is there a way to make grass seed germinate quicker?
Answers:
First let me say that as a landscaper i install an average of 8 new lawns per week. Some grass seeds germinate slightly faster than others, but most all have a germination rate of 7-10 days. If the seed does not receive enough moisture it will not start to germinate as soon. however, if you "drown" the seeds they will rot before they germinate. Also if they begin to germinate and then the roots dry out, you killed 'em.
it is important to have loose soil to work with. also if it is high in acids, such as by pine trees, lime is needed to take the "sourness" out of the soil. Fertilizers come in all different ratings, if you think you may need some, either take a soil sample in or have someone who REALLY knows what there doing take a look at it.
Once the soil is loose, the seed and fertilizer & lime (if needed) is put down, rake the seed into the top soil so that it is within the top 1/4 - 1/2 inch of the soil. Cover with straw to hold in moisture. Water well and keep moist ( do not drown). when the grass is about 2 1/2-3 inches and ground is firm enough, mow. There is no need to remove the straw, it will get chopped by the mower and eventually fall apart.
Other answers:
Good question. I'll be watching this thread. I've spent a fortune trying to seed my yard and it still looks like hell.
Good question. I'll be watching this thread. I've spent a fortune trying to seed my yard and it still looks like hell.
use a hard rake on the area to be seeded to give the seeds a place to rest where they won't be washed away. Once the seeds are spread, cover with about 1/2" of peat moss, keep the area moist, you should have a nice stand in about a week. Until the grass is well establlished give it about 1" of water a day in the hot season.
go to the library and get the gardening books by jerry baker. he has a recipe in them to make grass seed germinate quickly using common household ingredients, but i don't remember it off the top of my head. i have used several of his "recipes" with a good rate of success. good luck!
Unfortunately no. Grass grows at its own pace. Use plenty of water and sunshine and you should be OK. There are some conditions where grass won't grow. Acidic dirt is one of the reasons. If you are trying to grow grass next to a pine tree you can just forget it. The grass will not grow. You can always have the soil tested to see what it's nutritional components are.
water it very good and fertilize the lawn this -Scott's CircleS-Weed and Feed. Putting weed and feed will eliminate the weeds and allow your grass to spread, the weeds WILL over take your lawn and prevent the grass from growing SO get rid of them! Even if you think you don't have any or not that many use the weed and feed anyways! always after planting or fertilizing make sure to water it very good this allows the seeds to really penetrate the ground very well and DO NOT WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY! Only water early in the morning or late in the evening, this will help prevent your lawn from burning!
You asked for the quickest. As is always the case, the best/easiest/quickest, is also the most expensive. After your lawn is prepped, hire a landscaping contractor to come in and Hydroseed. A hydroseeder is a machine that mixes a slush which includes water, grass seed, fertilizer, and bonding mulch. Once this mixture is mixed, the operator sprays this on your lawn. After daily watering, you should start to see grass in a matter of days. Look to spend about twenty cents per square foot for this service. After pricing all the necessary ingredients, and figure anything in for time, you may find this is not too expensive at all.
If you have seeded the lawn, the mix can be made w/o the seed.
Buy certified grass seed class A. Get a mess bag and put seed in water over night, drain the water out, freeze the seed for 48hours then apply seed to the lawn area
I'm an agronomist in training and if we want our plant seeds (grasses or whatever) to germinate quicker for experiments we soak the seeds for a few minutes in a soap/water solution before planting. This is a proven method (and cheap!) that will increase the germination speed a little bit.