Bible wants to do some field maintenance at Benning-Stoddert at the
end of the Spring season. Aeirate the field and lay down some grass
seed.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
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Bible wants to do some field maintenance at Benning-Stoddert at the
end of the Spring season. Aeirate the field and lay down some grass
seed.
11 comments:
end of spring is a bad time (agronomically) to seed without irrigation, but aeration would help the compaction.
Thanks for chiming in Sandwich. Our goal is to grow as much grass as possible on that field, what would be your recommendation? Should we make a push to get some seed down now while we can expect to get some help from Mother Nature with respect to Spring rainfall?
KJ
Soon would be good, but we'd have to keep traffic off the field till the grass is reestablished...which we can't feasibly do. If we can get some water on the field (assuming Benning/Stoddard has a fixture I'm sure we can get some hoses) after we seed at the end of the spring then we should be ok. Right now, or soon, would be a good time to aerate to alleviate the compaction issues.
I think the Sandwich just nominated himself to lead this effort
Since I don't play 7's over the Summer and I live pretty close to B-S, I'm willing to lend a hand to whatever effort we put forth to grow some grass.
Assuming they have a fixture and we get some hoses, we could have a couple of rotating crews go out to water on Thursday nights.
KJ
I'll second the nomination. We should wait at a min a few weeks before we do anything (so i'm told) but i may be able to score some seed and fertilizer.
I can help too.
There's nothing to say we can't keep OFF of 1/2 the pitch while we're seeding. We could put up some stakes and string and mark off spots.
I think seeding requires daily watering for the first 3-4 weeks doesn't it? How are we going to swing that?
@Jimmy Bob
We actually have about a half dozen guys on the team that live within a short drive of B-S. It will be tough, but if it's only for 3-4 weeks I'm sure we can make it happen.
KJ
For fescue (preffered for turf) you need 2-3 weeks with moisture just for germination. Root development much longer. You would have to stay off it for 6-8+ weeks min. Spring is not particualy good for seeding fescue or other turf grasses. Fall is best, winter overseading second.
I have a 48# tow behind core aerator. I can get it there easily but don't have a trailer for my tractor. Do not use a spike aerator. Aeration is always good but will do little to the bare spots unless you get seed to take as they will virtually fill back in overnight. Aeration does de-compact, but is only sustained with root development. The purpose is to get Nitrogen to the roots which promote root growth and fill the voids of displaced compacted soil.
If you are going to seed now, use annual rye grass. Its not tough, but germinates in 4-7 days, needs less water, is cheap, doesn't need entire coverage to germinate, and develops quickly and grows on anything. It will die out but help loosen the soil and add organic matter for seeding in the fall. Yes you need constant moisture for 2-3 weeks.
Before you spend money on fescue seed, you might want to test for PH as that can lower the germination quite a bit.
My two cents from college working summers as a landscaper.
The other aspect on this is working with Benning-Stoddert to make sure they don't mind we do this. If we present it is as our donation for the year we will be rally some actual financial resources as well.
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