ok...what to do with the front?

[buysell]

hello...live in north caldwell nj 07006

reseeded the front lawn about 10ksqr ft...used pennington fescue/blue grass mix....used a slit seeder...put scotts starter down....grass is up and has been cut for the first time yesterday (26th) confused about what to due next...iv done my due diligence on lawns so i can speak with you guys somewhat ...when do i fertilize next?..im reading high nitro..then im reading high phos....root growth makes sense to my brain but growth does also...im reading to fertilze 1 more time..then im reading 2 more times on or before november...

im looking for a simple schedule that i can follow as a baseline..

thank you!...ph=6.5...clayish soil...

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

How thick is the grass? How many bare patches? At what rate did you put down teh Scotts Starter? And how long ago? How much more growing season is left there (assuming that this grass is so young it won't go into dormancy this winter)...???

[buysell]

the grass is thick..some bare spots that i must have missed...seeded on 9-5.......put down the suggested amount by scotts....setting 3 scotts standard rotary spreader...temperatures here are in the 50's at night and 65-70 in the day

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Okay, it has been 3 weeks. How much more decent weather do you anticipate?

The thing to bear in mind with fertilizing new grass is that those roots are only 1/2" or so down into the soil. Thus, depending on what type of CEC levels your soil has (likely higher b/c of the clay), you may already be (and probably are) at a point where the nutrients have leeched past your shallow root zone.

Being in your shoes at this point in the season, if you have no soil test to go off of, I'd be leaning towards one more application in the next week-or-so of 16-16-16. Then, as things get cold (right before the snow flies), find a blend of fertilizer that has a 3-0-1 mixture (for example, a 30-0-10) with no slow release.

This advice, however, should be taken with the realization that I'm not native to your area and I'm merely dispensing generic advice. The thing to do would be to contact the ag. university in your state and speak with someone there who knows EXACTLY what your area needs.

[buysell]

thanks for your suggestion....iv never seen 16-16-16... all ten's yes...where would that be purchased?...and whats the purpase of the high nitro..it seems to me like one is dumping a bunch of greening power onthe lawn...what are we trying to do exactly ?

thanks again

[whoopassonthebluegrass]

Originally Posted by buysell

thanks for your suggestion....iv never seen 16-16-16... all ten's yes...where would that be purchased?...and whats the purpase of the high nitro..it seems to me like one is dumping a bunch of greening power onthe lawn...what are we trying to do exactly ?

thanks again

16-16-16 is commonly found everywhere (even Home Depot) - so if you haven't seen it, perhaps your state has some controls on it. Phosphorous can be complicated...

As for the N, there is a common misnomer that all N does it create topgrowth and color. Not true. Grass consumes more N than any other nutrient. It is an overall nutrient necessary for your grass to utilize the OTHER minerals, and subsequently develop/mature/fill-in quickly.

[buysell]

thanks for your time and help....you helped !!..good job

[foreplease]

Buysell, whoopass gave you good advice. I would add: mow frequently for the rest of this growing season. It will really help your lawn to thicken up and fill in.

I'm not sure how long ago you seeded, but chances are if you just cut for the first time it was all rye you have yet to see much of the bluegrass germinate. It is probably 10-14 days behind the rye so continue to keep moisture level up.

Congratulations on not asking about getting rid of the weeds yet