[krazzz]

Hello,
I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am building a new house and it is time to put in the lawn. I am installing an irrigation system this weekend and hope to plant seed early next week. I live in western Michigan, half a mile from Lake Michigan. In the past I have used Scott's Sun and Shade with good results but I am looking to upgrade to something different this time around.

Here are the specs on my lawn:

• 8,500 sq ft

• 4-5" Topsoil

• Well drained Sand underneath

• In Ground Irrigation System

• 25% Full Sun

• 50% Sun/Shade

• 25% Shade

• Mostly flat with some gentile grades

• No Pets

• Medium traffic, mostly from kids

• Mulching Mower

I really like the darker green grass with wider blades. I also like the grass to be soft and comfortable to walk on with bare feet. What type of grass would you recommend for the above conditions? Where is the best place to purchase this seed? I'm not too concerned about price (within reason) if the grass is worth it. I appreciate your input. Any pictures of your lawn with this seed would be fantastic. I have attached a picture of my house.

 

[SNOWBOB11]

It's pretty late to be planting a lawn in Michigan. By next week we'll be closing in on the end of September. That would almost certainly be too late to plant kbg as it takes long to establish. If it were me I'd wait till next year and get an early start by planting mid August and I'd plant kbg. If you must have a lawn this year maybe drop some p.rye grass seed and see how it does. Rye germinates very quick like in 3-4 days and establishes quickly.

 

[ken-n-nancy]

Personally, given the specs on your lawn, Michigan location, and your sentences of "I really like the darker green grass with wider blades. I also like the grass to be soft and comfortable to walk on with bare feet." I'd highly recommend a blend of three different varieties of Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG).

Given your amount of shade, Bewitched KBG would be an almost certain variety to include in the blend, as it is a leader in shade tolerance. (That isn't to say it doesn't do great in full sun - it does that - but that it tolerates shade much better than most other Kentucky bluegrass.)

Prosperity is another high-performing variety that I have in my lawn, is from a different "type" (family) of Kentucky bluegrass (specifically, Compact America). Being from a different "type" will help the lawn as a whole have disease resistance, as a given disease is less likely to afflict multiple varieties with the same severity.

A popular 3rd variety to blend in with those is Award, which is a Compact Midnight type.

However, the problem is that you're about a month behind the ideal time to be seeding an all-KBG lawn in Michigan, as KBG is slow to germinate (typically around 14 days, but with a range of about 7-21 days), and has a growth stall commonly referred to as "sprout and pout" from about 5 days after germination that typically lasts a couple weeks. This "sprout and pout" isn't a bad thing, but is when the grass plant is establishing roots, so all the growth is underground where you can't see it. It's important that the root development take place before winter; ideally there would be time for "sprout and pout" to finish before the grass stops growing for the year.

If I were in your shoes right now, and could seed this weekend with an all-KBG blend, I'd go for it, even though it's late enough that it would be risky. If I couldn't seed until next weekend, I'd be inclined to seed something else for this fall, with the intention of killing it all off again next summer (around the end of July) to seed the lawn around August 25th. During that intervening year, I'd do soil tests, proper fertilization, learn techniques to deal with weeds and disease, and understand my lawn well enough so that I could be well prepared to have the all-KBG seeding next year be a success. For seeding this fall, I'd probably recommend an all Perennial Ryegrass (PRG) blend -- a really good choice that will give you a nearly "instant lawn" this fall is the Lesco Double Eagle Turf Type Perennial Ryegrass Blend. It's even readily available at Home Depot, but can also be ordered on line, or purchased from a Lesco (SiteOne) distributor.

You might find you really like the PRG blend and won't even need to kill it off and reseed next year!

 

[krazzz]

Thank you for the suggestions. I realize that I am behind but I only started this house 3 1/2 months ago so we are racing like crazy. The weather where I live is very unique and breaks the mold for the rest of Michigan. The lake acts like a buffer and tempers the weather we get. My in-laws live 10 miles from me but the temperature can vary by 10 to 15 degrees. They also get twice the snow that we do. I think this will probably buy me a couple extra weeks of growing time. The main reason for the rush is that I don't want my yard to be a huge mud pit during the spring thaw. I wasn't excepting a perfect germination and plan on overseeding in the spring. Is my worst case scenario that the lawn just don't take and I have to reseed in the spring? Or is there some irreparable damage to the lawn that reseeding can't fix? I wish the timing was better but you have to play the cards you are dealt. If I didn't have kids I would probably wait it out until spring but I just don't want all that mud tracked into the new house.

 

[krazzz]

Where do you recommend purchasing seed? Best selection, freshest stock?

 

[Virginiagal]

Seed Superstore has the KBG cultivars Ken mentioned and it has 1-2 day delivery to Michigan. Its prices are higher than other suppliers. You can put in your zip code and whether sunny or shady and the website will recommend mixtures. You can also customize your own mix. Hogan Seed has good selections. No website but call and talk to them. They will recommend mixtures. I don't know how quickly they can ship. You could ask if it can be expedited.

 

[HomerGuy]

I'm also in Michigan, and purchased my KBG seed from Seed Superstore.

They are expensive on a per pound basis when buying small quantities, but actually found them to be competitive when purchasing 25 pounds or more of a variety. Plus they had everything in stock. I'm on the east side of the state, and my 125 lb shipment was delivered the next day! I called a few other places, and they did not have the stock available in what I wanted.

I just put down my 100% KBG mix last weekend. With it being so late in the season, I'm on pins and needles waiting for it to come up and will be fretting about it all winter.

 

[krazzz]

I'm also in Michigan, and purchased my KBG seed from Seed Superstore.

Where in MI are you located?

 

[HomerGuy]

I'm also in Michigan, and purchased my KBG seed from Seed Superstore.

Where in MI are you located?

I'm near Howell.

 

[vnephologist]

Preffered Seed should also be a quick ship for you.

 

[fusebox7]

According to the extended forecast (take that with a grain of salt, obviously) we're looking at first frost being pushed out a month (to the first week of November). If the lucky stars align and you're able to get seed down this weekend, I'd say go for it and that you might have a high probability of a Kentucky Bluegrass lawn making it through the winter and taking off in spring. If it were me and I didn't feel like I was rushing or skipping steps, I'd go for it. If you fail (or the forecast fails), there's always next year

 

[krazzz]

I am going for it! I ordered from Seed Superstore and he said I will have it by Sat. Hope to have the seed down Sun or Mon. I'll report back with my success/failure. Fingers crossed that we have a fall like last year.