slit seeding

I have a customer that wants slit seeding - 10,000 sq ft what is a fair rate per 1000 sq. also what about the thatch that gets brought up - do you leave it for cover or is it best to rake it up. I never used a slit seeder and have no idea as what to expect. Thanks for your input! Tom

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Slit seeders can be very hard to use at times. Make sure to read the manual on the proper height, because each machine can differ in depth settings. You should have minimum thatch brought up when doing seeding. If you do bring up any, you should be able to pick up most of it by hand. It the thatch is greater than 1/2 inch, then I suggest dethatching the lawn first. My going rate for slit seeding is $28 per 1,000 sq ft. That is the labor and seed.

Thank you for the info. I guess raking the thatch that is brought up would also rake out the seed. $28.00 per 1k seems reasonable concidering the machine is going to be a chore to use.

This customer is dead set on slit seeding. He has a full lawn and no weeds. Just one of those people that herd or read that slit seeding schould be done. I would like to overseed with my spreader after Aeration. After he sees the $280 bid with no instant gratifacation, he will most likely switch to overseeding @ $8.00 per K

Tom

Believe this or not, some people recommend doing aeration first even before doing slit seeding. I personally never had any luck with slit seeding. Perhaps it was just the machine I was using, but I found it faster and better results just to aerate, overseed, and then a thin layer of top dressing on top of that.

[davidsonjw]

What is the best way to spread the top dressing? I have noticed more and more references to this but don't understand the benefits. Is it a light coating of soil on top of the seed? I did a restoration with just thatch, aerate and seed with starter fertilizer and it turned out really nice. Would a top dressing add to the benefits?

It really depends on your soil. Some people use peat moss and cow manure mixed with soil. I personally prefer using strictly peat moss.