Lads,our square after the end of season work is very poor at the moment.the work done was very thorough and i was very pleased with the end results.But for wotever reason the germination is very sparse and at this stage of the year am at a loss to know what i can do.All ave got left to put on is a bag of fert as planned.
Any ideas lads???
26 Oct 2009 by pacman75cricket
when were your renovations done & what did they entail.
might also help by telling us where you are.
Sorry, in Lincoln and we started the work on the 22nd of sept and finished on the 25 of that week.cut square (10 strips)to playing height, scaryfied in union jack formation quite vigorously finishing in line of play, overseeded using a pedestrian blec uni seeder and top dressed with 80 plus bags of loam.since then the weather for the 1 st couple of weeks was dry and warm and now wet but nicely mild
26 Oct 2009 by pacman75cricket
I know from my own renovations did them about a week later but was appling water to ensure seed did not dry out & had germination but only in the last week & with rain at the weekend that square has really picked up & growing well now maybe in a position to give a first cut.
Which club are you from in Lincoln Nifty?
Im no expert Nifty but maybe try a bag a growmore to give it a kick, I did that and it gave mine a boost, not expensive from your local garden centre, I only put on 10 kilos, got to water it if its still dry though.
Also if you have any, could you not put some germination sheets where the sparseness is at its worst?
Was the rubbishh taken out thorougly after the scarifying?
What do I do? I just cut the grass.
How old was the seed and of what quality?
Chris
You will never see a statue in honour of a committee.
27 Oct 2009 by mario
"for the 1 st couple of weeks was dry and warm and now wet but nicely mild"
Perhaps you have answered your own question?
Unless the seed was watered pretty soon after distributing and kept moist the poor things wouldn't stand a snowballs chance!!
I know no boundaries.
Nifty
I'm 20 miles up the road from you in Hibaldstow.
My seed was put down on Sept 28th. No artificial water used. First germination seen 2 weeks ago and it's now almost ready for first trim over most of the square but a few ends are still painfully thin. Germination is showing on those thin areas, but its behind the rest. Mowing will be left for another week at least - at this point I'd rather let the grass get strength than rush to cut.
Why are ends worst - cos they're most exposed to drying, wash-off and the soil is harder there.
I personally would not cover now as I feel the risks of fungal attack outweigh the benefits. We have a warm week forecast and the ground is now nicely wet. These are ideal autumn germination conditions.
I will be overseeding the worst areas today and that will germinate from past experience.
Check out Nige Fishers blog site (http://lincscricketlatest.blogspot.com/) later this week - there will be an update on my autumn renovation work with pics of the sparse ends etc.
The ciderman rolls
Mario
I may be miles off here being a novice, but with it being as dry as it has been for renovation if the seed is covered with dry topdressing does it harm it that much as not to germinate much at all.
27 Oct 2009 by pacman75cricket
Believe the important part is to keep seed moist once germinated as once the seed has germinated & then dries out the seedling will die & then have poor growth.
I was watering to ensure my seed did not dry out & was thinking of doing so agin until unexpexted rain last night saved me the task.
If germination has been that poor & renovations sound like they were done really well.
How old was the grass seed used.
Also maybe time to overseed as temperatures down south forecast to be very mild till the end of october.
Same old problem year after year, seed will not germinate without water. This year has been ideal for autumn repairs. After seed and top dressing just put the water on. If you wait for it to rain, the fact is the temperture normally drops,which delays germination but when it is warm and you water the grass will be up in a week. I visited a ground two weeks after koro job and it was like a desert, the full time groundsman said ' If it dosn't rain soon I will have to get hose pipe out' in the meantime the rabbits were busy scratching the seed up !!!(Same goes for end repairs in season - if you don't water you don't get any grass)
"Keep it damp" is my motto and each year I have done renovations I have had to use a garden hose and garden sprinkler to do just that.
No easy task when the hose has to be pulled out, 75 yds in some areas of the square, and a small sprinkler attached.
I did this for a fortnight this season moving the "head" every 20 Min's or so but had good germination in the end. Then the rains came and the hose was put away for the winter.
The square is looking well but as happens and I don't know why, the two pitches last used on the weekend prior to renovations are not as forward as the rest. This seems to happen every year and a friend from another club says the same. A stranger to the square could walk up to it and pick them out straight away. Confused!!??
Some of the pitches, 5 weeks on, are starting to look yellow and will get a light feed this Friday prior to me week off. Rye grass is indeed, as somebody said on a different thread, a vey hungry plant but I expect to find it "greened up" the week after when I return.
Chris
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
My renovations were completed 4 weeks ago, and to be fair the square is pretty good, I have topped the grass already but some of the ends are a bit thin.
What I was thinking of doing, rather than scratch the ends up too much and cause damage, i was going to sarel roll the ends to create some holes.
Overseed the thinner areas, then lightly top dress and trulute in some loam to get a better level where necessary.
Before I start, can anyone see any pitfalls with this?
TIA
Use black grow covers next time if you can. Remember to remove them as soon as the seed has popped.
I used them on 16 grass blocks last season, the germination rate was superb.
Plus they keep moisture in, protect from birds & rain washout.
The grass cover went from zero to 90% in a couple of weeks.
You must keep seed damp. Irrigate lightly but often.
Good Luck.
Back to Top - Go to Next Unread Message
This Message is closed, you may not post a reply at this time
