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antipode12 · Apr 18, 2008, 10:30 PM

Hey guys -- I posted in the fall about seeding my lawn.

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/lawn-g...-121434-2.html

Now, my newly seeded areas have sprouted some decent grass, but I may have been too light with the seed, and it's all thin and patchy. I'd say the new lawn areas are about 60% grass, 40% soil.

How do I correct?

A) Seed some more and top off lightly with topsoil?

B) Rake deep into my new grass and re-seed more thoroughly?

C) Another option?

Thanks,
Justin

tomterm8 · Apr 19, 2008, 12:36 AM

This link Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Repairing Lawns should help you. Basically you should use pre-germinated seed, with a bit of sand.

antipode12 · Apr 19, 2008, 06:46 PM

How do I keep birds from eating it?

kp2171 · Apr 19, 2008, 06:57 PM

I've had luck with "A", but I'm midwest, not NY, and not an expert. If anything, thisll bump your post up in the new posts line...

I seed again with starter soil or, as mentioned, soil with some sand, and care to water well. I tend to throw down some light straw to help with moisture in the fall, but in the spring it might not be needed.

Get through the spring, see how the summer goes, and if you still have issues, seed in the early fall... I really prefer this to ensure good results in the following spring.

tomterm8 · Apr 20, 2008, 05:35 AM

Well, in my experience, if the soil is reasonably covered with grass, the birds aren't going to find anywhere near all your soil. If it's completely patchy and unusable , the best thing is to put sharp sticks on top of it - I use hawthorn cuttings, holly etc.

Guess you could also net the ground for a coulple of weeks to be 100% sure. Pre-germinated seed isn't going to take all that long to get past the "bird" phase.

josh1987 · Apr 20, 2008, 06:45 AM

Lightly rake the area where you planted and then spread another good amount of seed. Then like you said sprinkle some topsoil on top so your seed doesn't run away. You might even use a turf builder fertilizer on the newer grass too.

antipode12 · Apr 21, 2008, 08:47 PM

Thanks for the suggestions.

I tried to just throw the seed down, but the birds went wild.

I bought some netting and staked it above the grass. Seems to be working.

KP, I took you advice and topped off with soil, too. I figured it'd help stabilize and keep moist.

I'll let you all know how round 2 goes.