, I had them overseed in a few thin spots. (I have had it seeded as late as Thanksgiving and with plenty of water it has done ok. More pops in the spring!:eusa_danc)

They are the only company we have used. Got estimates from others (ie Scott's) but they were all high.

Wayne

 

[CarvedTones]

Interesting; I was avoiding naming names, but EPM is who bought out Hammerstone, who used to fertilize and seed my yard. EPM increased the price, forgot to kill off an area that got weed choked since they took over before seeding and left bare spots even after coming back out a second time. And all of this happened two years in a row (last year and the year before). Maybe you get a different crew than they sent to my house.

 

[Canuck]

Sorry 'bought that Andy:embaresse:embaresse

Maybe the crew over here on this side of Cary is different. I have had them come out numerous times to fix stuff though and they seem to cooperate ....even if I threaten discontinuing their service.:gar-Bi

It seems that cool season grass like Fecue is a constant battle around here with the nice rich red clay. I am sure that DaveO will be along with some good sound advice for us!

Good Luck.

Wayne

 

[DaveO]

IMO slit seeding is only beneficial when you want to establish a lawn on a slope or you have an established lawn with a lot of thatch. Slit seeding will give you a lawn that looks like a bad job from the Hair Club for Men :gar-La;
Also core areation is not needed every year unless your lawn is subjected to very high use...like football practice.

Broadcast over seeding will suffice for most lawns with a good stand of Fescue provided there is enough existing turf to keep the seed in place come a heavy rain.

Your biggest problem is trying to grow Fescue in an area where it doesn't do well. Unless you have a very shaded yard you should consider a warm-season turf like Zoysia or Centipede. Not only is it a permenant turf species it will require much less maintenance to keep it looking good during the growing season. The only draw back with warm-season turf is their shade tolerance and winter dormancy.

If you would like I would be happy to come out and check out your situation and see what is the best management policy. I can take care of what ever turf care you might end up needing.
E-mail me at donan(at)nc.rr.com

DaveO

 

[CarvedTones]

I will email you Dave. I do have a sloping lot and also a wife who doesn't like brown lawns in the winter. My next door neighbor has started plugging St Augs and I told him I won't complain if he plugs right at the property line.

Oddly enough, I got the "hair club" look from broadcast because it washed away except in the aeriation holes.

I had some irregular gound (bad enought to cause the mower to scalp) and some hardpack in a few spots and I tilled them last weekend and smoothed the ground and threw some seed in.

 

[Steve W]

Good points, Dave. I sort of figured that slit-seeding wouldn't be very practical with fescue because fescue doesn't send out rhizomes, so you'd get the dreaded "hair club" look :gar-La; I have figured out that overseeding at this time of year seems to help. I have a very shady yard, and I have some neighbors who have likewise, yet their lawn looks a lot better than mine. Is there a particular variety of fescue that does a lot better in the shade?
BTW, some patches I did last year by digging up the surface (they were bare spots) with my Mantis and then seeding worked out pretty well.

:kermit: Steve

 

[CarvedTones]

Maybe you can adjust the "seed feed" rate on the slit seeders or make multiple passes. When I first went with Hammerstone several years ago, they came out and killed my entire lawn because I had so many weeds and the "builder grass" wasn't very hardy. They slit seeded the entire thing and came back after it sprouted to look for thin or bare spots and slit seeded again there. By Spring it was thick enough that you could only see the pattern in a few places. I had them slit seed again that fall, without killing the lawn and that gave me a thick lawn with no detectable pattern for a few years. Then they sold out to EPM, the care went down hill and we had the drought on top of that. But even when I was allowed to water (and I have an irrigation system) it was looking pretty bad. They did broadcast seeding and the results were pretty pathetic. It may well be that I just had better care and that the slit seeding was not the real issue.