Overseeding sports grounds

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Overseeding sports grounds

• Ian McKendry
• Turf Manager
• PGG Wrightson Turf

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Why overseed?

• Restore density in thin or bare areas.
• Rapidly restore coverage
• Help counteract the effects of wear
• Establish harder wearing turfgrass species
• Help ryegrass to compete with Poa annua
• Establish living turf on dormant Cynodon

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Benefits of overseeding

• Maintains turf quality and appearance
• Turf wears better
• Keeps out broadleaf weeds
• Competition against grassy weeds

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Practical overseeding

• Similar to seeding bare ground
• Need good seed to soil contact
• Keep soil moist for 3 weeks
• Broadcast seed can establish if kept moist
• Apply phosphorous at seeding

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Dimple seeder
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Turf disc drill
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4 weeks
Dimple seeding
Drill seeding
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Pointers for success

• Need high seeding rate to account for losses
• Competition from existing grasses is extreme
• Seed when turf is thinnest and suppress existing
  turf
• Low N and K for 3-4 weeks until seedlings can use
  it

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Recent findings

• A single heavy seeding may be better than
  multiple lighter seedings. (Minner )
• Plant growth regulator Trinexapac-ethyl resulted
  in higher numbers of seedlings establishing after
  10 weeks, but not significantly more tillers.
  (PGGW unpublished)
• Suggest combining growth regulator with
  scarifying to reduce competition.

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Conclusion

• Traditional seeding equipment and methods can
  produce good results.
• Broadcast seeding can establish if irrigation is
  applied.
• Seedlings encounter fierce competition from
  established turf.
• High seeding rates are needed to account for high
  losses.