FAQs about
Paul Moreton, British Seed Houses Technical Sales Advisor for the North West, Midlands and North Wales, offers some answers to frequently asked questions
Minimal disturbance to surface with disc seeder I
have found, over the last couple of years, that there are still a lot of
greenkeepers who are interested in beginning an overseeding programme but, for reasons other than the obvious (budget, time constraints, approval etc.), are still apprehensive about undertaking a seeding programme as part of their renovation.
So, I thought I would outline some of the most common questions, queries and concerns that we get asked.
1. When is the correct time to sow?
This has been the most frequent question this year, by far. My take on it is that, if you are really committed to increasing the desired species in your greens, you need to be overseeding regularly. Now, this statement obviously sounds typical from a salesman, but I’m wearing my technical hat here and, basically, for better results, applying seed throughout the growing period will increase the percentages of the establishing plants. This doesn’t necessarily mean doubling or tripling your seed amounts, but distributing the total amount you would normally apply in the autumn - i.e., if you apply 60kg over an average 18 hole course of pure browntop bent (Agrostis capillaris) at the ‘back end’, divide that into two applications of 30kg, one in May/June and the other in August/September and, if you can add another 20-30kg in July, that would be perfect. My over used quote on this subject is, ‘the backend is the best time to sow, but that doesn’t mean the spring is bad, just not quite as good’.
2. It is too early to sow?
Again, another frequent question. This has obviously
rung very true the last couple of springs, and especially so far this year, with day temperatures struggling to reach double figures and night frosts right through till mid May. Greenkeepers have been very apprehensive about putting the seed down, even though there were many who had planned early sowings, only to be stifled by the weather.
I completely agree with their concerns, however, if time is going to be of the essence come June/July, getting the seed down early can be a time saver, and the possibility of dry conditions and increased course traffic will not help establishment. I must take this opportunity to mention that some spring maintenance practices may conflict with this i.e. heavy scarifying, hollow coring etc., but for the purpose of this article I will just comment on the seeding aspects. Browntop bent is a very
resilient seed and will not suffer from sitting in the ground during periods of dormancy, and the argument from my many clients who sow in March/April is that it comes up when it is good and ready, no matter what month you sow. Records from this year demonstrated about 21- 28 days to germination from clients who sowed in early March, 10-14 days in early April and 8 days in May. Fescue seeds, too, will not suffer greatly from inactivity but, unless they are sufficiently buried, there will be some loss - fescues will have a greater germination rate than bents early on, but then survival becomes an issue.
When the night temperatures reach double figures this will signify perfect growing conditions. There are always exceptions to this rule and I have many
overseeding...
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