I had a huge dead spruce tree removed in my yard which was extremely uneven and had 6 inches of stone.
After removing the roots and all rocks, rototilling multiple times and levelling, I added some compost and raked in cool season mix and did a starter fertilizer on my ~500 sqft front yard.
Unfortunately, due to some health issues, I didn't manage to finish this until just today July 13.
Fortunately, the 2 week forecast is around 20C (68f) every day with light drizzle and sun.
Does the rule to seed in spring and fall go beyond the temperatures? Or if I keep it moist through germination and beyond will I still be okay?
by Far_Weather_3716
16 Comments
I think you should be ok. Just water it every night or early in the morning.
Low 20’s is fine. If it jumps to 30’s you need to water more frequently to keep it moist.
It comes down to keeping the seeds moist, without drying even once, until they germinate.
If you can do that, then yes it should work out.
But doing so in the middle of July is about as hard as it gets.
Have you considered sod as an option?
Even that will not be easy now, but it will be much more forgivable than seed.
I live in Alberta too, and also appreciate the following weeks forecast. Just crossing my fingers for no sudden downpour/hailstorms.
Will be hard since you don’t have irrigation, but luckily only 500sqft. Just keep moist and hope for good weather
Water well ,and you are good.
You will likely need to overseed in the fall. From my experience cool season grass seedlings roots don’t do well in the warmest summer months. Nothing to regret though, just overseed late August or September if needed
Too bad you weren’t able to put in a sprinkler system prior to seeding. Would have made your life much easier. Even for a small yard. Also adds value to your property
How hot does Alberta get? Average temp for seeding should be 70s daytime
The birds will likely love the seed? Are you covering it or netting it?
I seeded last year mid-July and was fine
I also would add seed a few weeks in. I was watering maybe 4 times a day at the beginning. I’m pretty sure most people here have experience with sod but less so with seeding an entire lawn. I had the most success with the shady areas of my lawn.
Keep er damp and you’ll probably be ok
No. Keep it wet and it’s going to work. Just harder this time of year
Find some straw and lay that down on top, it’ll help keep everything from drying out too quickly.
You’re gonna need to water multiple times a day. Get yourself a cheap timer and have it go off in the morning, afternoon and evening maybe even more, depending on how hot it is just keep the seed moist – I’m in Ontario and with this heat doesn’t take long for things to dry out.
If you get some peat moss it will help retain the moisture so you won’t need to water as often.
– Edit: just noticed you mentioned better weather this week. Drizzle might not be enough for seeding so just keep and eye on it and adjust water schedule accordingly. Depending on the type of see you used a week might not be enough time for all the seeds to grow so just keep it watering until you start to see growth and pray it doesn’t get too hot in the next few weeks.
I’d say your timing is perfect.
Keep it wet, give it starter fertilizer and cover the seed with a bit of black soil to keep the birds away. Straw will help retain moisture. Again, keep it wet, don’t drown it.