How to Pre-Germinate Grass Seed 

Nice! I grew up in T-Ville. I use almost all local products and get amazing results.

And Go Utes!

Thank you for watching!

Nice! Good work!

Thanks an interesting method! I’ll have to try it out. Thank you very much!

That's a great idea!

Gonna try that thx, and yes he does have a nice lawn.

Thanks for watching! Good luck on your project

Good luck on your project!

Thank you! Appreciate you watching and subscribing! 👍

Thanks for the watching!

Nice! Have you noticed any sort of germination yet? Your fescue should germinate pretty quick. The KBG will lag a little. I got germination on my KBG in 6 days after I spread it. This is probably the only way I’ll overseed moving forward.

So, after the 5th day I noticed the seed had slightly cracked open and a very very small sprout had formed. The problem is I overseeded the traditional way September 1 and the pre-germination method October 1 so in short, I played myself when it comes when it comes to comparing what's what. I'm making a video but not sure how I'm going to tell my story LOL. My goal was to show the difference between premium grass seed vs big box store grass seed.

@@dadsworkshopbykipplabrie7982 nice, right on man! I subbed to your channel. Looking forward to seeing your video!

How many times do you have to water it per day?

Thanks Jimmy! I definitely will. There are a couple shorts posted already with the 7 and 14 day updates. Check those those out if you get a sec. ru-vid.comSWCDBJ2E_II?feature=share ru-vid.comvN_pfL2UZjU?feature=share

@@HomegrownHowTo Bam, that's what I was looking for. Thank you sir!

@@BrandonTran thanks for watching!

Thank you! 🤜🏼 🤛🏼

Really? Are you making sure to keep the seed/soil moist after spreading? Thanks for the kind words- I hope this go around works out for you

Some seed may take considerably longer to germinate in the water soak. I've run about 6 to 8 tests this year and the high-end seed I use takes considerably longer. For example the TTTF I'm using takes 11 to 14 takes to pop in the water soak. The KBG I use takes 14 days plus. When I plant them they'll pop in 3 to 6 days. Keep them moist in the soil NOT wet.... wet will delay the full germination once in the soil.

@@jcs1758 good info! Thanks!

Also you need to scarify the lawn to have soil-seed contract

Good luck !!! I tried it for the 1st time this year in Colorado and it worked for me. I tried the water bucket with grass seed and top soil mix with grass seed. So far top soil and grass seed in the garage for 6-7 day worked for me. When I put it down on Sunday , by Wednesday it was already sprouting.

I live on the edge 😂. Thanks!

KBG? The KBB audience is looking at vehicles.

@@aguyandhiscomputer thanks! I edited. Oops!

Awesome, good luck! Let me know how it goes!

Thanks for watching

Nice! Good information. I’ll have to try that out. Appreciate you watching.

@@HomegrownHowTo I'm pretty new to this, also. I don't know how many times I've spread seed in the past to have 90% die off despite watering multiple times a day. I dump my waste water on my bark-o-mulch; maybe fewer weed sprouts there afterwards. I also hold back a little grass seed for a second application. I sometimes have a couple small spots and/or edges where I didn't apply enough seed.

Nice. If I could grow warm season grass it would definitely be bermuda grass

Thank you! Appreciate you watching!

Absolutely! Key points for sure!

Another tip is to use a PGR 1 week before cutting it down. That'll keep the existing from growing as fast allowing the seed an even better chance

The first

You gotta airate also

@danvozza3799 aerating is optional at best. I'd rather use a biostimulant vs mechanical. If it works for you, by all means, use it but I think it does more harm than good

That’s an interesting way to do it. I may have to experiment next season with this. Thanks for sharing!

I'm not following the point of holes. If you're mixing it , it would fall out the bottom.

@@vashon100 Very few fall out. Not even 1%. Better place the cans over a depleted spot to recover the seeds that escape. You need holes: 1. To drain the mix 2. To be able to distribute the mix once germinated. I place a cover on the cans to avoid evaporation during the process so I don't have to water and even less of the mix escapes.

@Marc Bergeron OK, thanks. Would this work with a plastic bucket, holes in bottom, seeds mixed with soil, of course some would be buried pretty deep, like HD bucket.

@@vashon100 I use old dry mix concrete plastic buckets or something similar and practise 5 to 6 1 inch holes. You can pile them while germination processes. This way, if some seeds escape, they will fall in the lower buckets. When the seeds begin to sprout, I water again to ease evacuation by the holes. Then shake over the depleted spots. You don't need such a great amount of seeds. I would say 4-5 cups by bucket.

Absolutely a water saver! Yeah, I’d say if you want to try to push to 3 days just keep an eye out for little white puffs to show. If you see those spread it immediately as it would be super close to germination.

Ive done this with Rye, the seeds shells opened up, is that nornal?

I’m not sure how well that would work. My feelings are it would clump up a lot and not spread great. Would also be pretty messy. That said I’ve never tried it, or heard of anyone trying it.

I used the spreader setting that the Humate recommended, which I believe was 18. So if using Milorganite I would try the rec setting for that first.

Appreciate that Joey!

A really thin layer of Petemoss is fine. It is acidic but it shouldn’t really affect your soil too much. If your soil test comes back acidic the following year you could throw out some lime 👍

This is the only fertilizer I would recommend you put down after you seed. Any others have the likelihood of killing off the seed. amzn.to/4b6oI9X

Nice! Good work! Whenever I use KBG this is my go to method from now on.

@@HomegrownHowTo love the video man. we have had 90 degree temps over here in PA this past week. soon to be dropping but this is the best time to get that seed established for the fall temps! I might do this is in the future because of all the water saved and time spent watering a seed. did u leave them out in the sunshine to keep the water warm?

@@imskwid7497 yeah it saves so much water. It’s unreal. I left my seed in my garage while it soaked, brought out to change the water.

Really wasn’t too bad.

Yeah you can spread it on bare spots. I actually did this on my more bare spots as well and they grew in great.

I would just set it to the spreader setting on the bag if they have it. If not, I would keep it at around a lower setting

Oooohhh she thick, alright 😂

@@HomegrownHowTo A “thick” lawn. What were you thinking? LOL

@@mrBDeye my lawn identifies as a she. Lol what were YOU thinking. Lol

@@HomegrownHowTo This is getting too funny. HAPPY EASTER !!!

@@mrBDeye you as well! Thank you!

Hi James, I used 14 as my setting. This was the recommended setting on the Humate bag for the Scott’s edge guard mini.

@@HomegrownHowTo awesome, thank you! Really appreciate the video!

@@jamesboney2426 I’m glad to know you found it helpful. This process is a game changer!

It kind of depends on your fertilizer. If it’s fast release nitrogen source I’d probably wait about 4-6 weeks after seeding. If it’s slow release such as an organic fert like I used as shown you can apply any time.

Weed barrier is only good for smothering the weeds and seeds on the soil at the time you lay the barrier. Any seeds blown into the area will germinate with right conditions. Spraying them is definitely the easiest option. You can apply some pre-emergent in the fall/spring as well.

😂

I’ve heard of both methods. As long as the seed stays wet you should be good. Depending on where you’re at, spring has cooler temps so even if you do everything right the seed could be slower to germinate.

More like new grass watering. You just want to keep the soil moist to set you up for success. Here’s a video I made to give you more info if needed. Thanks for watching! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jbRpygiG3Ew.html

I actually used the conditioner spreader rate which was higher than the seeding rate 👍

14. That’s is what the humate recommended spread rate was.

Great question. I soaked completely changing twice every day and had great success. Others have said they soak one day then dip daily and allow water to drip out- this method still keeps the see moist so it should also have success. I don’t know which one will be better. But keeping the seed wet is key.

@@HomegrownHowTo Appreciate te info, sounds like both work. Just concerend wit drowning the seed, but sounds like they are not that sensitive. Peraps once they sprout one can drown them?

@@raczykyeah I had really good success. I am going to try the other way next time I do this to compare.

Yeah here it is! ru-vid.comy-JbW062I3Q?feature=share Thanks for watching!

Honestly I don’t know that I would do it. The PRG germs pretty quick as you mentioned. Just curious, what’s the percentage of KBG to PRG seed?

Yeah it got pretty stinky

I kept mine in a shaded area in my backyard. If you can store in a garage/darker area that is best 👍

Unfortunately it is not recommended to use limestone with grass seed. Limestone can raise the soils pH levels making it less favorable conditions for the seed to germinate. Just my thoughts.

This is 32 days post seeding. 👍 ru-vid.comy-JbW062I3Q?si=LcYf6YTy7YcyedIG

You absolutely can! I’d only soak it for probably 2-3 days. Be sure to watch for little white puffs on the seed, if you see this you’ll want to spread it immediately.

Thank you so much for your reply gonna give that a go mate cheers 🍻

Whatever is cheaper. Which would probably be the Humate.

@Steve Knopf - the further you get from WI the more expensive milo gets. In WI it is 8 ish bucks a bag. Michigan it is 12ish-18 a bag -if available. In utah it is 27 a bag per a friend of mine.

Here in NE ohio milorganite is easier to find...but $17 per

Milo is $23 in Asheville, NC this spring season :( It used to be so cheap. I still bought it...

I got it at my local co-op/farm store, IFA. A lot of sod farms will sell seed as well. If you’re looking to buy online- Barenbrug andTwin City Seed are both solid brands that have very high quality seed varieties.

@@HomegrownHowTo thanks!

Humic acid is the same thing. They have it in granular or liquid. Live Earth is the actual brand that makes them- it just gets rebranded in Utah. Here’s a link to their stuff on Amazon. You can definitely get humic acid cheaper, however. amzn.to/4bdzL1w #ad

Turned out great! ru-vid.comy-JbW062I3Q?si=JaOcjufUjcN5sDrc

It would work but keeping grass seedlings is harder in summer. Probably be your best bet to wait until Fall to increase your odds

You can. You’ll just need to make sure you’re watering effectively to get it through summer. However the fall is the best time to overseed, with this method or traditional seeding.

Yes you want to spread it ASAP. If you noticed any white puffs at any point during your process then it’s go time!

This was recorded pre-stash 😂

If you laid sod why did you also seed? Sod is the fastest way to get an established lawn. But yeah laying sod over seed is going to smother the seed.

I assume you’re asking about after spreading the seed. It’s going to fluctuate with our crazy temps we get in Utah spring 😂. Just enough to keep the soil and seed moist. I’d probably start with 3 sessions for about 5 min and adjust more or less sessions as needed. Warmer days may need an extra cycle. This may also change based off your sprinklers set up.

Perfect. And if I’m overseeding the whole lawn (1/3 acre) it still works to pre germinate right? Do I let the pre germinated seed dry before I put it in the broadcast spreader to spread?

I did not let mine dry at all and needed to use a TON of Humate to spread it. I’d let it dry to a point that it still has some dampness to it but not completely dry before mixing with the Humate or whatever binder you use to spread. But yes I used this method on my whole 5k sqft lawn.

No, sir. Lawn had lost color and was super stressed from bringing HOC down from 4” to 1.75”. No signs of Poa, from what I can tell.

Yeah it’s likely a coating to help keep the seed more moist to help aid in better germination. If the seed dries out it’s not a good thing. 👍

I did this just over a month ago. Temps were ranging from a low in the 60’s to mid 80’s as the high. Usually if daytime temps are below 60, or risk of frost at night it’s probably too cold. If this is the case for you, you can look into dormant seeding. I haven’t tried it, yet. But a lot people do it and see some really good success.

@@HomegrownHowTo Thanks, I'll look into it.

You can! Fescue germinates much faster than KBG, so a shorter soaking period is likely the case.

Yeah, that’s probably way too long. 😬 I’m sure it’s toast. KBG will take about 25 days at most to germ regularly

Yeah mine was super wet. Had to get a few more bags of humic to get it to spread, this is a good tip. Thanks!

@HomegrownHowTo I had the same problem with it not spreading which led to the tarp dry... thin it as much as you can to accelerate the drying. Another good tip I just picked up was to put a PGR on the lawn about 1 week before cutting it down. This allows the seed a better opportunity to sprout and grow without having to compete as much with the existing grass

I like it. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks! I used the spreader setting that the bag of Humate recommended which was 14 for the Scott’s Edgeguard Mini.

@@HomegrownHowTo thanks so much. The tip on the strainer bag is great. Cheaper than cheesecloth. I’m gonna try it. I landscape for a living and am running out of time to get some bluegrass down for my own lawn. Too worried about others.

@@jbowden718 yeah the paint strainers did amazing. Probably easier to move around and start as well. Good luck on your overseed! Let me know how it goes!

So far it’s done really well. Germinated with no issues and has established pretty well. We’ll see how it does through winter and into summer.

Best keep it inside (garage or shed) where light is low.

Yeah it is. Luckily no damage was done

Thanks Dave! Here is a couple video updates: ru-vid.comSWCDBJ2E_II?feature=share ru-vid.comvN_pfL2UZjU?feature=share

Once your temps start to hit about 60-70 degrees and your not getting freezing temps at night you should be good to go ahead and seed.

Thank you Jim! I personally haven’t heard anyone using peat as the mix. My impression would be it would result in clumps and would be more difficult to spread. It would probably be pretty messy to mix as well.

@@HomegrownHowTo I can't resist... I have a mason's mortar box for mixing and one of those wire mesh roller gizmos I used to cover/spread peat over some Red Clover seeds in my woods for deer. I used a water-filled lawn roller after to help the prospective contact. I'll let you know. (I am also glad I watched again; I forgot about changing the water.). Cheers. Jim

@@jimcan9914 yes, keep me posted. I’m interested to see how it works! Good luck my friend!

It worked - I got antsy so the seeds were only soaked for ~5 days. I squeezed the water out, mixed them with peat and did the peat roller gizmo. It worked Ok. They 'appeared to have mixed pretty well. However, I did a second patch on the same stretch of ground of simply dry seed and hit them both with the heavy roller after loosening the surface with a metal tooth rake (same with the mixed area also) ..then watered the whole plot for ~1hr in the evening. I didn't count the days, but the regular old seeds did just as fine as my wet seed/peat mix. I suspect: I simply did not get an even mixture of peat/seed, or the ground contact was affected... ' Still fun to think and play... Cheers. Jim

@@jimcan9914 good to know, Jim. Thanks for coming back to share. I’ll have to play around with it in the future. Great job!

The rain won’t have an adverse effect on the seed. Thrower down. 👍 if you need to push the soak a bit longer throw it down tomorrow or the next day.

14. It’s what the Humate spreading recommendations are. 👍

Good question-I would wait probably about 4 months from the time prodiamine was used.

I used a garden Weasel and broke the ground before putting the pregerminate seed down....it worked. I've done that before with regular seed. Work the soil vigorously

@@jcs1758 no doubt! Loosening up the soil is key. I used my dethatcher with scarifying cartridge to loosen up my soil and create grooves

@@HomegrownHowTo...it also allows you to seed after you've put down preemergent. I've been told the % of seed germination is probably lower but I'm not convinced. I do seed a bit heavier tho just encase

@@jcs1758 interesting. Maybe I’ll start experimenting

ru-vid.comvN_pfL2UZjU?feature=share

It’s turned out really well! Lawn is super thick and healthy this Spring.

@@HomegrownHowTo I think you mean thicc

@@AB-wy7dr thicc thicc 😂

Dude is out here dividing by “there” instead of three. :P

Mathematically not the same thing you potato

The great thing is, both methods work. I think as long as you’re keeping the seed at least moist and prevent it from drying out, you’ll have success 👍. There is actually like 3 or 4 different pre-germ methods I’ve seen and everyone has had success with it. Let me know what you try and how it turns out.

🤔

While doing the pregerm process, a darker area is best.

It’s more a local product my co-op sells. I believe The Lawn Rebel has some for sell on his RU-vid channels website. But you can use MILORGANITE, Moorganite, or a bio char. Really any sort of granular soil conditioner should work just fine. Your local farmers store should have some.

I’ve done it with both the humate in the video and Milo. Milo worked better at absorbing the water. The pros use kitty litter but I won’t try that method until next year.

@@Sandman0505 nice! Good info! Thanks brotha. Cat litter?! Whaaaat!

Yeah I had to let it dry out a bit, about 12 hours before mixing.

Yes, soak TTTF seed in water 3 to 5 days, making sure to drain the water every 12 hours... Then add it to organic fertilizer, mix it thoroughly, give it a few hours to dry out the seed a little bit, then spread. Also do not dump the used seed water into any plants or shrubs because it may be toxic per other lawn care channels...Dump the dirty seed water down the drain...Most other DIY lawn seeders are moving away from Peat Moss and using a light coating straw that has no straw seed in it or a 1/4 inch of top soil that they sift to get any bark, small sticks, or debris out of it. I used the seedless straw mats by Pennington or you can buy the big bags of seedless straw and put a light layer of it on top of the seed. There also is an organic seed tackifier that I used to keep good seed to soil contact and stop the wind or birds from eating it...You can also buy a starter fertilizer with week kill that is safe to use during seeding by Scotts. It has the same weed killer as Tenacity. Good luck Dan...

It definitely can! I would probably only soak it for about 3 days, if you go longer just be sure to watch for the little white puffs on the seed, if you see that spread it right away. Good luck!

@@petedetraglia4776 the seed water from a 12 hour soak isn’t going to damage anything. It’ll have a lot of nutrients that can be utilized for free. Now if I was leaving something submerged in it, then that would be a different story. But yes great advise, Pete!

No

Thanks. I did have some spots that were bare, thin and struggling. I also wanted to add more KBG to the lawn because of its self repairing properties. Take care!

Yeah, probably could have gone a little longer no doubt. I had germination about 6 days after spreading. How quick was yours to germ after spreading with the longer soak?

@HomegrownHowTo mine was 4 days...each cultivar varies not to mention all the variables in the yard

@@jcs1758 true that. Thanks.

Yeah…

You’re absolutely right. I ended up not putting it back on my lawn, but I did put some of it on my trees. Luckily the trees ended up OK.

@@HomegrownHowTo you probably showed that in the video. I admittedly was jumping around haha

@@philipmeeks776 i didn’t. I showed the more diluted “tea” being dumped around my trees but the more concentrated solution from the first couple days was stored then I realized it probably wasn’t a good idea 😂

If you seeded normally it'd end up in your yard anyway. The point of it is for the seed not to rot. Ideally you should drill a hole in the bottom of bucket then fill it. Once it drains, put the bucket in a warm place for 12 hours. Then fill and drain again.

@@ZiggieHood I’ve heard this method does well.

😂 thanks!

Have you been changing out the water 2x/day?

Let’s act like it’s labor intensive to fill up a 5 gallon bucket. 🤷🏼‍♂️ it was a fun experiment and worked well.

Check out my shorts. There are some in there.

Good work. This method helps save a lot of water and gets those longer germinating varieties to seed faster. It really wasn’t too bad to do.

Possibly, it worked great regardless. Thanks for watching

🙌🏼 Go Utes!

I trust the company I got it from and it turned out great👍. otherwise 😬

Awesome! What grass type?

@HomegrownHowTo Kentucky bluegrass, creeping res fescue and perennial rye grass. Your video is useful tho cause I see I bought 50% seeds and the rest fertilizers. But it does seem to be helping cause this small lawn was planted on sand by the developers lol. And shady and moist. I put some soil down and ensured seed to soil contact

@@christalball93_ awesome! Yeah those fescues and PRG’s will usually germinate quick. The KBG can germ about that fast if you have the best varieties. But glad it’s working well for you. Always satisfying to see the grass germinate and establish. Good work!

@HomegrownHowTo the only issue is patches now. I overseeding with more soil and padded it down. Had to remove so much moss. Shade is the issue. I'm thinking of putting some mirrors on the fence to reflect light more

I overseeded*

Which trees? I love trees so hopefully I don’t think they’re a pain as they grow bigger 😬

Shade, overgrown branches. You’ll see

@@HomegrownHowTo I hope you have understanding neighbors

@@fiouable fair enough. I trim them regularly. Not too concerned about it. Thanks for the heads up.

@@HomegrownHowTo as long as you keep them in check. I plant tree is for the city. Magnolia and mountain ash. Crabapple grows fast and needs a lot of trimming.

Lmao. DugEPhresh.