Questions we answer every week.

Measure the square footage, multiply by the rate on the bag — typically five to eight pounds per 1,000 square feet depending on the variety — and add ten percent for overlap and uneven spreading. Every mix on this site lists its seeding rate.

Early fall: the soil is still warm while the air cools, so seedlings establish without summer heat stress. Late spring works if you can irrigate through summer.

Ryegrass in seven to fourteen days, fescue in ten to twenty-one, bluegrass in fourteen to thirty when the soil stays moist. Roots need six to eight weeks before regular mowing and traffic.

Certified blends are tested for purity and germination, so you know the share of live seed rather than filler and weed seed. Germination typically runs fifteen to twenty percent higher than cheap blends — fewer bare spots and less reseeding.

The three numbers are the percent by weight of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A 20-5-10 is twenty percent nitrogen, five percent phosphorus, ten percent potassium; the rest is carrier. Nitrogen drives growth and colour, phosphorus roots, potassium drought and disease tolerance.

Three to four applications a year — early spring, late spring, late summer and fall. Slow-release blends feed over six to twelve weeks without the growth surge that means extra mowing.

Granular releases slowly as particles dissolve over weeks and suits large areas and broadcast spreaders. Liquid is taken up through the blade within hours for quick greening but needs reapplying more often.

Usually nitrogen leaching from sandy soil, compaction stopping root uptake, or iron deficiency in the high-pH soils common in parts of Iowa — which is why several of our blends carry iron.

Apply to dry grass, water it in right away, stay at the label rate, and skip applications during heat waves when the turf is already stressed.

Pre-emergents form a barrier in the soil that stops weed seed germinating — they go down before crabgrass germinates, when soil reaches about 55 °F. Post-emergents kill weeds that already have leaves.

It depends on the product: granular herbicides usually once watered in and dry; liquid insecticides may need twenty-four to seventy-two hours. The label on each product page is the rule.

Applied outside the weed's active growth stage, not enough coverage, or a species resistant to that mode of action. Tell us what you are seeing and we will match the product.

Jute or straw blankets give immediate protection up to two-to-one; hydro mulch with synthetic fibre suits steeper grades where blankets slide. Install before seeding and before the next rain.

They filter runoff through woven fabric so sediment settles behind the barrier instead of reaching storm drains or the neighbour's property.

Rock salt works above about 15 °F; calcium chloride to about −25 °F; blends such as Duo-Melt (−5 °F) and Quad Select (−15 °F) balance cost, temperature range and corrosion. Preventive rate about two ounces per square yard before precipitation; four to eight on existing ice.

Magnesium chloride and urea-based products are gentler on paws and plantings; keep rates down on concrete under a year old. Store bags sealed and dry — opened product absorbs moisture and clumps.