Grass seeding

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Inthemud

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We have been planning to have our ground reseeded this year, but our contractors have obviously been really hampered by the weather.

The main chap is insisting that "if we get a few dry days", we can still seed and "if necessary top up in the spring". This seems crazy to me as surely the seed would not germinate this time of year and will just wash away or rot?

I don't know much about planting grass though, so am hoping for some advice from you, more knowledgable people!

Many thanks.
 
A gardener friend was telling me about winter seeding. It can work, I believe it's called dormant germination. The rain pushes the seed into the ground then the cold temperatures hold the seed from germinating until it warms up.
However there can be quite a loss of seed this way & it's considered risky even on a lawn so on a paddock this would be more so.
If they know they are going to have to 'top up' in the spring then why not just wait & do a proper full job then.....it sounds suspiciously like they are trying to get you to pay twice for the same result
 
I wouldn't re-seed now until Spring. If it was warm still (over 7C consistently) then yes, it probably would be ok. As it is now colder and going to get a bit colder I wouldn't bother now.
 
As a general rule, we don't sow grass after September or before April. The reason is quite simple. Growth rates will be slow and the fertiliser (which is very expensive) will be washed away before it can do any good.

On the other hand, your contractor will charge you the same rate whether it grows or not! I wouldn't be using that contractor again.
 
Agree with the posts above. We run a paddock management business and have stopped reseeding for this year at the end of September, as it's just too much of a gamble with the weather. A couple of sharp frosts will polish of the majority of the seed and it's just too much of a gamble. I presume they were going to slot seed (drill into the ground) rather than overseed? If seeding can be done early enough in the autumn to get an inch growth before winter its a good way to get a head start before the spring, but anything that comes up now will be killed off in the frosts and you will inevitably end up paying for the job to be done twice. My advice would be don't go there!
 
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