How often should you water newly sown MDR seed in cooler weather? Is an application of Liquid Starter a good idea?
Hi experts, I sowed some MDR on 15th April, I have kept the soil damp with irrigation. The area does not get much sun in these cooler months so I have not had to water much at all to keep the soil damp and have really just been doing it to get some water on the seed.
Recently it has gotten even colder and I have found the soil is staying dark (damp?) without any water at all. I’ve run the irrigation for a few mins a few times a day just to get the seed wet sometimes (I assuming that’s necessary?) But now I am getting little signs of moss on the dirt. Perhaps I should avoid the irrigation completely until the soil starts to dry? (which probably won’t be at all).
Also curious how tall my MDR should be by now as its still quite short and no where near mowing height yet.
I’d back off the irrigation a little now. Unless you get any hot day, a couple of daily short runs for 1-2 minutes each should be plenty. Do that for another 3 or 4 more days, then drop to once a day for a week. After that, every few days, then off completely for winter. You might still find you get some slow seeds germinating over the next week so you don’t want to completely back off yet.
I’d be happy with that strike for how chilly it’s been in Christchurch, it should thicken up nicely before winter.
Don’t be afraid to put another application of granular starter down. All that irrigation in the first few weeks leaches nutrients out, so now you’re backing off and not watering as much the fertiliser will actually stay where it’s needed.
Once those seedlings don’t pull out easily, get the mower over it and nip the tops off. It’ll encourage the plant to tiller. Just don’t do it too soon or you risk sucking them up with the mower.
As for the height you mentioned, it’s just because of the soil temps so the plant is moving a lot slower. Give it time 👍
@Jonny Hicks great info as usual, thanks for that. So no need to wait for 75mm for first mow as per your renovation guide?
I am actually out of fert and I was actually curious what I should buy and when to apply it?
For example should I get some all seasons or granular starter or liquid starter might be better in these cooler months?
@David You’ll get a faster response from liquid, I’d just be mindful walking all over it if it’s a bit soft.
If you feel like you can get across it without leaving dirty big footprints, then Liquid Starter is a great option. It’s absorbed through the foliage so gets to work instantly as it hasn’t got to rely on uptake vis slowed root growth (due to soil temps).
You generally want to wait around 14 days post-germination before using Liquid Starter, and while most of it probably is, some of those seedlings popping through likely aren’t there yet.
Backing off the irrigation a bit will help firm the surface over the next week, then you can get across it with a foliar brew and it’ll be pretty good timing.
Generally, yeah, around 75mm, however if you’re confident giving the seedlings a little tug and they don’t pull out easily, you could probably give it a mow in about a week. Looking at those photos, I can still see some more seedlings coming up, so I definitely wouldn’t rush anything to be honest.
I would definitely get another granular application down before the end of the month to help carry it through winter, either All Seasons or Starter Granular would be fine.
That’s really all you need at this stage.
@Jonny Hicks legend, thanks for the info, will chuck granular starter down along with liquid starter once the small ones are big enough.