Hello, I purchased your 25lb bag of Tall Fescue/Bluegrass mix and I’m thinking of pregerminating as your video details. I also have a 45lb bag of Elite Tall Fescue that I’ll be using as well. Hope you and your family is doing well. SKOL Vikings fan from Maryland. Thank you
I’m a landscaper. I like to pregerminate seed before sowing because clients are always amazed at how fast and full my reseeding works. I’ve had a few people comment on how they can’t get grass to grow like me. Makes you look good. I’m not even a grass guy, more horticulture, but it’s a crowd pleaser for sure
@@vincolem It works but, if you get reliable rain, you will be OK with standard seeding, using a very mild fertilizer. Of course, if you get too much rain, seed can wash away, especially if the seed isn't covered with soil. This is especially true of there are lumps in the yard. That's the advantage. This basically has the seeds rooting in 2-3 days instead of 3 or 4X as long. (My seed says 7 to 14 days to sprout, cut down to 2 to 4 days with pre-sprout.) Just be sure to water lightly at least 2 times daily if rain doesn't appear.
I did a pre-germination a different way this past summer and it worked pretty well. I used some homemade compost and mixed grass seed throughout in a bucket. I kept the compost in the bucket wet until I started to see some germination. At that point I spread the compost/seed mix on some areas that I needed to be patched. It came in really nice that way.
@@LAWNLIFE Yeah, my Sun and Shade batch worked better than the shady mix. Maybe it was just a better batch of seed. It's also my understanding that the fescue in the shady mix grows out over 6 months so maybe it's still doing something. I also did an over seed on the yard almost three weeks ago so I'm hoping for some good results. I've got sprinkler timers going keeping the seed wet.
@@Allen-L-Canada Correct, it’s primarily just for patching. It worked well on the sides of my house where it’s hard to get sprinklers and timers over there. It grew in fast though, I had no grass there and now it’s nice and filled out.
I started my overseed project this year at the beginning of fall. I base all my knowledge on videos from you, princess cut, and that nerd Ryan Knorr. Your videos are what i go back to more than the others.
Putting the regular seed on the ground the same day you start your pre-germination process would be a better experiment to see if pre-germination has any benefit
@brainz-brainz Very true. Part of the success is from mixing Milorganite into the sprouted mix, a very mild fertilizer that doesn't burn out seed. There's also no control over rain or over-watering, which will wash seed around. Many of us (don't know why) find seed never sprouts... maybe eaten? It simply disapears. The best result, of course, is not limiting seeding to perfect weather. Fast sprouting seed (not this process) takes 7 to 14 days, others longer. Here he's using 15 gallons of water to pre-sprout, how many gallons to water a "normal" seeding? For clients, showing "instant" results is all the difference between coming back to fix a problem (they didn't water enough) to having a thriving lawn. That's one reason many companies use sod instead of the cheaper sowed grass.
I haven't seen the video you mention; best I've seen is putting down seed at the same time as the pre-sprouted seed. Basically, in 2 weeks you have established grass vs seed that's just sprouting... plus it usually comes in thicker. ua-cam.com/video/WRKT0ZIwHhI/v-deo.html
The benefit (regardless of time) is that you can control the germination. It is much easier to keep seed wet in a bucket than it is to irrigate your whole lawn.
Works well and worth it imo, did all the time on the golf course. Works really well with rye. Blue as you say will take longer for blue and changing the water is crucial, also works better with non treated water.
I’ve used this technique on many plants, besides grass. The point about higher germination rates is the key as makes it look like faster germination rates because the rate is so high. Also I just rinse until really wet the seeds everyday rinsing them rather than soak. That may be me rinsing the toxic waste product off. But this is a great video and works with nearly any seed.
This was a widely used practice in the Georgian era for grains. It's called "chitting" in the old farming books. One method used in England was to put the seed grain into cloth sacks in a small stream where the water flowed over the bags. They hand sowed their fields. You can also use "sheeting" ... just spread a frost blanket over the area after sowing the seeds, It retains moisture, doesn't get too hot, and you can remove it tio water. WARNING: Once you have started the process you can't stop it - don't let the seeds dry out. And the white seed sprouts are fragile.
This makes great sense. I have put down seed in the past. If you can put it down in early spring, when rains are still common, and water each time it hasn't rained for 10 hours, you can get a great return w/o germinating. The thing is, this is nasty weather to work in. Plus I usually need to put down 2X as much seed. I assume this is wash away and something eating seed??? Part of pregerminating is the fertilizer added with the seed. Normal seeding says to put down a harsh fertilizer, the day of. That's somewhat OK if you wait a week or two of watering before applying seed. Putting down Milorganite (or similar) at the time of seeding can keep from burning sprouts from harsh nitrogen. When pre-sprouting, it's not necessary to tie off the bag. Stretch a paint strainer, put 3 or 4 lbs into each bucket, and apply water to cover. Every 8 to 12 hours pull the bag out and rinse the bag and bucket, refill and put it back into a dark and warm enclosure. (I used my garage and/or a carboard box outside at approx 70 degrees.) Some will float to the top but most will submerge. The floaters are still in water and maybe dead seed. I've had better luck with soaking for 2 or 3 days (depending on seed type) then just thoroughly wetting the seed every 8 to 12 hours afterwards. Some say to continue to put it into a bucket of water, others say that'll drown your seed. So long as the seed doesn't completly dry, I don't think it really matters. In theory, the bucket is mostly there to take away the poisons grass seeds produce. That's a self defense... to make sure the new starts kill off surrounding plants. Once the last debris (usually black, sometimes white) stuff doesn't show in the water, the self defense is gone and the seed will sprount and no longer needs to be immersed. I think this is one reason it is thicker... no competition from one seed to the next.
I was the athletic field foreman for 8 years at a University. We use a bit different method and 50lbs of seed at a time, but it's a great method to keep turf growing week to week with back to back events and games.
Great video! I'm definitely going to check out more of your stuff. Two things.. The big news here is that it's less time you have to baby a patch of dirt. You touched on it with the storm washing seed out which is absolutely true, but also if you have kids or pets, the less time you have to keep them off the grass the better!! Also the real time test would be putting the normal seed on the ground the same day you START soaking seed. That's really the time savings you're worried about when it comes to establishing turf before winter, or some other time frame!
If I was to do a mix, I would pre-germinate according to the fastest germinating grass you have in the mix. Sure the bluegrass, may not establish very fast but the other grass will and give you a base to start with.
@@LAWNLIFE ++1 to this. That's exactly what I did for my mix of tall fescue and KBG following LawnLife's steps. I pre-germinated for four days and then covered a few small bare spots with a combination of the seed and Milorganite. Just checked and after just four (4) days, I've got seedlings that are 1-2" tall! It's probably the fescue, but I'm sure the KBG will come in much more quickly as well.
Hi, just wondering when to apply preemergent if pregerminating? Or is it not a good idea to use preemergent with this process since it will affect the baby grass?
@@samuellayson1746 Premergent most likey a very bad idea as tingy seedlings are often affected as well as germinating seed, but read the label on the product
I am seeding Bermuda in May, I am going to do a test. Start pre germinating seed say May 15 and Im going to throw down some seed on May 15 as well, I want to see what happens, both will be getting wet at same time. Seeing how much TIME is saved or wasted pre germinating. You are right about pre germ seed being much faster if seeded on same day. The regular seed will have a five day head start.
I love the community lawns segment! Great way to give back to your viewers. The biggest benefit of pregermination is the establishment, not so much the speed. In reality, it isn't much faster considering the germination phase takes a few days before you put it in the ground. However, getting in the ground and rooted really makes the difference.
Yes you are technically correct. But it does speed up the establishment by getting things started earlier. I appreciate you watching and the feedback man!
Just wanted to add a recommendation to this - separate your Seek per K before pre germination. The most difficult and sloppy aspect of pre germing is trying to spread it (you’ll mix it with Milo - 4 times the Milo to the seed) The last thing you want to do is take out your pre germinated seed and drain it - then have to figure out how to separate it per k.. separate it before so you don’t have to do it after! Awesome vid btw - I got 365ss and Quantum Leap KBG to germinate by the morning of day 5
NICE! keep the tips coming. I've been doing your Nitrogen blitz for past 6weeks and its definitely helping. I'm doing a mixture of SLS 6-0-0 or 16-4-8 along with DEF at 1.25gal each into a 40gal sprayer for my 2 acres of turf every 7 to 10days. We're still pretty dry but the grass is nice and dark and trying its best to fill in even with limited rainfall here in Central Wisc.
@RandyKJohnson1031 I can help with this I've dialed it down to .0475 oz def/sq ft. =.5 lb nitrogen Also .019 oz def/sq ft. =.2 lb nitrogen Edit: water amount doesn't matter as long as your getting that amount on your whole lawn, you can water it in via sprinklers afterwards
Your hose reel solution is so simple I'm hating the fact I never thought of it, been wanting something for a while but didn't want to mess with the siding
I did this with Pennington sun and Shade, works amazingly. Now I want to get rid of my burmuda lawn. Is it possible to kill off the burmuda and reseed with the Pennington?
Thank you for this. We had to have a sewer line fix after we already did aeration and seeding in the early fall. This past November we have a big no grass lawn in the front. I want to do this because in spring we have so much rain, birds, chipmunks n squirrels that they would eat the seed.
Great video! Bloomington Minnesota resident here, I pregerminated my grass seed exactly as you did two weeks ago (Milorganite has instructions on their website). My results are fantastic and I too will continue to use this method, saves, time, seed, and water! I enjoy your informational videos, thank you!
Mine perenial rye, fine fescue mix has been soaking for 3 days now, and no sprouts. Started with warm water too. Been changing water every 12 hrs and started rinsing the seed while changing water on day 2 and have been rinsing since. What the heck is wrong? Well water too. No chlorine.
@@riflebear1711I soaked for 5 days. Only a few showed spouting in the water. The soaking helped my seed germinate 2 to 3 times faster once spread on the ground and lightly covered with good black dirt. After spreading, I was seeing sprouts in less than 7 days.
Florida resident here.....I will be seeding our previous St. Augustine lawn with Argentine Bahia seed in the next week or so. So glad that I saw your video BEFORE i simply spread my $40 bag of bahia seed. Makes a lot of sense to pre soak AND add the seed to the milorganite. I'll will follow up with a another video and let you know how it turned out. Thanks again !!!
My side yard is coming along nicely at week 5 or so with RK's KBG/PRG (emergence was at day 4!); it's mowable now and becoming durable - the space is sort of a damp, washout/runoff strip from the neighboring hill behind my backyard, and I'm done wasting seed on it at this point. I think the dampness in this area gave the seed a pre-germination behavior back in August. I'm going to be fall-blitzing it for the next 6 weeks rather than throwing more seed on it and hoping it will grow without all the proper prep-steps. Our NJ grass-growing season slams shut on us right after Oct 31, but this lawn does spread pretty aggressively (it did on my main front lawn) if it's mowed 2-3 times a week. Your tips have definitely helped out this past season!
Good video, as a cannabis grower here in SW Michigan and also a grower of microgreens, lentil sprouts and bean sprouts for my friend's biz, all of these crops require pre-soaking of seeds, for a greater and more consistent germination, so why would grass be any different? 💚 🙏 🌱
I’d like to see the comparison where you plant the ungerminated seed the same time you start to pre germinate the other seed. If the end goal is for it to be faster, you’d have to compare it to that.
Exactly, this experiment is a fail if you’re not starting them at the same time. That’s 6 days head-start for the pre germinated Kentucky blue, so of course it will germinate quicker.
It’s not magic. All this does is keep the seed protected for the first few days before the seed begins to germinate and lay roots. This is when the seed is most susceptible to washouts or drying out. He literally says this in the video.
Great video! Any recommendations on what Bermuda grass seed to use for this process? I looked at hardware store but there are so many different ones and mostly with different additives (fertilizer for example). Thanks!
I am legit in the middle of this rn and ran into a snag... got the seed on water and at the end of day 1 my wife reminds me we're gone on day 5 (happens to be today). So I knew i couldn't water the seed for like 24 hours or more, and its going to be hot and sunny... no bueno. Needless to say I don't have a good irrigation system I can program. Luckily I think i found a workaround... the last few days I've had it in a fridge! It's only about 5 lbs of KBG so it fits in a small bucket, have it sitting on a brick draining into a larger bucket. Actually really successful, so far🤞 . My guess is this is how golf course, sports field superintendents might do it. Open your window to throw it down to 10-15 days (maybe?) as opposed to 4 or 5.
should've mentioned I did this last year and had one particular batch that I waited too long on and it was a disaster. You gotta get it out when its ready, don't slack a day or two thinking you'll be ok. But that's really the only caveat to this method, otherwise I love it.
This looks promising…the only issue I have with it is the test shows both seeds going down on the ground at the same time…I would like to see a test where the non-pre germinated seeds go on the ground the same time the pre-germination process starts…I feel like that would be a better indicator as to which method is superior
I like to use regular Scott’s Crabgrass preventer each year, so I don’t seed in the Spring. I wonder if this trick would would let me fill some bare spots. I don’t see why not as the crabgrass preventer is supposed to prevent germination.
Perennial ryegrass germinates in 3 days. Bluegrass 14 + as with Bermuda. However soil temps are critical. We do this often in the Turf Industry. Golf Course.
Does pre-germinating work with warm season grasses too? I've only ever seen people do this with cold weather grass seed. I'm about to seed my front yard with Zenith Zoysia. Is 70 degrees warm enough soil temp and should I use the pre-germination method?
This is awesome This was the first year I’ve tried seeding a lawn and we definitely have different elevations. And it is rainy here in the fall in PA. You can see a patch of the lawn where some seed tried to wash away and sat saturated from me watering 2x/day. It’s the best looking spot in the entire yard😂 Will try this next time
@@LAWNLIFE yeah I was super impressed, although I’ll admit the work of drying out the seed and getting it spreadable almost got me to never do it again, the quick germination and higher germination rate was well worth it. Especially being able to get on the lawn sooner after the overseed and get nutrients in before the first frost
Few other law videos on pre germination they soak for 24hrs then after that the submerge seeds enough to get wet then let water drain doing this every 12hrs. Just curious if one method is better than other. Fully submerged changing water every 12 hrs vs fully sumbmerged 24 hrs then change water every 12hrs while fully submerged all time
My seed did not germinate after 10 days. I made sure I changed the water every 12 hours too. Perhaps the issue was that the temperature fell below 10 degrees C during the night. So will try keeping the bucket indoors next time
You mentioned that the carrier you mix with your wet seed can be Milo or Huma or others, any other carriers you might suggest for someone overseeding their lawn? 4:09
I tried this two weeks ago with a rye and Kentucky blue mix and I don’t know what I did wrong but the seeds never sprouted. I follow these instructions exactly.
I found another video they clarified to NOT leave the grass submerged. Second batch worked! To clarify: submerge for 24 hours, then dump water and just rinse/water every 12 hours.
Our development used to be a quarry, and our soil is terrible. We also have some decent shade. As a result, our lawn is 99% dandelions, thistles, and clover, and the grass is basically non-existent! Any tips on what type of seed to use and easy ways we can improve our lawn?
Also, your soak time to germination will probably benefit from changing the water sooner. I almost always throw out the water after the first 24 hour soak. Most grass seed contains germination inhibitors which get washed out with the first heavy rains in nature
Seems like a better test would be to spread/plant ungerminated at the same time you start to regerminate the test batch. Seems to me that at about day 14 of both batches it would be about the same. You are just giving the regermination a head start, but time wise the same.
as a professional grower of multiple plants. I’ve noticed that you don’t need to germinate more than 2-3 days. any longer is basically a waste of your time. but I’ve never tried this method with grass. gonna try only 2days. also I wouldn’t put the seed in any spreader as it could snap the roots.
Do you mix grass types or is your yard all one type of grass? My yard is all Kentucky blue grass but I have been thinking of putting down rye grass when I over seed this fall.
Do you think this will work with bermuda seed? I live less than a half mile from the greatest overseeding job of them all: Augusta National. I have a golf practice area in the back that my son and I use that is overseeded heavily with perennial rye, then starting May 1st every year I start filling in the divots with bermuda seed. It would be really great to get the bermuda to fill in faster once the warm season grass time of the year comes.
I am assuming you are in Minnesota by your Welcome sign. I am in Wisconsin. I am wondering if mid October is too late to try and get a lawn going? I have a small area about 3 feet by 15 feet that has been highly neglected. Compacted soil and shaded. I have losened up the soil but I am wondering if I missed my opportunity to plant. Can I still do it now or should I wait until spring?
6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other. 6 days of having to change out the water every 12 hours, drying out a huge clump of wet seed. Perhaps I misunderstood, but the real test of actual time would have been laying seed down the non-germinated seed on the same day you start the pre-germination process.
To purchase the seed I used in this video at the cheapest price on the internet, visit: thelawnlife.com
Hello, I purchased your 25lb bag of Tall Fescue/Bluegrass mix and I’m thinking of pregerminating as your video details. I also have a 45lb bag of Elite Tall Fescue that I’ll be using as well. Hope you and your family is doing well. SKOL Vikings fan from Maryland. Thank you
I’m a landscaper. I like to pregerminate seed before sowing because clients are always amazed at how fast and full my reseeding works. I’ve had a few people comment on how they can’t get grass to grow like me. Makes you look good. I’m not even a grass guy, more horticulture, but it’s a crowd pleaser for sure
Does this method work in the spring?
@@vincolemevidently this wanker is too good to answer people 🤷♂️
@@vincolem It works but, if you get reliable rain, you will be OK with standard seeding, using a very mild fertilizer. Of course, if you get too much rain, seed can wash away, especially if the seed isn't covered with soil. This is especially true of there are lumps in the yard. That's the advantage. This basically has the seeds rooting in 2-3 days instead of 3 or 4X as long. (My seed says 7 to 14 days to sprout, cut down to 2 to 4 days with pre-sprout.) Just be sure to water lightly at least 2 times daily if rain doesn't appear.
You ate very correct
Do you prep the seed the same way as the video does or do you have some variations? Thanks
I did a pre-germination a different way this past summer and it worked pretty well. I used some homemade compost and mixed grass seed throughout in a bucket. I kept the compost in the bucket wet until I started to see some germination. At that point I spread the compost/seed mix on some areas that I needed to be patched. It came in really nice that way.
I've seen people do this also. Definitely a good alternative for patching spots. Would work great in the spring time!
@@LAWNLIFE Yeah, my Sun and Shade batch worked better than the shady mix. Maybe it was just a better batch of seed. It's also my understanding that the fescue in the shady mix grows out over 6 months so maybe it's still doing something. I also did an over seed on the yard almost three weeks ago so I'm hoping for some good results. I've got sprinkler timers going keeping the seed wet.
For whatever reason, compost produces the best germination. Maybe it has to do with offgassing?
nice to know. it wouldn't work for whole lawn overseeding, I presume, since the compost are wet.
@@Allen-L-Canada Correct, it’s primarily just for patching. It worked well on the sides of my house where it’s hard to get sprinklers and timers over there. It grew in fast though, I had no grass there and now it’s nice and filled out.
This is likely to be the Greatest Grass seed advice EVER ! Already Eligible for the Hall of Fame !! Done !!! Send It !
Did this last year with a BG/TF mix, best results I've ever had in 5yrs of actually taking care of the lawn
Yeah I was actually blown away by the results. I didn't think there would be that much of a difference!
It takes 6 days of soaking and you have to change the water twice a day. My method is to sling out seed and forget about it, I get great results.
I started my overseed project this year at the beginning of fall. I base all my knowledge on videos from you, princess cut, and that nerd Ryan Knorr. Your videos are what i go back to more than the others.
How did the pre-germination process work for you?
Putting the regular seed on the ground the same day you start your pre-germination process would be a better experiment to see if pre-germination has any benefit
@brainz-brainz Very true. Part of the success is from mixing Milorganite into the sprouted mix, a very mild fertilizer that doesn't burn out seed. There's also no control over rain or over-watering, which will wash seed around. Many of us (don't know why) find seed never sprouts... maybe eaten? It simply disapears. The best result, of course, is not limiting seeding to perfect weather. Fast sprouting seed (not this process) takes 7 to 14 days, others longer. Here he's using 15 gallons of water to pre-sprout, how many gallons to water a "normal" seeding? For clients, showing "instant" results is all the difference between coming back to fix a problem (they didn't water enough) to having a thriving lawn. That's one reason many companies use sod instead of the cheaper sowed grass.
Thanks for posting the link
I haven't seen the video you mention; best I've seen is putting down seed at the same time as the pre-sprouted seed. Basically, in 2 weeks you have established grass vs seed that's just sprouting... plus it usually comes in thicker. ua-cam.com/video/WRKT0ZIwHhI/v-deo.html
The benefit (regardless of time) is that you can control the germination. It is much easier to keep seed wet in a bucket than it is to irrigate your whole lawn.
Works well and worth it imo, did all the time on the golf course. Works really well with rye. Blue as you say will take longer for blue and changing the water is crucial, also works better with non treated water.
I’ve used this technique on many plants, besides grass. The point about higher germination rates is the key as makes it look like faster germination rates because the rate is so high. Also I just rinse until really wet the seeds everyday rinsing them rather than soak. That may be me rinsing the toxic waste product off. But this is a great video and works with nearly any seed.
This was a widely used practice in the Georgian era for grains. It's called "chitting" in the old farming books. One method used in England was to put the seed grain into cloth sacks in a small stream where the water flowed over the bags. They hand sowed their fields.
You can also use "sheeting" ... just spread a frost blanket over the area after sowing the seeds, It retains moisture, doesn't get too hot, and you can remove it tio water.
WARNING: Once you have started the process you can't stop it - don't let the seeds dry out. And the white seed sprouts are fragile.
This makes great sense. I have put down seed in the past. If you can put it down in early spring, when rains are still common, and water each time it hasn't rained for 10 hours, you can get a great return w/o germinating. The thing is, this is nasty weather to work in. Plus I usually need to put down 2X as much seed. I assume this is wash away and something eating seed??? Part of pregerminating is the fertilizer added with the seed. Normal seeding says to put down a harsh fertilizer, the day of. That's somewhat OK if you wait a week or two of watering before applying seed. Putting down Milorganite (or similar) at the time of seeding can keep from burning sprouts from harsh nitrogen. When pre-sprouting, it's not necessary to tie off the bag. Stretch a paint strainer, put 3 or 4 lbs into each bucket, and apply water to cover. Every 8 to 12 hours pull the bag out and rinse the bag and bucket, refill and put it back into a dark and warm enclosure. (I used my garage and/or a carboard box outside at approx 70 degrees.) Some will float to the top but most will submerge. The floaters are still in water and maybe dead seed. I've had better luck with soaking for 2 or 3 days (depending on seed type) then just thoroughly wetting the seed every 8 to 12 hours afterwards. Some say to continue to put it into a bucket of water, others say that'll drown your seed. So long as the seed doesn't completly dry, I don't think it really matters. In theory, the bucket is mostly there to take away the poisons grass seeds produce. That's a self defense... to make sure the new starts kill off surrounding plants. Once the last debris (usually black, sometimes white) stuff doesn't show in the water, the self defense is gone and the seed will sprount and no longer needs to be immersed. I think this is one reason it is thicker... no competition from one seed to the next.
Good video. One benefit of pre-germination is that seed loss to birds will be significantly less.
I was the athletic field foreman for 8 years at a University. We use a bit different method and 50lbs of seed at a time, but it's a great method to keep turf growing week to week with back to back events and games.
I got to fill some patches this week but I don't know how to get it do in 7 days. Please can you help me out with this
Lawn of the day is epic I love that!!!
Great video! I'm definitely going to check out more of your stuff. Two things..
The big news here is that it's less time you have to baby a patch of dirt. You touched on it with the storm washing seed out which is absolutely true, but also if you have kids or pets, the less time you have to keep them off the grass the better!!
Also the real time test would be putting the normal seed on the ground the same day you START soaking seed. That's really the time savings you're worried about when it comes to establishing turf before winter, or some other time frame!
If I was to do a mix, I would pre-germinate according to the fastest germinating grass you have in the mix. Sure the bluegrass, may not establish very fast but the other grass will and give you a base to start with.
@@LAWNLIFE ++1 to this. That's exactly what I did for my mix of tall fescue and KBG following LawnLife's steps. I pre-germinated for four days and then covered a few small bare spots with a combination of the seed and Milorganite. Just checked and after just four (4) days, I've got seedlings that are 1-2" tall! It's probably the fescue, but I'm sure the KBG will come in much more quickly as well.
So glad I found this after I seeded
This has helped a ton with birds eating seed.
i always do pre-germinating KBG & PRG ever since i learned about it:)!! my pregerminated Bluegrass usually start popping on day 7 too.
good video !
Good to know it's working well for others! Thanks for watching!
Hi, just wondering when to apply preemergent if pregerminating? Or is it not a good idea to use preemergent with this process since it will affect the baby grass?
@@samuellayson1746 If you are using tenacity as pre-emergent, you should apply 1 or 2 days prior to seeding (pregerminated seed).
@@samuellayson1746 Premergent most likey a very bad idea as tingy seedlings are often affected as well as germinating seed, but read the label on the product
I am seeding Bermuda in May, I am going to do a test. Start pre germinating seed say May 15 and Im going to throw down some seed on May 15 as well, I want to see what happens, both will be getting wet at same time. Seeing how much TIME is saved or wasted pre germinating. You are right about pre germ seed being much faster if seeded on same day. The regular seed will have a five day head start.
I love the community lawns segment! Great way to give back to your viewers. The biggest benefit of pregermination is the establishment, not so much the speed. In reality, it isn't much faster considering the germination phase takes a few days before you put it in the ground. However, getting in the ground and rooted really makes the difference.
Yes you are technically correct. But it does speed up the establishment by getting things started earlier. I appreciate you watching and the feedback man!
Just wanted to add a recommendation to this - separate your Seek per K before pre germination. The most difficult and sloppy aspect of pre germing is trying to spread it (you’ll mix it with Milo - 4 times the Milo to the seed)
The last thing you want to do is take out your pre germinated seed and drain it - then have to figure out how to separate it per k.. separate it before so you don’t have to do it after!
Awesome vid btw - I got 365ss and Quantum Leap KBG to germinate by the morning of day 5
This a great tip. Thanks for watching man! 365ss is an amazing blend!
@@LAWNLIFE thanks again for the advice a couple months ago yard is coming in great!
I just wanted to point out the quality of this video is very well produced! As someone who has made videos on my other channel I am impressed.
NICE! keep the tips coming. I've been doing your Nitrogen blitz for past 6weeks and its definitely helping. I'm doing a mixture of SLS 6-0-0 or 16-4-8 along with DEF at 1.25gal each into a 40gal sprayer for my 2 acres of turf every 7 to 10days. We're still pretty dry but the grass is nice and dark and trying its best to fill in even with limited rainfall here in Central Wisc.
Nice! I'm glad it's working out. You can only do so much without rain.
Hi @kevingebert4316, what is the ratio for water to DEF? I only have a 3 gallon sprayer. Also, what would the square foot coverage be?
@RandyKJohnson1031 I can help with this I've dialed it down to .0475 oz def/sq ft. =.5 lb nitrogen
Also .019 oz def/sq ft. =.2 lb nitrogen
Edit: water amount doesn't matter as long as your getting that amount on your whole lawn, you can water it in via sprinklers afterwards
I did it and it worked amazingly well
This saves you a lot more on the water bill!
Your hose reel solution is so simple I'm hating the fact I never thought of it, been wanting something for a while but didn't want to mess with the siding
I did this with Pennington sun and Shade, works amazingly. Now I want to get rid of my burmuda lawn. Is it possible to kill off the burmuda and reseed with the Pennington?
hmm. I had no idea you pre-germinated your grass seeds. Such a good idea!
Thank you for this. We had to have a sewer line fix after we already did aeration and seeding in the early fall. This past November we have a big no grass lawn in the front. I want to do this because in spring we have so much rain, birds, chipmunks n squirrels that they would eat the seed.
Great video! Bloomington Minnesota resident here, I pregerminated my grass seed exactly as you did two weeks ago (Milorganite has instructions on their website). My results are fantastic and I too will continue to use this method, saves, time, seed, and water! I enjoy your informational videos, thank you!
I did the same in eden prairie MN and I was shocked how fast I started seeing sprouts
Glad it worked out for you Randy. What was your ratio of milorganite to seed? I did it on such a small scale that I didn't figure that part out
Mine perenial rye, fine fescue mix has been soaking for 3 days now, and no sprouts. Started with warm water too. Been changing water every 12 hrs and started rinsing the seed while changing water on day 2 and have been rinsing since.
What the heck is wrong? Well water too. No chlorine.
@@riflebear1711I soaked for 5 days. Only a few showed spouting in the water. The soaking helped my seed germinate 2 to 3 times faster once spread on the ground and lightly covered with good black dirt. After spreading, I was seeing sprouts in less than 7 days.
@@riflebear1711did you end up getting sprouting?
Florida resident here.....I will be seeding our previous St. Augustine lawn with Argentine Bahia seed in the next week or so. So glad that I saw your video BEFORE i simply spread my $40 bag of bahia seed. Makes a lot of sense to pre soak AND add the seed to the milorganite. I'll will follow up with a another video and let you know how it turned out. Thanks again !!!
Really awesome, going to try this.. well right now 😋
Thanks for this! Question,
Should I be covering the seed with something? I’ve seen people say to use hay, dirt, etc.
We did the pregerminate with Milo and Rye last fall in my bckyard and got it green all winter season aka Oct - April here in Central Texas
I do one video two years ago and now everyone is coming out with these videos.. this is a great video tho.. good work!
Thanks! What's the link to your original video?
I'm seeing this method a lot this year I'm giving it a shot myself
My side yard is coming along nicely at week 5 or so with RK's KBG/PRG (emergence was at day 4!); it's mowable now and becoming durable - the space is sort of a damp, washout/runoff strip from the neighboring hill behind my backyard, and I'm done wasting seed on it at this point. I think the dampness in this area gave the seed a pre-germination behavior back in August.
I'm going to be fall-blitzing it for the next 6 weeks rather than throwing more seed on it and hoping it will grow without all the proper prep-steps. Our NJ grass-growing season slams shut on us right after Oct 31, but this lawn does spread pretty aggressively (it did on my main front lawn) if it's mowed 2-3 times a week. Your tips have definitely helped out this past season!
If the KBG established well, a good nitrogen plan is really all you need going forward. Glad the tips are working!
Good video, as a cannabis grower here in SW Michigan and also a grower of microgreens, lentil sprouts and bean sprouts for my friend's biz, all of these crops require pre-soaking of seeds, for a greater and more consistent germination, so why would grass be any different? 💚 🙏 🌱
I’d like to see the comparison where you plant the ungerminated seed the same time you start to pre germinate the other seed. If the end goal is for it to be faster, you’d have to compare it to that.
Exactly my comment as well
Exactly, this experiment is a fail if you’re not starting them at the same time. That’s 6 days head-start for the pre germinated Kentucky blue, so of course it will germinate quicker.
It’s not magic. All this does is keep the seed protected for the first few days before the seed begins to germinate and lay roots. This is when the seed is most susceptible to washouts or drying out. He literally says this in the video.
Interesting concept that I'm definitely going to try. I've never had bluegrass come up in less than 2 weeks.
Definitely give it a shot. It definitely will come up faster than that if you keep it moist
Great video! Any recommendations on what Bermuda grass seed to use for this process? I looked at hardware store but there are so many different ones and mostly with different additives (fertilizer for example). Thanks!
Great walkthrough, I'll definitely give a try!
The biggest advantage is to reduce water requirements while waiting for germination. It's also great for patch work.
Thanks.
One added suggestion. If you keep germinating seed in a dark place, it will stay focused on root growth.
Great idea to share each others lawn on Lawn of the Day. Now I have a goal for this fall. Cheers!
I'm on my way to look for my seed and try this method out. Thanks for the information.....And as a fan myself Skol,Skol,Skol...Let's Go JJ
You never cease to amaze me! Great video and information! First time I have ever heard of this.
Thanks for the awesome comment Jeremy!
Great video! Question, can you mix your germinated seed with normal soil instead before spreading? Thanks! Keep up the great work
I am legit in the middle of this rn and ran into a snag... got the seed on water and at the end of day 1 my wife reminds me we're gone on day 5 (happens to be today). So I knew i couldn't water the seed for like 24 hours or more, and its going to be hot and sunny... no bueno. Needless to say I don't have a good irrigation system I can program. Luckily I think i found a workaround... the last few days I've had it in a fridge! It's only about 5 lbs of KBG so it fits in a small bucket, have it sitting on a brick draining into a larger bucket. Actually really successful, so far🤞 . My guess is this is how golf course, sports field superintendents might do it. Open your window to throw it down to 10-15 days (maybe?) as opposed to 4 or 5.
should've mentioned I did this last year and had one particular batch that I waited too long on and it was a disaster. You gotta get it out when its ready, don't slack a day or two thinking you'll be ok. But that's really the only caveat to this method, otherwise I love it.
Let me know if that works out for you man. Very interesting work around. You have me intrigued. Haha
Do you leave your buckets inside your garage or do you put them in sunlight while germinating? Thanks for the great video!
Great info. Can you use that technique to over seed in Sunny areas with fescue as an example?? Thank you.
I can't wait to get my lawn on lawn of the day.
This looks promising…the only issue I have with it is the test shows both seeds going down on the ground at the same time…I would like to see a test where the non-pre germinated seeds go on the ground the same time the pre-germination process starts…I feel like that would be a better indicator as to which method is superior
I like to use regular Scott’s Crabgrass preventer each year, so I don’t seed in the Spring. I wonder if this trick would would let me fill some bare spots. I don’t see why not as the crabgrass preventer is supposed to prevent germination.
Excellent job. Can you please advise if the seeds comes with nutrients is ok to soak ?
Perennial ryegrass germinates in 3 days. Bluegrass 14 + as with Bermuda. However soil temps are critical. We do this often in the Turf Industry. Golf Course.
Does pre-germinating work with warm season grasses too? I've only ever seen people do this with cold weather grass seed. I'm about to seed my front yard with Zenith Zoysia. Is 70 degrees warm enough soil temp and should I use the pre-germination method?
This is awesome
This was the first year I’ve tried seeding a lawn and we definitely have different elevations. And it is rainy here in the fall in PA. You can see a patch of the lawn where some seed tried to wash away and sat saturated from me watering 2x/day. It’s the best looking spot in the entire yard😂
Will try this next time
Throw the seed in the freezer for a week, take it out, some it in water for an hour and spread it out. A few days later you have grass.
Lemme put this 50 lb sack in the ice tray rq
Makes sense.
I’m just asking, when you said some it in water, did you mean soak it. And thank you for the tip.
@@ipodman371😂😂😂😂
What is the reason/advantage of freezing seeds?
this much content deserves a like at the very least
Great video, How long would you have to so this with Tall Fescue or turf type is still 2 days?
i love your dog! Introduce him to the audience. What time of a year was this done? Could this strategy be done in the summer?
That outro is gold haha
Great Information, do you have a recommendation for a type of seed in a dense shade area?
I did this this year and I had KBG sprouts in about 5 -6 days and I thought that was pretty fast
That is definitely fast if you had a lot of germination
@@LAWNLIFE yeah I was super impressed, although I’ll admit the work of drying out the seed and getting it spreadable almost got me to never do it again, the quick germination and higher germination rate was well worth it. Especially being able to get on the lawn sooner after the overseed and get nutrients in before the first frost
Great idea…Do you have any idea about tall Fescue on soaking time and time frame to change the water?
Few other law videos on pre germination they soak for 24hrs then after that the submerge seeds enough to get wet then let water drain doing this every 12hrs. Just curious if one method is better than other. Fully submerged changing water every 12 hrs vs fully sumbmerged 24 hrs then change water every 12hrs while fully submerged all time
Nice lawns guys
My seed did not germinate after 10 days. I made sure I changed the water every 12 hours too. Perhaps the issue was that the temperature fell below 10 degrees C during the night. So will try keeping the bucket indoors next time
Wow that’s amazing!!! Now how would you do centipede grass?
You mentioned that the carrier you mix with your wet seed can be Milo or Huma or others, any other carriers you might suggest for someone overseeding their lawn? 4:09
I tried this two weeks ago with a rye and Kentucky blue mix and I don’t know what I did wrong but the seeds never sprouted. I follow these instructions exactly.
Me too… had Black Beauty KBG. I’m on day 10… not getting any results. Changing water every 12 hrs. 😢
I found another video they clarified to NOT leave the grass submerged. Second batch worked!
To clarify: submerge for 24 hours, then dump water and just rinse/water every 12 hours.
Great video I never thought of doing this but I will give it a try.
Thanks for watching Michael!
Might try this on the spring with fireball
Definitely do it. The fireball looks insane.
Good advice for those that have patience. Unfortunately I don't.
Hey, would you be able to recommend the best perennial and annual grass seed for full shade areas? Struggling to get grass to survive!
Our development used to be a quarry, and our soil is terrible. We also have some decent shade. As a result, our lawn is 99% dandelions, thistles, and clover, and the grass is basically non-existent! Any tips on what type of seed to use and easy ways we can improve our lawn?
Please email me at jesse@thelawnlife.com and we can discuss more about your situation and try finding you the best options for you.
Do you need to apply peat moss as well?
Also, your soak time to germination will probably benefit from changing the water sooner. I almost always throw out the water after the first 24 hour soak. Most grass seed contains germination inhibitors which get washed out with the first heavy rains in nature
This is much more informative. I followed a different video and did 12-hours in water, 12-hours out of water. Wonder how much seed I lost...
What do you do to prevent birds from eating the seeds and ants from carrying them?
After you spread the pre germinated seed into the lawn how often to water it? Thanks
Another homerun ⚾️! Keep ‘em coming man! 🙌🏻
Thanks for always watching Rob! I appreciate the support!
Why didn't you sow the Non-soaked seed at the same time as you started to soak the other?
That way you're getting a more fair race.
How do you prepare the soil before spreading the pregerminated seed?
Seems like a better test would be to spread/plant ungerminated at the same time you start to regerminate the test batch. Seems to me that at about day 14 of both batches it would be about the same. You are just giving the regermination a head start, but time wise the same.
as a professional grower of multiple plants. I’ve noticed that you don’t need to germinate more than 2-3 days. any longer is basically a waste of your time. but I’ve never tried this method with grass. gonna try only 2days.
also I wouldn’t put the seed in any spreader as it could snap the roots.
Does it work when I mixed the pre-germinated seed with Sand to bring it to a spreadable state?
Granular humic acid? Peat moss? Coco coir? Something to dry up the seed and make it spreadable? Which would be best and its cost? Interesting.
Do you mix grass types or is your yard all one type of grass? My yard is all Kentucky blue grass but I have been thinking of putting down rye grass when I over seed this fall.
Do you think this will work with bermuda seed? I live less than a half mile from the greatest overseeding job of them all: Augusta National. I have a golf practice area in the back that my son and I use that is overseeded heavily with perennial rye, then starting May 1st every year I start filling in the divots with bermuda seed. It would be really great to get the bermuda to fill in faster once the warm season grass time of the year comes.
How long should I pre-germination tall fescue turf builder.
I am assuming you are in Minnesota by your Welcome sign. I am in Wisconsin. I am wondering if mid October is too late to try and get a lawn going? I have a small area about 3 feet by 15 feet that has been highly neglected. Compacted soil and shaded. I have losened up the soil but I am wondering if I missed my opportunity to plant. Can I still do it now or should I wait until spring?
Wonder if you could use an aquarium pump to aerate it.
Awesome video!!!!
6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other. 6 days of having to change out the water every 12 hours, drying out a huge clump of wet seed. Perhaps I misunderstood, but the real test of actual time would have been laying seed down the non-germinated seed on the same day you start the pre-germination process.
Does the type of water you have effect the process? We live in a hard water area.
Great work Jessie. I will give a shot with tall fescue in Maryland.
Next year im doing this, the fescue is coming in slow now that the temps have dropped
I'm a believer now man. Definitely do it!
How many days do you need to pre germinate Bermuda for?