Your grass will not develop? Heed this golf-course superintendent's recommendation

Welcome to “Tremendous Secrets and techniques Solves,” wherein a golf-course superintendent doles out recommendation for real-life lawn-care dilemmas. Have an issue of your personal? Drop a line to [email protected], and we’d sort out your quandary in a future installment!

Growing grass is like enjoying golf. Generally you’ve obtained ask your self: What am I doing wrong?

A GOLF.com staffer has been wrestling with this query in his personal yard.

Right here’s the gist. Early this month, he pulled up a number of concrete patio slabs behind his Minnesota residence and planted grass seeds of their place, hoping to develop the inexperienced footprint of his garden. Earlier than setting down the seeds, he raked the bottom to loosen up the soil, then added a layer of prime soil for good measure. He then watered the seeds twice a day for 3 days (as soon as within the morning, as soon as at night time) earlier than ramping again to watering as soon as a day. Throughout that point, temperatures have been heat however not scorching scorching, with in the future of heavy rain. The yard will get loads of daylight within the afternoon.

Our hopeful home-owner waited, and waited. However weeks have handed, and the seeds haven’t sprouted. He’s questioning why.

In a seek for solutions, we turned to Adam Wortman, superintendent at Hart Ranch Golf Membership, in Speedy Metropolis, S.D, which just lately underwent a renovation that concerned new seeding of 6.5 acres of tough, fairway and tees. Diagnosing from a distance is difficult, after all. However Wortman, who works in an analogous local weather to that of Minnesota, is aware of all in regards to the hindrances that include seeding. We requested him the place he thought issues may need gone awry in our staffer’s yard, and what may very well be carried out to make them proper.

GOLF.com: The very first thing we puzzled about is compaction. Is it potential the soil was simply packed too agency from these concrete slabs for the seeds to take root?

Wortman: I thought of that, too. However I don’t suppose that’s the case right here, particularly since he raked the bottom and put down a layer of prime soil as effectively. With three or 4 inches of prime soil, he ought to have been good to go. It helps if you happen to get the seeds down into that soil a bit. On the golf course, we’ll use what’s known as a Brillion seeder for that. Or we’ll run over them with a knobby tire simply so the seeds can’t wash or blow away. You should utilize nearly something. At residence, you may step on the seeds along with your tennis shoe and press them down.

GOLF.com: No threat of damaging the seeds while you do this?

Wortman: Nah. Possibly if you happen to went over them repeatedly with a mower. However not by rolling over them or stepping down on them along with your tennis shoe.

GOLF.com: If compaction’s not the difficulty, is it potential he simply has dangerous soil?

Wortman: I don’t suppose that’s the difficulty, both. You’ll be able to see within the image he’s obtained grass rising proper close by, and apart from, that prime soil ought to have been sufficient to present the seeds an excellent rising atmosphere.

GOLF.com: There was a day of heavy rain. Any likelihood the seeds simply obtained washed away?

Wortman: Washouts occur. However I don’t suppose that’s the case right here. It’s a reasonably small space and within the photograph, it seems to be fairly flat. It’s not on a slope or something. The rain may need moved that seed round a bit. However I don’t suppose it might have washed all of it away.

GOLF.com: Individuals usually say that one of the best time to plant grass seed is the autumn. May or not it’s that he was simply attempting to develop grass on the incorrect time of 12 months?

Wortman: I do know guys who will seed within the fall. They’ll dormant-seed it and wait til spring and see what comes up after which seed what doesn’t take. My drawback with the autumn is the nighttime temperatures, particularly the place I’m and the place he’s. It will possibly get so chilly. I choose to do it within the spring, when the soil and air temperatures begin to come up. You want the precise temperatures. We’ve had some chilly nights and frost currently, and frost is horrible for brand spanking new seed. You actually need to do it when nighttime temperatures are above 50 levels and floor temperatures are between 55 to 60. That’s optimum. Something under that and people seeds are simply going to take a seat there.

GOLF.com: The temps have been effectively above that in Minnesota, so looks as if we are able to verify that off the checklist, too.

Wortman: Sounds prefer it.

GOLF.com: That brings us to watering.

Wortman: It does. That was actually the massive query I had. Was he conserving that seed mattress moist on a regular basis?

GOLF.com: He was watering twice a day. Not sufficient?

Wortman: I don’t suppose it was. This may’t be a kind of offers the place you say, I watered it as soon as earlier than I went to work after which once more once I obtained residence. You have to arrange a timer. Or have somebody water it each couple hours. Gentle and frequent watering to maintain that seed mattress moist — if you happen to do this, you’re going to have a lot extra success. You don’t want the water to be pooling up throughout. Simply get the highest two inches moist, and preserve them moist. When you see the seeds begin popping out of the bottom, then you can begin backing off the watering a bit.

GOLF.com: “Light and frequent.” How usually and the way a lot is that?

Wortman: Once we seeded for our renovation, we have been watering six occasions a day for about two minutes. In two hours, it might dry out and our sprinklers would come on once more. We have been spiritual about it. You’ve obtained to be. You’ve obtained to spoon-feed that new seed.

GOLF.com: If he began that sort of watering schedule. Now, is there an opportunity that seed would nonetheless develop?

Wortman: I feel there’s an excellent likelihood it might. He ought to give it a attempt. And when the seeds begin to develop, he might see the place there are gaps and fill them in.

GOLF.com: How lengthy ought to he anticipate it to take?

Wortman: The place he’s, in Minnesota, at the moment of 12 months, I’d say round 10 days. He ought to begin seeing one thing developing.

GOLF.com: And if nothing does, he can attempt re-seeding? 

Wortman: Completely. 

GOLF.com: And if that fails, the nuclear choice, proper? He ought to simply sod?

Wortman: Yep. Simply lay down a strip a sod. The great factor with that’s you don’t should do the sunshine and frequent watering. Simply soak that sod within the morning and once more within the afternoon and go away it for the day. You don’t should child that sod such as you do new seed. New seed is hard.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Editor

A golf, meals and journey author, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Journal contributor since 2004 and now contributes throughout all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Greatest American Sportswriting. He’s additionally the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Enjoyable But: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.