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Compost over grass seed

oliver.greatbatcholiver.greatbatch Posts: 36
in Problem solving
Hi all, I scattered grass seed 2 days ago. I didn't cover with compost but have been watering 2x daily. I've since read that compost aids germination by retaining water and protecting from the elements. Is it worth giving it a dusting over now, or will it do more harm than good at this stage. Thank you. 

Posts

  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    My (logical) answer would be to maintain what you're doing at the moment.  If your compost is literally a powder, you might get away with scattering some on but, bearing in mind the compost is meant to preserve moisture, your twice daily watering can take its place and avoid any risk of the compost stifling your seed.
  • AlchemistAlchemist Posts: 273
    As @nick615 says if your compost is clumpy it can interfere. However from past experience if you simply scatter the seeds, the germination is often poor (not suggesting you did). Partly due to poor soil contact and partly due to intermittent dry out. However if you take a hand trowel and scratch the surface such that at least half the seeds are partially buried it works well. In my case I also scatter rehydrated coir (comes as blocks / v.cheap and becomes powdery) as it prevents drying out and it seems to work magic. 
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