How to Germinate Grass Seeds
By Bobby Ingram
Strong, reliable turf is essential in running a successful golf course. Your clients need to know that the course will not cost them strokes. While proper maintenance can help, any frequently played course will occasionally need to reseed patches of grass. Ideally, this should be performed in the fall, at the end of a season. Mid-season reseeding, when needed, is performed in the same manner.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Spread the seed with a spreader or by hand if a spreader is not available.
Lightly rake over the soil in which the grass has been laid. Your goals is to get the seed slightly below ground level. Failure to bury the seed makes it susceptible to being eaten by birds. Burying it beneath too much dirt leaves it below ideal growing depth.
Spread a thin layer of mulch over the raked ground. This mulch will help maintain some moisture and regulate ideal germination temperature in the ground.
Water the newly-seeded ground for five to 10 minutes twice a day, once in the early morning and again mid-day. Do not water at night.
Ensure that the seed does not overheat and bake. On extremely hot days, you may have to add an a watering of less than five minutes to cool the seed. Be careful not to soak the seed in the additional watering.
Be wary of over watering the seed. Stick to the five- to 10-minute blocks on days when there is no risk of overheating, and watch the ground in your first few watering sessions. If a great deal of water begins to pool on the surface before the 10 minutes, you know to skew toward the five-minute end of the timing. Too much water will limit oxygen to your seeds.
About The Author
Bobby Ingram is a professional writer who majored in journalism at The College of New Jersey. In addition to work with eHow.com and GolfLink.com, Bobby has done PR with Major League Lacrosse's New Jersey Pride organization, where he served as the team's beat reporter.
