I'd hang on to the seed and plant it in the spring when the temps rise to appropriate levels.

Well, OK. I thought winter overseeding was preferable to actually trying to plant in the spring. The ground isn't muddy right now, for example.

I'm impatient now.... The fall germination works great! Can hardly tell where the seeded areas are now. So now when I see a bare patch, it bothers me. Low spot? Needs some sand! etc

I prefer to keep control over seeding projects. You can apply Tenacity, fertilizer, water if need be, and know when 60 days have elapsed to apply pre-emergent. You lose all that with dormant seeding because you don't know when it's going to germinate and gain next to nothing.

Huh, if the ground is frozen... Some kind of thin top dressing is applied?

Nope. Seed doesn't need to be covered to germinate and survive, just contact with the soil. The freeze thaw cycle allows the seed to work its way into the soil helping to prevent washouts and for moisture retention in the spring. Just let Mother Nature do her thing. You can look up "dormant seeding of grass seed" for specifics from many university programs to verify.

I'll se if I can find some for you. Here is one:

http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_seeding_during_dormancy/

http://www.soilservice.com/information-for-those-who-want-to-know/99-dormant-seeding.html

Thanks for that... gives me some things to think about. I'll probably give it a try, all I would be out of, is some grass seed.

Many sites state that dormant seeding can be done anytime after temperatures fall below 40 degrees. I think the reason that others recommend that the ground be frozen is to insure that there isn't a period where temperatures rise and allows early germination and then a kill off when temperatures fall again.

That site talks about standard soil prep ... deep cultivation. One reason I liked using a black top soil dress or starter "mulch" or whatever it's called, it's a lot easier for one thing.. and germination rates and the resulting stand is so much better than just the native soil. I used the Scott's and it does seem to work well if a little pricey. Stretching it with sand makes it go farther of course. I'm not lazy.... "Energy efficient".

I'm not so sure we're talking about equals. I was under the impression that you wanted to try just simply putting down seed and hope for the best using dormant seeding. If you want the greatest chance for success, you should follow the advice of the experts here regarding timing and methods.

I misunderstood your comment. I agree, forget all the preparation that site talks about. You don't need to even apply mulch or whatever. Just put the seed down and let it work itself in. I've done it. I have had fantastic results and I have had poor results. Pretty much the same thing that can happen with any method at any time of year as we're always subject to the whims of nature and circumstance.

It's worth a try! Thanks for the advice, this is a great site and appreciate the help to a nicer lawn.

What's your goal? Are you going for something green or high quality lawn?

Why not both?

Well something green is not necessarily a high quality lawn. The approach you take depends very much on what the intended results are.

If you're just looking for something to fill in the spot and have tolerance for reduced density, uniformity and some weeds, then just throwing some seed down is fine. Things will be out of your control in in Mother Nature's hands:

• Timing - what if you get a warm spell before your average last frost?
• Germination - did it germinate? How much of it? Is it getting enough water?
• Weed control - when is it safe to spray for weeds? When is it safe to apply pre-emergent?
• Fertilization - when do you apply fertilizer?
• Mowing - is it safe to mow the existing grass or are you stomping on the new growth?
• Establishment - normally you scalp before seeding to give the seedlings a chance for development. Do you scalp in the spring? When?

Each of the items above is going to eat into your success rate. Depending on how the dice fall you can get great results or poor results or mediocre results.

If you want a dense uniform somewhat weed free stand of grass then you'll want to wait until spring when you can control all the variables and baby it.