OT Ping Chris Hogg

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

7 days ago I removed all the winter bedding plants from my 4 flower beds. The bedding plants were yet another spectacular failure. I've had enough of the flower beds and the wife sneering at me - so: I forked the soil in the flower beds, sprinkled grass seed and covered with top soil. The depth was about 4 inches. I gave it a good walking on. I've kept the soil moist. The packet of the grass seed states that I should see something like grass popping up in 5 days. The weather has not been too bad, plenty of sunshine and a few showers. It's been 7 days, nothing is popping up and the wife is sneering at me. Again. I have chicken fire over the flower beds to keep the birds and the f****ng cats off. Is 5 days optimistic for the grass to start to grow?

[Chris Hogg]

If you put 4 inches of top soil _over_ the seed then you will be in trouble. Normally grass seed is either not covered at all, or very lightly raked in, or has a thin scattering of top soil over it, say half an inch, just to hide it from the birds. OTOH if you're saying that the soil depth _under_ the seed was about 4 inches, then all you need is patience, especially as the weather in the last few days has been cold, regardless of the sunshine. I would give it a couple of weeks before expecting to see much. But if you did put 4 inches of soil over the seed, then go out when SWMBO isn't around and scatter more seed and leave it on the surface. The chicken wire will keep the birds off. Water it only very lightly, otherwise you'll wash the seed around and won't get an even distribution of plantlets and it'll look odd.

[ss]

+1

Its a strange old thing gardening some just have `green fingers` I have never had a problem raising stuff from seed and ignore most of the rules not that I know what they are. I would have left grass seed probably until mid to late May (Scotland)

[harry]

We have been having some very unseasonal weather. Cold nights. Five days is too soon, especially with the above. Give it another fortnight. The shoots are very tiny you will have to get down on your hands and knees to see them.

You might have a slug problem. They eat shoots the moment they appear, chuck some pellets down. (This also applies to you previous attempts with other stuff.) It's gonna be a bad year for slugs with no real hard frost this last Winter to kill them off.

[soup]

Last but one November had to send a video of me cycling in cold but clear weather for a bad weather contest as I did not experience bad weather .

Snowed here last night (29/04/'16), and it's still lying this morning. Balerno ( outskirts of Edinburgh ).

Seems Scotland isn't just the worst part of the UK for weather it is also later than the rest of the UK

[News]

Same here further north in Aberdeenshire.

My brother sent me a photo of his daffs flowering at Christmas, in Saffron Walden. Mine are at their best now.

He did tell me they have had frost and snow showers this week, though. Temp here yesterday morning was -2, but +2 today.

[Chris Hogg]

+1

The early shoots are best detected looking across the surface, on hands and knees as Harry says. Looking straight down onto them will miss them until they've got to a decent size.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Sent this last night but it does not seem to have made it.

7 days ago I removed all the winter bedding plants from my 4 flower beds. The bedding plants were yet another spectacular failure. I've had enough of the flower beds and the wife sneering at me - so: I forked the soil in the flower beds, sprinkled grass seed and covered with top soil. The depth was about 4 inches. I gave it a good walking on. I've kept the soil moist. The packet of the grass seed states that I should see something like grass popping up in 5 days. The weather has not been too bad, plenty of sunshine and a few showers. It's been 7 days, nothing is popping up and the wife is sneering at me. Again. I have chicken fire over the flower beds to keep the birds and the f****ng cats off. Is 5 days optimistic for the grass to start to grow?

[Dan S. MacAbre]

It made it, and you have follow-ups :-)

[Chris Hogg]

Looks like your news server has missed a couple of days. My replies to your first post as follows:

If you put 4 inches of top soil _over_ the seed then you will be in trouble. Normally grass seed is either not covered at all, or very lightly raked in, or has a thin scattering of top soil over it, say half an inch, just to hide it from the birds. OTOH if you're saying that the soil depth _under_ the seed was about 4 inches, then all you need is patience, especially as the weather in the last few days has been cold, regardless of the sunshine. I would give it a couple of weeks before expecting to see much. But if you did put 4 inches of soil over the seed, then go out when SWMBO isn't around and scatter more seed and leave it on the surface. The chicken wire will keep the birds off. Water it only very lightly, otherwise you'll wash the seed around and won't get an even distribution of plantlets and it'll look odd.

and:

The early shoots are best detected looking across the surface, on hands and knees. Looking straight down onto them will miss them until they've got to a decent size.

[Weatherlawyer]

I originally came here last night thinking to ask about Glowballs. But I have forgotten what I wanted to ask. Thanks for reminding me.

5 days should be ample in late April but if there is much volcanic activity (look for anything anywhere in the VEI 2 range - or reports indicating strombolian activity, add another week.)

[The Natural Philosopher]

I am sure we ALL really want to know about Glowballs..

It is after all the hot 'trending' DIY topic of the week.

That's what drink does to you, apparently...

And now for something completely different?

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

10 days ago I removed all the winter bedding plants from my 4 flower beds. The bedding plants were yet another spectacular failure. I've had enough of the flower beds and the wife sneering at me - so: I forked the soil in the flower beds, sprinkled grass seed and covered with top soil. The depth was about 4 inches. I gave it a good walking on. I've kept the soil moist. The packet of the grass seed states that I should see something like grass popping up in 5 days. The weather has not been too bad, plenty of sunshine and a few showers. It's been 10 days, nothing is popping up and the wife is sneering at me. Again. I have chicken fire over the flower beds to keep the birds and the f****ng cats off. Is 5 days optimistic for the grass to start to grow?

[Davey]

There's your problem. Voodoo doesn't work in England.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Gosh, Where do you get these chickens from, amnd ist it propert ack-ack?

With sub zero or near temperatures, yes. Grass only gets going at +5C IIRC.

PS the best fertilizer for new grass, ever, is... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cat shit!