Planting Grass Seed

To some the sheer number of choices to be made when seeding their lawn seems overwhelming. Pike Nurseries is here to take the guesswork out of seeding your lawn.

1. Prepare the area. The best seedbed allows for maximum contact between the seed and the soil. To establish a seedbed, rototill the area to be seeded to a depth of three to six inches. Where clay is in abundance, add one bag of Pike’s Planting Mix or Top Soil per six sq. ft. Rake or drag the surface smooth. If the area has not been limed in the past year, add 40 lbs. of lime per 1000 sq. ft. Apply Pike Starter Ferilizer, a premium, slow­-release fertilizer, at the rate recommended by the manufacturer. (A soil test is always rec­ommended to insure the proper fertilization rate and pH analysis for your lawn.)

2. Moisten after the seed is scattered according to the chart below.

3. Thorough watering, which wets the seed and the underlying soil, is necessary for proper rooting. If the soil is allowed to dry out at all during the germination period (about 10 to 14 days), the seed will not germinate. Daily water is neces­sary until a good root system is developed.

Warm Season
Bermuda           2 lbs. /1000 sq. ft.       Mix five lbs. of sand with each pound of Bermuda seed to aid in proper spread rate.

Centipede          4 oz./1000 sq. ft.         Mix twelve lbs. of sand with each ¼ pound of Centipede seed to aid in proper spread rate.

Cool Season

Annual Rye        10 lbs./1000 sq. ft.      Good for overseeding warm season grasses

Fescue*             8-10 lbs./1000 sq. ft.   5 lbs./1000 sq. ft. when overseeding

* In Atlanta, use Atlanta Blend Fescue Seed. This grass seed is designed to meet the needs of Atlanta area lawns. Atlanta Blend Fescue Seed is a blend of turf type fescues including Plantation, Virtue, Duster and Creeping Red. This mixture is the best possible combination for sun and shade. It has a fast-growing, vigorous root system.