Aeration/Seed/Starer Fertilizer/Lime order

[Fred]

Hello,

I need to accomplish the following tomorrow is the order correct?

1. Aerate
2. Seed
3. Starter Fertilizer
4. Lime

Also when aerating just one pass, or as in thatching horizontal, vertical, than diagonal?

Thanks, Fred

[Jay Chan]

I aerate first, and then I add seeds and fertilizer. I think this doesn't matter whether you add seeds first or fertilizer first because I do both at the same day any way.

I add lime weeks before adding seeds/fertilizer because I am under the impression that lime will take one month to fully take effect. You can add lime before or after adding seeds/fertilizer; that should not make any difference.

In the last step, I will also add a thin layer of top soil or compost over the seeds. I believe this helps germination and prevent birds from eating all the seeds. But doing this is the most physical part of the seeding process.

Hope this helps.

Jay Chan

[Chet Hayes]

Other than starting with aeration, the rest doesn't matter. I'd definetly go horiz and vert to get better coverage with the aeration. You want a moderate amount, but don't over do it to the point that you tear up all the turf.