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YARD AND GARDEN

September is for seeding

Think back and try to remember the kind of September when grass was green. Or "is" green. Depends on the time of the month and the type of lawn you have. This year may be one of those rare occasions when the lawns are actually green most of the month. Everyone with half a mind wants a green lawn. Seldom do you hear "Hey, my lawn is purple. Isn't that great7" If that's your goal, don't tell anyone. Otherwise the guys with the white coats will probably show up on your doorstep.

David Robson

September is the month for most lawn work, contrary to popular opinion and television ads.

There is still too much grass in Illinois. Most yards would look better with about one half the lawn and the rest in flowers, shrubs and trees. No one should spend more than two hours mowing their yard. Of course, this is my opinion, but this is my column. (Note: I gladly will write a note to your spouse stating the above opinion as fact.) One thing I do every September is overseed my lawn. It doesn't take much time and the rewards are high. (I also aerate each fall and this does just as much.) Adding grass seed is one of the best ways to improve the overall appearance of the turf. Neighbors will probably be jealous or think you are the local turf god. You can just blankly nod and say "ah, it's nothing much" when it really is nothing much. Like kids, new grass is hardier. It's more vigorous, grows fast and spreads quicker, filling in bare spots and choking out some weeds. It's going to be more disease resistant and impart that good young grass-green color over your spread.

There are two main points to remember: buy good quality seed and make sure you have good seed-to-soil contact. Do you need to buy the Cadillac of seeds? You bet. The better quality the seed, the better quality turf. The extra cost is really important. Named types are better than just plain ol' bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue.

Avoid seed that is more than a year old. Check the package. Somewhere, by Illinois law, it has to say when it was tested or packaged. Seed packaged for 2000 is best; seed for 1999 may be acceptable if nothing else is available.

Shoot for three different cultivars of grass. You may be lucky and find three different named grasses in the package. Or you may have to go to a couple different places to buy the grass mix. The more grasses, the better disease resistance. Never settle for less than three different grass cultivars when seeding or over seeding. Bluegrass is still one of the best grasses for our area. There are more than a couple hundred different names. Send me an e-mail and I'll send a list of some of the best for sun, shade, low maintenance and those with the best disease resistance.

Ryegrass germinates in a matter of days in September. It's usually added to give quick cover and limit erosion. However, your mix shouldn't contain more than 30 to 40 percent ryegrass. Finding grass seed may be difficult in some areas. Contact your local garden center, nursery or home-improvement store. Some seed companies carry grass seed for fall business. The over seeding rate is about a pound of seed per thousand square feet. That's about a third of what we normally use for a new area. Mow the yard first. Water or wait until a rain. Scatter the seed at the above rate. Take a rake and drag it across the ground to make sure the seed comes in contact with the soil. After all this, there is an easier way. You can rent a slit-seeder at many rental places. These machines cut a slit into the ground and drop seeds into the groove. You're guaranteed good seed-to-soil contact.

Ideally, keep the area moist until the seed germinates. However, if you can't water, you'll still end up with some grass germinating and improving your lawn.

One final word, seed early in the month, preferably by the 15th to allow the grass a chance to mature before winter. e-mail: Robsond@mail.aces.uiuc.edu SOLUTIONS: www.ag.uiuc.edu/-robsond/solutions

16 ILLINOIS COUNTRY LIVING • SEPTEMBER 2000