When is your projected first frost date?

 

December

 

There are several areas where nothing has grown

I did a 5000 sqft TTTF reno last fall myself, and it came in very patchy with several bare areas. I was also worried. Eventuslly it all came in beautifully. Can't guarantee that will happen for you, but time snd patience worked for me.

 

what do you recommend i do?

 

You are likely well past the ideal time for good predictable germination of your seeding. But, if you have some seed left over, throw it down on the bare spots and see what happens. Worst case, you are in no worse position in the spring than you are in now.

Have you been applying any fertilizer? If so how much? Depending on the size of the bare spots, frequent apps of N and mowing will help the grass thicken up some.

 

You are likely well past the ideal time for good predictable germination of your seeding. But, if you have some seed left over, throw it down on the bare spots and see what happens. Worst case, you are in no worse position in the spring than you are in now.

Have you been applying any fertilizer? If so how much? Depending on the size of the bare spots, frequent apps of N and mowing will help the grass thicken up some.

just apply fertilizer when I apply the seed for the first time

 

Did you rough up/rake the soil prior to seeding?
Did you do it afterward?
Did you walk over, roll, or otherwise push the seed into the soil for good contact?
Seed to soil contact is insanely important at getting good germination.

Did you cover the seed with anything afterward, like peat moss? This helps keep the seed covered from birds, but mainly to keep moisture in. Seed needs to stay moist (not wet or soaked) through germination. Did your irrigation/watering keep the seed moist, or did it dry out at any point?

Either way, rough up the bare patches with a rake or garden weasel, drop seed, walk over it to press the seed into the soil, cover with peat moss, water, and hope for the best. You're cutting it close, and you can always just seed in the spring. If it's small area(s), go for it, but if you need to seed like 5000k sq ft, then just wait til spring.

 

 

Ralph15,
How often/long are you watering? The bare spot in the picture appears to be soaked. If you have extra you can always try putting it down. Worst case scenario you waste a little seed.

 

Ralph15,
How often/long are you watering? The bare spot in the picture appears to be soaked. If you have extra you can always try putting it down. Worst case scenario you waste a little seed.

I'm watering every day, twice a day at 6am and 9pm, yes, I was fixing a sprinkler that's why it got soaked there, and today I put a little more seed but to my luck today it seemed to fall slush, I'll try to be patient, is it ok to look 2 times a day? I was looking and in some places you see that the grass is going to come out

 

TTTF doesn't germinate for me in much less than 3 weeks so patience is required. During that period (which started the 3d week of September) the lawn got dampened at 0900 and 1400. Dew keeps it damp all night. 0.36 pounds 12-12-12 on seeding and the same rate again two weeks after seeding. I let the grass grow for over 3 weeks (in fact I was out of town for much of this time) before the first mow and it looks great albeit covered with oak leaves so I'm still mowing 2x/week. Barenbrug Turf Saver RTF Rhizomatous Tall Fescue the past 3 overseeds. The RTF spreads -- have to trim around my irrigation or the heads get covered and won't pop up. Will continue to mow into December (Richmond) or until soil temps drop below 40°F.

-- Chuck

 

Try shining a flashlight at night on areas of concern. Crouch down and shine it parallel to the ground. This could help with seeing any new growth that can be difficult to see otherwise.