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Discussion starter · #21 ·
Valk- We hit about 33-35 last night.

This wasn't a full renovation. Just slit seeding. I used high grade seed and fertilizer.

I know the weather has been poor but he wants to know if I can put down more seed. I think I should hold off and not do this until temps are much warmer.

The question now becomes do I have him continue to water to keep the seed alive?
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The question now becomes do I have him continue to water to keep the seed alive?
Do you need more help? Contrary to what some might believe, you would be surprised at what you can do from "thousands of miles away". So I will post (again) methods you can use to determine proper irrigation with limited data collection and/or from "thousands of miles away".

Use the following site ( Web Soil Survey ) to determine potential/likely soil conditions on site, assuming you haven't done the necessary site audit (soils, irrigation, plants).

You also have known weather data for your region (attached images in my posts) and of course you have the necessary minimum information needed to determine correct irrigation run times and intervals (PR or AR, DU), right? If not, make some educated assumptions based on what you do know.

Now using the Ames numbers, since you said you are in central Iowa, how much should be be irrigating?

Now your basic water requirements on a per hydrozone (or valve zone) basis assuming no rain inputs, soil moisture content is at field capacity to start with and soil is homogeneous throughout root zone (both current and potential). Using the attached images and previously images I posted along with data you should have collected from the site and/or data from the soil survey for the site you should have now pulled, generate an estimate for irrigation requirements.

Interval: INTz = (AWHC * RZ * MAD) / (ETo * Kl)

INTz = Zone Interval (days)
AWHC = Soil Plant Available Water Holding Capacity (in/foot)
RZ = Root zone depth (feet)
MAD = Management allowable depletion (%)
ETo = reference evapotranspiration (in/day)
Kl = landscape/crop coefficient (%) (see WUCOLS)​

Runtime: RTz = [(60 * INTz * ETz) / ARze] * RTM

RTz = Irrigation zone runtime (mins)
INTz = Interval between irrigation events (days)
ETz = Zone adjusted ET (in/day) --> ETz = (ETo * Kl)
ARze = Zone effective application rate (in/hr) --> from catch can audit (most accurate)
RTM = Runtime multiplier (a factor of DU) --> RTM = 100/DULH

@hi_speedreed: Is that detailed enough for you?

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Rectangle Black Slope Human body Organism
 
Once the seed has soaked upadequate water, youonly need for the temps to rise to adequate levelsand as long as the seed doesn't dry out completely it will germinate at that time(if it is still properly bonded beneath approximately beneath 1/4" of soil)...
No more complicated than that... :)
 
up here certain types of Kentucky can take 30-40 days to germinate, you need to sell them on the fact that the turf will continue to get thicker and thicker, it does not all happen simultanously.....tell them they need patience and suggest waiting a few more weeks and yes, continue to water
 
Many people make this mistake.
All the rest of this thread are wrong.
It is not their fault, they are inexperienced in the fine arts of proper lawn maintenance.

Learn diz below is read:

We DON'T seed in the spring.
Spring is the time to apply PRE-EMERGENT WEED CONTROL!
Read: Weed control INTERFERES with SEED germination.
That is MOST likely why it's not germinating.

They probably forgot to tell you, but it doesn't matter, we DON'T seed in the spring.
We seed in the FALL, because FALL is the best time of the year for putting down grass seed.
This is why we seed in the FALL.
FALL is the BEST time of year for it.

Read: We DON'T seed in the spring.
Spring is time for PRE-emergent Weed Control.
Weed Control prevents seed germination.
That is why we DON'T put down grass seed in the spring.
Spring is time for PRE-emergent Weed Control.

No exceptions, only one way to do it right.

We SEED in the FALL.
And PRE-emergent in the SPRING.
That way there is NO interference.

One more time:
Pre-Em in the Spring.
Seed in the FALL.

Thank you.
 
Valk- We hit about 33-35 last night.

This wasn't a full renovation. Just slit seeding. I used high grade seed and fertilizer.

I know the weather has been poor but he wants to know if I can put down more seed. I think I should hold off and not do this until temps are much warmer.

The question now becomes do I have him continue to water to keep the seed alive?
Posted via Mobile Device
Almost freezing and you're wondering why the KBG hasn't germinated? :hammerhead:

If the first seed hasn't germinated yet, what makes him think more seed will make a difference?

The soil only needs to be "damp", not wet.

You should already know all of this before you even did the job. Now you're scrambling to find the right answer to tell him. :dizzy:

In this case I'd say you need to educate the customer but it sounds like you might need some first. Go over when he's not looking and toss a bunch of annual rye. You'll have stuff growing in days.
 
man, this isn't complicated...

first of all, it's KBG...that already germinates way slower than fescue and most other seeds

even fescue is germinating really slow right now...actually, i would say this year is one of the worst for spring seeding, and for once the issue isn't 'not enough moisture.'..the soil temps are simply too cold right now...seed needs between 45 and 65 degrees to germinate and keep growing

as far as watering goes, yes, keep it watered, but it doesn't need to be watered as frequently

and yes, i agree, spring is not ideal for seeding for multiple reasons, but customers WILL demand it, and if you won't do it then they will find somebody else that will...pre emergent is the number one reason why you don't seed in spring, but if that isn't relevant, as in this particular customer hasn't put any pre emergent down, then pre emergent is not an issue

moral of the story, make sure pre emergent hasn't been put down, water but don't over water, germination is going to be very slow due to soil temperature
 
Many people make this mistake.
All the rest of this thread are wrong.
I said the same thing as you did. He made no mention of having applied Pre-em so I didn't mention it. I'm sure most here know that Fall is the optimal time to seed. The OP has already seeded and all he asked for was a little help explaining to his customer why the seed hasn't germinated yet.

There is no magic to planting in the Fall. The seed will come up the same in the Spring as it does in the Fall. The difference is the new grass stands a better chance of surviving the Winter than it does of surviving the Summer.

Unlike the northern areas where you live, in the real South, seed is planted in the Spring, not the Fall.
 
Many people make this mistake.
All the rest of this thread are wrong.
It is not their fault, they are inexperienced in the fine arts of proper lawn maintenance.

Learn diz below is read:

We DON'T seed in the spring.
Spring is the time to apply PRE-EMERGENT WEED CONTROL!
Read: Weed control INTERFERES with SEED germination.
That is MOST likely why it's not germinating.

They probably forgot to tell you, but it doesn't matter, we DON'T seed in the spring.
We seed in the FALL, because FALL is the best time of the year for putting down grass seed.
This is why we seed in the FALL.
FALL is the BEST time of year for it.

Read: We DON'T seed in the spring.
Spring is time for PRE-emergent Weed Control.
Weed Control prevents seed germination.
That is why we DON'T put down grass seed in the spring.
Spring is time for PRE-emergent Weed Control.

No exceptions, only one way to do it right.

We SEED in the FALL.
And PRE-emergent in the SPRING.
That way there is NO interference.

One more time:
Pre-Em in the Spring.
Seed in the FALL.

Thank you.
I wouldn't brag about only seeding in the Fall, and spreading Pre-M way before it is needed,, then CALLING OTHERS inexperienced...
I don't use pre-m in lawns,, ever,,, and we don't get CG either... I have successfully seeded every month of the season over the course of my career, to eliminate dirtspots or thin areas wherever needed...

Experienced landscape artists ALWAYS focus on growth,,, and those who can not make things grow focus on killing things... lawns should MATURE to the point of requiring very little input to remain PERFECT... :)
 
Discussion starter · #33 ·
First off, thanks for the responses. Second off, I'm not an idiot. I know that it won't germinate when it's that cold. But the temp I stated that was 33-35 was ONE night. Also, HERLER, I take care of their lawn care schedule. I didn't apply any pre m or weed killer for this very reason.

The customer knew before hand that it would take consistent watering and weather conditions to be right. So far we have had unseasonal weather.

I'm not searching for complete bs to tell this guy. He has already been told that the weather hasn't been suitable for growing conditions and to wait it out.
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I find it funny you contradict yourself. On 05/04 you told Hissing Cobra, "anything short of auditing the site is guess work."
Yup, it is. There is a difference between an educated guess using available data for the area and an uneducated guess using nothing, the latter being the prominent method used on this site.

I also stated a full site audit is needed here as well. So where exactly did I contradict myself?

Was it when I said this?

assuming you haven't done the necessary site audit (soils, irrigation, plants).

or this?

of course you have the necessary minimum information needed to determine correct irrigation run times and intervals (PR or AR, DU), right

or this?

along with data you should have collected from the site

So which is it? You can help someone without seeing the site or you are guessing?
I think you are confusing HC with me. He is the one who said I couldn't help nor could I possibly know anything about the area because I am 3000 miles away. Further, you can help someone without seeing the site, you however can't give them an informed final solution without site data. I provided the OP with the information necessary to make an informed professional decision (per your complaint), once he collects the necessary data from the site.

Perhaps you can demonstrate how to solve those equations without data from the site?
 
My mistake Kiril. I think you might have misunderstood what I meant by my original post. I said thousands of miles not in reference to you but because I am very far from the OP. I am not familiar with his area, the ground, the weather, nor am I privy to the water schedule the homeowner adhered to. Yes, I could look up observed weather and soil conditions for the area but chose not to. I dislike seeing advice on water schedules, fertilizer application, pesticide application, knowing the advice is being given with many unknown variables.

We are bickering and I think we generally agree with each other.
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Because KBG is so slow to establish, I like to mix in a small % of high quality PRG. This has two purposes: (1) it makes the customer happy to see some germination and (2) more importantly, if the PRG hasn't come up after about 7-10 days of acceptable weather, it's an early warning sign that something may have gone wrong with the seeding overall. Of course, even PRG won't germinate if it's freezing at night, so some judgment is required also.
 
Keynes is right. Kentucky bluegrass is just too slow for many homeowners--they expect more rapid results from a professional. And a cold spring with a frost event makes it worse. Even after 8 weeks, KBG may only be a half-inch tall, and probably be thin. And the owners seldom water as much as they say they will. If they want KBG, the answer is sod. There is a good chance they already have a high percentage of perennial rye in the first place.
You planted a sample in a coffee cup in your office--did you not?
You read their water meter so you can verify their gallons used, right? And asked for a copy of their water bill? What is their address--maybe I can look it up online and tell you how many gallons they used.
 
Agree that having 40-50% Per Rye in the mix is good.
OP - I hope to heck you did not guarantee the seed job. You can open up so many cans of worms if you say 100% satisfaction guarantee with an overseed job in existing turf. Way, way too many variables to offer any sort of guarantee, beyond the fact that your workmanship was culturally correct.
 
You do realize that if you seed a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix you will end up with about 10 to 20% KBG in the lawn after everything is germinated. I know KBG is a pain to grow but worth it in the end.
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You do realize that if you seed a 50/50 PRG/KBG mix you will end up with about 10 to 20% KBG in the lawn after everything is germinated. I know KBG is a pain to grow but worth it in the end.
Posted via Mobile Device
I think he will end up with a lot more KBG than that, because the PRG is going to weaken or die in the mid-summer heat, allowing the KBG to spread. For a Fall seeding, I would keep the PRG under 20% by weight, but not this late in spring. 50/50 by weight seems about right to me in Mid-May. It's a bit of a hail mary at this point anyway.
 
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