Question
QUESTION: One part of my property which is fairly substantial is scheduled for bulldozing next week.  I contracted a private service with a truck doing work nearby on new construction. My question is what fertilisers I can use in conjunction with the seed.  How much seed is used and do you cover the seeds after they are down as protection from wind? Do you ever find that birds are a problem (eating the grassseed)?  House is on Long Island  North Shore.

ANSWER: Before you put down Grass Seed, make sure you have a level, even surface, free of Weeds and Rocks and debris.

It is a perfect time of year to Solarize your soil -- a cheap, easy treatment to wipe out Weeds in the entire plot before the Seed goes down.

Rototill -- I hope that is what you mean by 'bulldozing' next week, then drench with water and cover airtight with clear painter's plastic from Home Depot.  Secure with heavy stones and wait a month.  Anything down there will be history in 4 or 5 weeks.  THEN you can put down seed.

BUT FIRST, I would put down some aged manure.  And get yourself a soil test to see if you need any Lime or other amendment to make your Grass grow big and strong.

This is the worst time of year to be sowing Grass.  Patience, my friend, is the key here.  You want the most beautiful Lawn in the neighborhood?  This is how to get there from here.

Any questions, let me know.  Thanks for writing.

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QUESTION: A few questions please:

What do you mean by Solarize you Soil?
Would it be safe to start off with RoundUp first?
Aged manure - seems expensive.
What do you recommend for the soil test?

ANSWER: Solarization is a foolproof way to wipe out ALL Weeds on your soil.  And it's FREE!

Because it's solar-powered.  You use the heat and power of the Sun to make things SO HOT under a plastic sheet that they grow themselves out of existence.  Weed seeds are eliminated, too -- they just grow and burn out.  For reasons I do not understand, beneficial microbes are saved from destruction.  Earthworms run for cover.  The Weeds -- history.  And that, my friend, is a beautiful thing.

RoundUp is for people without Intelligent.  You, my friend, are an Intelligent Gardener.  Never use RoundUp.  NEVER.  I'll provide further details if you ask but for now let's agree this is wicked.  Solarize instead.

Aged Manure in a bag is tres pricey.  Aged Manure from a Cow or a Horse, free.  The best things in life are free.  That, I know we agree on.

Soil testing is best done by your local Cooperative Extension in terms of price/benefit.  Since you live here on Long Island, you can get a very affordable test executed by soil specialists at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Service:

http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/columbia/soiltest.html

Thanks for writing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again, I am including my previous q's and a's to make it easy to review the history of my question. An update, I had a landscaper come over and till over the soil to get rid of the weeds.  We seeded on top and I figured we'd just get more seed if we had to do it all over again so we skipped the Roundup.  However, I did not test the soil at all, it was just too time consuming and we were under deadline.  The grass looked ok all season but to tell you teh truth I was focused on other things and didn't do much except water it a lot and get it mowed.  Anything I need to do before spring and what do you suggest as a next step? Thanks.

Answer
Rototilling, then Seeding, is a great way to grow a bumper crop of Weeds.

Seeds of these unwanted visitors hide under Soil surfaces for DECADES, thanks to their secret weapon: Dormancy DNA.  This guarantees that all the Seeds will not germinate at the same time.

Some Weed Seeds need Oxygen to germinate -- and tilling pours air into your Soil, giving them just the boost they need to start a new life at your House.

Some Weed Seeds need LIGHT to germinate.  And some need DARKNESS.  Those that need darkness were already happy; those that need light are collecting donations to erect a statue in your honor right in the middle of your Lawn, commemorating your Rototilling decision.

Not to belabor this, but since I have not mentioned it before, let me point out that once established a lot of these Weeds release traces of Toxins into the Soil around them -- allelopathic chemicals -- to stop competing plants from germinating.  Those on the short list include Quackgrass, Johnson Grass, Giant Foxtail, and Bermudagrass.

Have a good look at the government publication, 'Principles of Weed Management', which says: 'Nutrient reserves in a vegetative part determine the ability to resprout and grow into a new plant.  There is usually a period of days immediately following the Spring Growth flush when a perennial is most easily destroyed by Tillage.  Therefore, Tillage must be carefully timed to suppress Perennial Weeds at their most vulnerable Stage.  If tilled at the wrong team, Weeds that are capable of resprouting can be moved around in the field, resulting in an even bigger problem than before the Tillage.'

Believe me, they're not kidding.

Get yourself a bag of Corn Gluten Meal pre-emergent Weedkiller and a good spreader.  Watch for the Forsythia flower explosion in your neck of the Woods and get the CGM down asap.  Then MOW without stopping all Summer long.  Give me the name of your Grass and I'll give you the mowing and cultivation instructions (height etc) to get it going full blast this year.

Finally, I recommend you get yourself a bag of Clover Seeds and sow them in late Spring.  Not too early, because remember, the CGM will be down there watching for new sprouts.  Best regards.  


http://www.fws.gov/klamathbasinrefuges/Weeds.pdf