grass seed or turf?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by TooTall, Sep 27, 2009.

  1. TooTall

    TooTall Member

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    Location:
    Langley BC
    Hi all, first post here, I hope it is in right place. I looked for a forum on just lawns.

    Anyway, I am re-building a back yard lawn in south Langley (Brookswood) and I am wondering if I should use seed or turf.

    --Is it too late (Sept 27) to seed now? A neighbour said mid Sept at the latest, but until recently there was water restictions so I didn't plant anything.

    --I have a lot of trees in my backyard so I am thinking of using shade grass.

    -- I am not very high elevation, unlike North Van, probably only about 200 feet above sea level.

    --Should I lime just before seeding/turfing, or wait a bit?

    Thanks.
     
  2. TooTall

    TooTall Member

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    I forgot to mention, I am topping the yard with the compost from the GVRD landfill in Delta. Good stuff! It is really black and "peatty".
     
  3. Freyja

    Freyja Active Member

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    Location:
    Surrey, BC, Canada
    Sorry, I don't know much about sod, but regarding seeds: the general rule from what I've heard is you want to seed at least 6 weeks before the first frost. Kentucky Bluegrass can take a few weeks sometimes to germinate, while perennial ryegrass can take as little as 4 or 5 days to germinate if the conditions are right. If you have a lot of shade, usually the fine fescues are recommended as they are much more shade tolerant. Look for shady grass seeds at your local nursery. However, sometimes they can take a couple weeks to germinate as well, so you may be cutting it close on the timing. But if it were me, I'd probably seed and see how it goes. If you have a large yard, it will be a lot cheaper than sod.

    I have heard that lime can react with fertilizer, so it is best to separate the two (lime and fertilizer) by a few weeks. If you are putting starter fertilizer down with seeds, I'd wait to lime or lime in the spring. Lime might also make the top inch or so of soil too alkaline for the seeds to germinate well (not sure, but I've heard that's a possibility). Ideally, you'd want to have a soil ph test to determine if the lime is really necessary.
     
  4. TooTall

    TooTall Member

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    Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated.

    Right now, I am completly bagged from shovelling many loads of compost out of my truck and into the back yard. But it looks good! Even better with grass, hopefully.

    Cheers,

    Dean
     
  5. RonLiz

    RonLiz Member

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    Halfmoon Bay BC
    It is also important to determine what 'look' you want from seed/sod. I didn't do enough research into the final product and chose sod - the sod is a blend of grasses which is suppose to be hardy etc. but I don't like the texture and now regret not planting seed of my choosing. If choosing sod go to farm and carefully examine a sample of the grass, also tour your neighborhood and look for a great lawn and ask the owner what type of grass it is and how much/little care is required for the 'look'.
     
  6. booboy

    booboy Member

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    Location:
    Nanaimo Vancouver Island
    Sod is 35 cents a sq foot. If you have a smaller area it is the way to go. No weeds, instant. You will always have bare patches to deal with with seed. And also, birds eat the grass seed like crazy.

    Morris
     

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