How much thought do you give to JONES urges y


overseeding? Do you even believe it works? STEVE JONES urges you to appreciate ...


Overseeding The potential of


HOW much thought do you give to overseeding? Do you monitor, plan, implement and then evaluate? Do you prepare the area and give your seed a chance? Do you mix your dressing with the seed? Do you consider new techniques? Do you calibrate your drop or drill seeder? How accurate are you and come to think of it, do you even believe it works?


If you do all of these things and


more, the chances are you’ll read this article anyway. If you don’t, I urge you to read on and seriously open up the possibility of better turf or playing surfaces.


IN my view, the seed houses have been busy developing their product over many years. They have worked closely with breeders, researchers and us, the end users, in the quest for the purest, cleanest live seed. Their standards are high. One major concern is that we have not developed our application accordingly. Throughout my career I have been sceptical about overseeding and, rather arrogantly, thought that you should be able to grow, develop and nurture what you have and almost felt like it was cheating!


That sounds a bit ridiculous now, and


it probably is. Let’s face it, the pressure is on us to produce the most consistent playing surfaces we can.


Even lawn one-upmanship is starting to filter through to the suburbs, therefore we need to utilise every weapon in our armoury. We will offer some different ideas and techniques on seeding. In order for them to provide maximum success you will need to be meticulous in your understanding, implementation and after care. Below is proof it worked for me. Good luck! I hope it works for you.


Linear grooving on SR1119 Creeping Bent


Timing


Throw away the general rule of thumb for overseeding; that it is best carried out in early Autumn. This can work at any time the soil temperature and epidemiology is favourable. If you have a comprehensive, efficient irrigation supply the warmer soil and air temperatures the better. Alternatively, seeding in advance of warm weather or moisture allows utilising quieter times and patiently waiting for germination.


Preparation


In a thin existing sward, consideration of why the grass is struggling is vital. Evaluate thatch levels, irrigation coverage, wear patterns, drip lines, tree roots and every other possible biotic cause.


This complete - or at least recognised - you are able to proceed with the preparation. Reduction of thatch levels certainly


improves germination results, therefore following a dethatching programme is an obvious time to apply your seed.


Planning


Make time for your operation. Realistically evaluate what you want to achieve and draw up a schedule of how to get there. Included in this schedule should be comprehensive evaluation throughout the year after application.


The surface should be opened up and turned into a protective, enticing environment. In my view linear grooving provides the best environment for germination. In my view, linear grooving provides the best environment for germination. It seems obvious that a consistent uniform groove will impact more of the surface area per square meter than regular holes created by tines or sorrel spikes and consequently gives a competitive edge for new seeds. Groovers give you the opportunity of


providing blade widths suitable to your seed type. For example, creating a 5mm groove for a bent grass seed is probably not necessary as the bent grass would drop into a 1mm or 2mm groove comfortably. The groovers also provide maximum


flexibility with regard to depth. On several occasions last year I saw either vertidrain or deep coring holes being overseeded. Dropping seed into a 4-9 inch hole and expecting it to pop up its shoot in 10 days is far fetched. Most groovers can be adjusted between 2mm and 40mm depth and according to your surface and seed type. Obviously the more blades, the tighter the spacing, which is advantageous.


A fixed reel with 1mm blades and 9mm spacers


Application


Creating different application types would be my advice. Broadcasting, drop seeding and drill seeding are all viable, and a consistent effort to do all three gives you a much greater chance of success. These three application types allow seed through the profile at different depths and should increase germination potential. However,


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