Horticulture Hotline 04/20/20
By Bill Lamson-Scribner
Right now, at the three Possum stores, we are getting many questions
about filling in dead spots from the winter. There are a few questions you want
to ask yourself before you begin this task. Why is there a bare spot? How big
is the bare spot? Where is the bare spot located? How quickly do I need to see
results? What kind of grass do I have now? What kind of herbicides have been
used on my lawn and do they inhibit the establishment of grass?
First off, you would want to know what type of sod you have
and whether or not seed is even an option. St. Augustine (Charleston grass)
does not have seed. 419 Bermuda grass does not produce a viable seed. Many of
your zoysia grasses do not have seed. Therefore, sodding, sprigging / plugging,
or fertilizing what grass you have until it fills in is an only choice. Always
think long term – don’t use cheap Bermuda seed to fill-in when you have another
grass, then spend the rest of your life trying to rid your lawn of the Bermuda grass
you seeded.
Has a tree grown up over the years and now this area is
shaded? If that is the case instead of trying to grow grass, you might be
better off converting the area into a bed.
Have you had a boat parked beside your driveway or a child
that has moved away (and not come back), so you have an area the size of a car
that you want to fill in? Sodding this area or sprigging / plugging (cutting
sod up into pieces and planting those pieces) might be a good option.
Any smaller areas the size of a baseball to the size of a
basketball, I like using Cotton Burr Compost, SeaHume, and a fertilizer. Watching
the grass run into these areas brings immediate gratification. This combination
of products works great in insect damaged, fungus damaged, dog damaged areas or
any area that needs help.
If you are going to seed (bermuda, centipede, or zoysia)
remember you want your soil temperature three inches down to be 70 degrees (not
quite there) in the coolest part of the yard that you are seeding. Make sure
any herbicides that would impede the establishment of your grass have not been
applied. Be prepared to keep the soil moist for 20 – 30 days for zoysia and
centipede and 5 – 14 days for bermuda.
Always read, understand and follow product label. The
product label is a Federal Law.
