Frequently Asked Questions

Spring: Both warm and cool season grasses can be planted at this time. At a minimum, soil temp should be 50 degrees.

Late Summer to Early Fall: Only cool season grasses can be planted at this time.

Dormant: Both warm and cool season grasses can be planted at this time. Soil temps need to be at or below 40 degrees.

No deeper than 1⁄2”. You would rather be too shallow than too deep

At least 20-40 seeds/sq ft depending on your location, growing conditions and goals.

If you only have grasses in your mix, you can use Plateau® pre-emerge and any common broadleaf control herbicide post-emerge like 2,4-D, Milestone®, GrazonNext®, etc. (once grasses reach a 3-4 leaf stage). If you add flowers to your mix, you have to select flowers that are either Plateau® or Milestone® tolerant.

Using a drill capable of seeding native grasses is preferred because you ensure better seed placement. You also can broadcast and drag in. If you broadcast the seed, use a seeding rate at least 50% higher than the drilling rate.

Pheasant

Winter Cover: A mixture of at least 8 native grasses that is predominantly Big Bluestem, Indiangrass and Switchgrass.

Nesting Cover: A mixture of both grasses (predominantly cool-season) and flowers.  There should be at least 15 species in the mix, with half being flowers.  Flowers should make up at least 25% of mix by population. You can also create a Dense Nesting Cover (DNC) by mixing wheatgrasses, alfalfa and sweetclover.

Deer

Bedding Cover: A mixture of Big Bluestem, Indiangrass and Switchgrass, with the mix predominantly being Switchgrass.

The best way to control weeds is to keep your turf as healthy as possible. This is accomplished in several ways including watering, fertilizing and core aerating annually. Another simple change that can have a major impact is to increase to a mowing height of at least 3″.

If weeds persist, we carry Speedzone® and Tenacity® herbicides to control most undesirable grasses and broadleaves.

6 weeks for crabgrass preventer
2 weeks for Speedzone®
2 weeks for glyphosate (Roundup®) in most cases*

*Follow label instructions

Turf fertility treatment is a personal choice. The more fertilizer applied the better your turf will look, but it also means more watering and mowing. To get the best performance out of your turf we recommend 4 fertilizer treatments per year.

No, feel free to fertilize at any time, as long as it is straight fertilizer. If applying fertilizer with weed control, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

For new seedings, watering 2-4 times per day gives your seed the best chance for success. The goal at this stage is to keep the ground surface damp at all times. For established lawns, there are several factors to consider such as natural precipitation, daily temperatures and amount of sunshine. During the hottest months of the summer, a total of 1″ per week of moisture either from rain or sprinkler is usually about right.

This is based on the seeds/lb of different species and the characteristics of each plant type. As a general rule, more isn’t necessarily better. Under most circumstances, we recommend following prescribed seeding rates. Using less seed can allow room for weeds to take hold and using more can change the permanent composition of the turf mix.

Yes. You reduce compaction and allow the roots more room to grow, which makes for a healthier lawn overall. We recommend aerating your yard once every year, preferably in the fall.

Ideally 3-4” mowing height. Many people mow their lawns way too short, and then fight weeds and use extra water to keep them looking good, or just give up.

A seed drill does the best job of ensuring seed to soil contact. If a drill is not available, for new plantings, broadcast the seed and follow up with a drag or rake. If broadcasting into existing turf, core aerate the area prior to seeding.