Released: January 09, 2002

’Dormant’ Seeding OK Now for Lawn’s Bare Spots

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansans still have fair odds for planting tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass – particularly if they just want to fill in some bare spots in their lawn, says a Kansas State University horticulturist.

"The idea is to overseed while the lawn is dormant, usually sometime from December through February. Planting in fall will always be the better choice, but dormant seeding allows you another chance, when you’ve missed the optimum planting window," said Matt Fagerness, K-State Research and Extension’s turfgrass specialist.

For winter-sown seed to have a chance, it must have good soil contact, he said. Methods for achieving that include:

* Spread seed by hand after a light snowfall of less than 1 inch (when the bare spots still show).

* Sow seed when soil is moist and freezing weather is in the forecast. Freeze-thaw will do the job.

* If soil is dry and unfrozen, rent and use a core aerator or vericutter. Then broadcast the seed.

"With good soil contact, the seed will emerge in early spring. With that season’s usual cool, damp weather, the seedlings won’t need any care until they’re tall enough to mow," Fagerness said. "Until they reach a certain level of maturity, however, you can kill turf seedlings if you apply any crabgrass preventer except Tupersan – the trade name for siduron. So you must read and heed the label carefully before applying any other type of pre-emergence herbicide before spring 2003."

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News