Planting above the recommended rates can be a big problem. People sometimes think it will help the grass establish faster, but it has the opposite effect because there is too much grass competing for the resources.

Your user name indicates that you're organic, but since you used roundup, it sounds like you're open to using synthetics. If so, you could use something like urea, applying 2 lbs of urea per 1000 sq ft (to get about 1 lb of N per 1000 sq ft).

If you want to stick with organic sources, it's going to be tough to find something that will work well at this point. The reason is that most organic N sources require microbial activity to make them available to the grass.

You don't need to worry much about the grass being short. Grass tends to grow just enough to get photosynthesis going, then concentrate on root growth. Once roots are good, it will start growing up, then it will start to spread.

Thanks bpgreen. I joined this forum several years ago when I went to organic lawn treatments, and using roundup was my first dive back into synthetics. Obviously I'd prefer to go organic (in the backyard where my toddler twins and dog play I won't use any chemicals), but at this point I'd just prefer grass, no matter how I get it!

Thanks for the tip on urea. In my immediate area, I only have big box stores--would I find urea at Home Depot? What would something like it be called? (N is the first number on fertilizers, right?)

Also, is it a problem that winterizer was applied earlier this week? It's rained buckets since then. I don't want to overdo it, but obviously at this point underdoing it will cause me problems as well. I just don't know how quickly I can expect results with synthetics...

Let's hope those roots are growing, even though the top isn't growing!

I didn't notice that you applied winterizer this week. You shouldn't apply any more fertilizer until the top growth has stopped. ?Using too much fertilizer would be worse than using too much seed.

If it has rained a lot, that may have washed much of the fertilizer away, but there's no way to know for sure.

A lot of rain can also wreak havoc with the ability of grass to use nutrients (especially iron) so that could account for the yellowing also.

Urea should be available at big box stores. If you can't find it, you may be able to find ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). You'd use about 5 lbs of it per 1000 sq ft.

N is the first number on the fertilizer bag.

I just noticed that the winterizer had weed control in it. That's probably the cause of the yellowing and is also probably slowing the growth. All you can do for now is hope that it damaged the grass but didn't kill it.

The slow growth and yellowing were present before I applied the winterizer. Also, as soon as I realized it had the weed control I hosed it off, and it then rained (hard) the following day, so none of it really stuck to the leaves. That was Tuesday evening and it hasn't looked worse...when do I know if I'm in the clear? Stupid, I know.

This is a picture of the area today. It's looked pretty much exactly like this for about 2 weeks.
Close up yellow areas. I know there are some clods of dirt but I was waiting until things were more established before raking them off.
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Overview of the whole area.
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Seed - check
Fertilizer - check
Water - check

That is about all you can do. KBG tends to be a slow starter. Keep it watered and give it time.

Somebody was in a rush to get a lawn before the snow flies.
While you may have got away with planting grass seed as late as you did....1st of September, the trying to get it going in soil that was recently given the glyphosate, is really crossing your fingers.

The crabgrass will die when the cool weather arrives....its an annual after all.
What you should think about is the seeds from it that will erupt next spring when the weather gets warm.
There is no need to try to kill a weed when it is not growing....when it is not growing its best which takes place when the weather is warm. That then speaks for treatment in late spring to late summer.
The soil temperature right now is fast cooling....weeds are not growing; their seeds are just sitting there waiting for their most oportune time to germinate.

Liming a lawn in the fall is what is called for....but not in hope it can do something right away for a lawn. Lime takes time to work its way through the soil and any benefit is hoped to show up next late spring.
And lime is recommended to be not applied within 2 - 3 weeks before or after application of a nitrogenous fertilizer. The lime can neutralize the nitrogen in any fertilizer.

I suggest you maintain the lawn in good moisture---rain notwsithstanding--and you might consider application of a fall fertilizer...or make plans to apply a nitrogen fertilizer next spring when you wish to green it up and promote its filling in bare patches.
At this time--when the soil temperature gets above 50ºF, apply 1/2" compost over the area, then overseed with a good quality grass seed. For Massachusetts, a combination 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% Fescue and 20% perennial ryegrass makes for a good tough lawn to stand up to what weather patterns you receive.
Apply again in the fall, the 1/2" topsoil and again, the following spring...and overseed again.

As this builds structure, the grass becomes as lush as it can attain it being near the road...but when it is as lush as it can be, it stands up to adversity better.
Mow it at 2 1/2" TO 3" HIGH....AND LEAVE THE CLIPPINGS ON.

>"For Massachusetts, a combination 40% Kentucky Blue, 40% Fescue and 20% perennial ryegrass makes for a good tough lawn to stand up to what weather patterns you receive. "

Please cite your references.

It's not the glyphosate, that is only effective on plant tissue. It's basically inert on soil surfaces very quickly after application.

Al

Al, good to know about the glyphosate. That was my understanding as well. I do know that the crabgrass dies off in the fall anyway, but I felt I had to kill it off and dig it up in order to get seeds down in time.
I'm optimistic that I'm in the clear about my fertilizer mistake. Applied Tuesday evening, it's Saturday and things either look better or the same. I should take a picture to see if it truly does look better because I've stared at it so much I can't tell if my eyes are playing tricks.
The color, while not more yellow than it was, is still a little concerning. I also seeded another area in another portion a few weeks later and the color is a much deeper green. Same grass seed.

Since I'm not mowing yet, would it be at all helpful to deposit some clippings from the rest of the lawn onto the new grass? I figured it could be another way to get a little extra Nitrogen into it.

Newlyorganic,

I would say no to the grass clippings. It would most likely smother the new seedlings. They need as much sunlight as possible right now.

Al

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I'm learning a lot! It's inspired me to become reinvested in my lawn.
I'm optimistic my lawn has rounded a corner already since I first posted. Just for comparison, here's a picture from Tuesday and then from today (Saturday). Maybe it's just me, but I think it has both filled in a little and looks greener (although the first picture is taken in full sun, today is cloudy). Now sitting back and not doing anything is the hard part for me!
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