# Ways to get good seed to soil contact



## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

I am getting ready to seed my reno in a few days. I am looking for your advice on the best ways to get soil to seed contact. I have read about lightly raking the seed into the soil, but this seems that it would mess up the seeds laid down already. Please share your thoughts and thank you for your ideas.


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## jessehurlburt (Oct 18, 2017)

For a full reno, I would rent a roller from Home Depot. I think they're only like $15-20 for the day. For raking the seeds in, I use the back of a rack and kind of just brush it in.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

I'm not a fan of raking either, but plenty of people do it and have success.

For a reno, consider
Renting a dethatching machine and setting it low so that it disturbs a little of the soil surface (I believe that a seed slicer should accomplish the same thing).
Then, broadcast spread your seed.
Then roll it in with the roller.

There are many variations, but this is what I would do for seed to soil contact.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

I've always found seed tougher than we give it credit for.
I try to rake any thatch and then seed. I've also just covered with peat/compost. Rolling is a good idea, but not required.


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

I think it really depends on the conditions of your turf you are putting seed into. Is it a full reno where you have killed and scalped? Are you putting seed on a top dressing? Is there still a thick cover of dead grass? I think that's why you hear so many variations of what people do. Raking can help if you have a lot of dead grass still that the seeds get caught into? Or if you are putting seed down on a top soil and want to help cover the seed a bit? I do believe rolling should be done on all reno/overseeds. But if you are rolling and you still have a lot of dead grass roots that seeds are sitting on, that are not in contact with soil and you don't rake. What good is that doing? I guess that's my theory and experience.


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## ronjon84790 (Aug 2, 2018)

I use a seeder tool like this:
https://beaconathletics.com/store/field-maintenance/deluxe-overseed-enhancing-tool/


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

Mrotatori: Im doing my first reno and am 11 days into it , so i have 11 days experience. One of the best things i did was use a dethatcher that made little rows, then rolled my seed in. Have had good germination, especially in the rows


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

I have dethatched part of the area I applied Roundup too. I will be dethatching the rest today/tomorrow. Here are some pictures.

Reno Area applied RU and partially dethatched


Close up Pic 1


Close up Pic 2


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Rucraz2 I have applied 2 applications of RoundUp. I dethatched one section already. I will be putting peat moss over the seeded area. See above for some pics of the area


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## Budstl (Apr 19, 2017)

My process last year: dethatched, raked, aerated, spread compost, seed on top of compost, and then flipped rake upside down and went over the yard once.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@iowa jim I like the idea of the little rows. I have went over the one section at the medium setting on the dethatcher. I could go to the lowest setting. It is a time intensive, since I am dealing with 3000 SF, and it's an electronic dethatcher. After I dethatch, I bag it with a lawnmower. Maybe, I will do the rest on the medium setting, then bag it. After this, I could go over the whole section again on the lowest setting, but not bag.


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## Rucraz2 (Apr 8, 2018)

I cant see the pics when I am here at work. But I can imagine what it looks like. If it were me. Throw down the seed maybe lightly rake and or then just roll. Fill the roller with water maybe quarter to half full. No need to pack it in so hard by filling it all the way and you should be good. From my experience dethatching really brings more weed seeds up vs using a slit seeder to make the sharp grooves. I never used the seeder to actually seed as I have had horrible experiences with their calibrations. But they don't "flail" the soil like a dethatcher. They "slit" tiny grooves into the soil. Just enough for seed to maybe get into. Granted I have seen different sizes in Knife widths also. The one I always used had knifes that were just a hair bigger than 1/6th of an inch wide. Just enough to make grooves for the seed to hold. I always thought a dethatcher was more of what it is also referred as a "power rake" Where it is basically lightly tilling up everything. Including weed seeds. But that's why you should also use tenacity or Scotts starter with Mesotrione. Again just from my experience and many others I have read.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

@Budstl I want to aerate also, but yet again, I see so many people say don't aerate. With so many different opinions on this forum, it makes it difficult to make a decision about aerating. It looks like you had good results with your aeration last year from looking at your journal.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

Mrotatori: I dethached, raked, core areated a double pass, dethached again to make little rows, seeded at 2.5 lbs. all kbg and used scotts starter with weed preventer, as of right now i have 3 or 4 weeds. i did fallow for 5 weeks so that might have helped. Also rolled the seed in with a water roller about half full. You can look at my reno thread under Iowa jims reno 2018. hope this helps


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

Mrotatori said:


> @Budstl I want to aerate also, but yet again, I see so many people say don't aerate. With so many different opinions on this forum, it makes it difficult to make a decision about aerating. It looks like you had good results with your aeration last year from looking at your journal.


Your seedbed looks great, it's ready. Don't aerate, I think you're just asking for weed pressure, you won't see it this fall, but you will next spring. Ask me how I know..


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

probasestealer said:


> Mrotatori said:
> 
> 
> > @Budstl I want to aerate also, but yet again, I see so many people say don't aerate. With so many different opinions on this forum, it makes it difficult to make a decision about aerating. It looks like you had good results with your aeration last year from looking at your journal.
> ...


Agreed. I see lots of exposed soil. Seed down! As a matter of fact yours looks better than mine did last year and I had very good germination.


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## Budstl (Apr 19, 2017)

@Mrotatori i should have said the main reason i aerated was to get the compost into the soil better. My front lawn reno this year i will not be aerating.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

probasestealer said:


> Mrotatori said:
> 
> 
> > @Budstl I want to aerate also, but yet again, I see so many people say don't aerate. With so many different opinions on this forum, it makes it difficult to make a decision about aerating. It looks like you had good results with your aeration last year from looking at your journal.
> ...


Thanks for the warning about next spring, its something i did not know. Was just looking for good seed to soil contact and have never areated my yard in the 45 years that i have lived here.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

thanks @probasestealer and @pennstater2005 , just want to get the good soil to seed contact. It's a learning curve when planting seed and you have one shot at it


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Just a thought @Mrotatori. You might want to keep all this in your lawn journal. It'll make it easy to look back and see everything you've done and questions you've asked all in one place.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

@Budstl I really see 2-3 indications for aerating. 
1. If you've had a ton of heavy equipment on your lawn
2. Tons of thatch and/or weeds that you aren't going to deal with prior to seeding 
3. Possibly trying to work compost/organic matter into the soil. 
4. It's going to rain heavy (for week?) and you have to seed NOW

It's my belief that 1 and 3 can be accomplished by topdressing with compost, humic acid and good cultural practices. #2 is what lawn companies do, it makes them money and they know they will get at least a decent amount of germination even in the worst lawns. This is of course just my opinion on homelawns, obviously golf courses and sports fields have different uses for aeration. No aeration in 45 years! I'd like to see some pics of your lawn.

@Mrotatori it is a learning curve. We (I'm looking at myself..) tend to overthink it, obsess over it, lose sleep at night, dream about it, tune out our spource, etc. Good luck!


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## Budstl (Apr 19, 2017)

@probasestealer if you go back in the thread, i updated to tell the op that the main reason i aerated was to get compost into the soil. I'm not arguing for or against aeration, just simply telling the op the process i used.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

probasestealer: I did have some large equipment on my lawn, but that is not the reason i areated it. Some people say to areate and some say not to. Who is a new guy to all of this suppose listen too. They sure sell and rent a lot of areaters to people. signed still not sure about areating in iowa.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

Budstl said:


> @probasestealer if you go back in the thread, i updated to tell the op that the main reason i aerated was to get compost into the soil. I'm not arguing for or against aeration, just simply telling the op the process i used.


Sorry I read that, but didn't connect it with your username. I'm not trying to be argumentative. If you look at what they do on golf greens, they aerate and topdress with sand. Athletic fields do this too. It's my assumption that most of these are spreading grasses (bermuda, kbg) and they are aerating, topdressing and spreading a pre-emergent.


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## Budstl (Apr 19, 2017)

@probasestealer. :thumbup:


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

iowa jim said:


> probasestealer: I did have some large equipment on my lawn, but that is not the reason i areated it. Some people say to areate and some say not to. Who is a new guy to all of this suppose listen too. They sure sell and rent a lot of areaters to people. signed still not sure about areating in iowa.


There are more than two ways to do everything. I think you need to do what is right in your situation. Knowledge is power, but it does sometimes confuse us and make things more complicated.

Aeration and overseeding is big money and recommended by a lot of large universities. I completely reno'd my backyard last year, it came in great with little weed pressure this spring (although now I'm dealing with white clover). I didn't want to fully reno my front yard, so I borrowed my brother's aerator and went to town. I've never seen so much chickweed this spring. There was also quite a bit of Poa annua. But my big problem is now paspalum and what looks like quackgrass that I don't remember seeing last year. I knew better and I still aerated...

If you look at a pasture the grass grows, gets very long, goes to seedhead, drops it's seed and seeds the next crop. The pasture grass used most of it's energy, dies and becomes organic matter for next years seedlings. These fields aren't near as pretty as our lawns, but my point is that seed will germinate without any special care.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

I followed peat1313 on his reno and thats why i areated, he even modified his areater to make bigger cores. He had a very successful renovation, even winning lawn of the month.


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## probasestealer (Apr 19, 2018)

iowa jim said:


> I followed peat1313 on his reno and thats why i areated, he even modified his areater to make bigger cores. He had a very successful renovation, even winning lawn of the month.


And his lawn looks darn good, so did his last one. Again, I think the major downside is increased weed pressure, but that is going to vary from yard to yard.


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## iowa jim (Jan 22, 2018)

probasestealer said:


> iowa jim said:
> 
> 
> > I followed peat1313 on his reno and thats why i areated, he even modified his areater to make bigger cores. He had a very successful renovation, even winning lawn of the month.
> ...


Hopefully i won't get the weeds next spring, fingers crossed.


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## Mrotatori (Aug 13, 2018)

pennstater2005 said:


> Just a thought @Mrotatori. You might want to keep all this in your lawn journal. It'll make it easy to look back and see everything you've done and questions you've asked all in one place.


thanks penn. I did start a lawn journal, but these one off questions, I thought might help others too, that are in the same stage as me for this fall.


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