How to grow grass from seeds fast
How to Grow Grass Fast
There’s no secret trick to get grass to grow overnight, but here are the top tips to get your grass to grow in thick and lush as fast as it can.
Reviews by This Old House Reviews Team 11/17/2022 12:00 am
If you wish your lawn would spring up thick, green, and vibrant overnight, you’re not alone, but there’s simply no secret method of ultra-accelerating grass growth. However, by following a proper process, you can minimize the time it takes to establish your lawn. Choosing the optimal grass type and planting at the ideal time go a long way toward getting the lawn you want.
Whether you choose seed or sod, This Old House has all the tips right here for you. Read on to discover how to grow grass as fast as you can.
To maintain your lawn, we recommend hiring a lawn care company like TruGreen to handle your routine fertilization, weed control, and more. To get a free quote, call 1-866-817-2287 or fill out this simple form.
How Do You Grow Grass Fast?
The best way to grow grass fast is to plant the best grass seed for your climate and follow the necessary steps. An even faster—but more expensive—option is to lay down sod, which is grass that’s already grown.
Determining Your Grass Type
Understanding your grass type is a crucial, fundamental step in the grass growing process. To get the best, fastest grass growth, you need to pick the ideal grass for your local climate—whether it’s a cool-season grass, warm-season grass, or a transitional grass type. It’s important to make the correct choice, or you may see your grass grow quickly, then falter, then fail.
Warm-Season Grass
Warm-season grasses grow best in regions with hot summers and mild winters, including the Deep South and Southeast. In general, warm-season grasses have vigorous growth from mid-to-late spring through early fall and go dormant in the winter. Their ideal growing temperature is between roughly 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
The best time to plant warm-season grasses is between late spring and summer.
The fastest-growing warm season grasses include:
- Bermuda grass: This grass type germinates in as little as seven to 10 days.
- Buffalo grass: This variety takes two weeks to 30 days to germinate.
- Centipede grass: This type of grass will germinate in 14 to 21 days.
Cool-Season Grass
Cool-season grasses’ active growth periods are during early spring and early fall. They grow best in areas like the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and Upper Midwest. These grasses are usually green in the winter and turn brown in the summer. Their ideal growing temperature is about 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The best time to plant cool-season grasses is during the fall, about 45 days before the estimated first frost, or in spring.
The fastest-growing cool season grasses include:
- Perennial and annual ryegrass: Both germinate in just seven to 10 days.
- Tall fescue: This grass type germinates in 10 to 14 days.
- Kentucky bluegrass: It typically takes two to four weeks for Kentucky bluegrass to germinate.
If you live in a transitional zone, you’re in luck. Both warm-season grasses and cool-season grasses will grow in your region. Plant a warm-season grass first, and overseed it with cool-season grass.
How to Plant Grass Seed
There are several options for planting grass seed. You may look into hydroseeding—an efficient planting process that involves spraying a slurry of grass seed, fertilizer, water, mulch, and wood fiber through a high pressure hose. Because of the built-in fertilizer, hydroseeding helps your grass grow quickly.
If you opt not to hydroseed, whether you think it’s too difficult to DIY or don’t want to pay to hire a professional, you can plant seed the old fashioned way.
- Test the soil: Always test your soil first.
You want to make sure it’s set for optimum grass growth—proper drainage and full of the right nutrients. - Prep the soil: Be sure to remove any and all debris, including stones and wood. Scratch the soil with a rake and dig about six inches down with a spade to get rid of any roots. Till your soil either by hand or with a rototiller, then mix amendments, mulch, or compost into it. Smooth the area out to make it level, breaking up any clumps.
- Sow the seed: You’ll need a spreader to ensure uniform growth. Use a broadcast spreader or drop spreader for large areas, and a hand spreader in smaller ones. Once you’ve set your spreader to the recommended rate, fill it up with just half of the seeds. Cross once in one direction, and again in the opposite direction. The crisscross pattern will help with uniformity.
- Topdress the soil: Place peat moss over your soil to lock in moisture. This layer can also prevent seeds from washing away in a heavy rain and protect them from any pesky birds.
- Fertilize the soil: Apply a thin layer of starter fertilizer before covering and tamping the soil. Starter fertilizers are low in nitrogen, which is key because too much nitrogen can encourage the growth of weeds that could compete with your new grass.
- Water your lawn: Newly seeded lawns need plenty of moisture to allow the seeds to germinate. Watering just once or twice a week won’t cut it in the early stages. Instead, you’ll either need to take a mister and gently spray the area or run a sprinkler at a low setting two or three times a day for five to 10 minutes for the first week or so. When the grass grows high enough that you can mow the lawn, water your lawn 1 to 1.5 inches per week, so that the soil is moist but not soggy. Always be sure to water your lawn before 10 a.m., or between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
- Mow the grass: Once the grass reaches 3 to 4 inches, it’s time for the first mow.
Laying Sod
Sod is, without a doubt, your fastest way to an established lawn.
Why? Well, it’s already grown. Having sod installed is essentially rolling out an automatic lawn. However, it’s expensive and takes a fair amount of work. You have to install sod as soon as you get it, because it begins to spoil quickly on the pallet. It has to be kept moist while you lay it down piece by piece, making sure it’s smooth and has no gaps.
Our recommendation is to hire a professional landscaper to lay sod.
Professional Lawn Care
After you’ve planted your new grass, you can call TruGreen to make sure your lawn receives the proper care. TruGreen offers five annual plans, covering everything from aerating to soil amendments in every state except for Alaska. To get a free quote, call 1-866-817-2287 or fill out this simple form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Rating MethodologyThe This Old House Reviews Team backs up our lawn recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider.
We review lawn care plans and packages, navigate the provider website and speak with customer service representatives, request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plan options, additional benefits and customizability, availability, trustworthiness, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at [email protected].
Fast-Growing Grass Seed Options - Solved!
- Lawn & Garden
Photo: istockphoto.com
Q: I want to reseed some bare patches on my lawn—and don’t want to wait too long to see results. What are the fastest-growing grass seeds?
A: Waiting for typical turf grass seeds to sprout and mature can be like—well, watching grass grow! After all, the average grass seed can take eight weeks or more to germinate (i.
e., produce seedlings that emerge from soil) and turn into an established lawn that’s ready for foot traffic. Fortunately, fast-growing grass seed can go from seed to turf in as little as five weeks—an advantage when seeding bare soil or reseeding patches left by erosion or pets. Read on for the low-down on which seeds to sow for speedy, lasting grass growth.
RELATED: The 10 Best Things You Can Do for Your Lawn
Photo: istockphoto.com
Choose a grass that thrives in your climate zone.Not all fast-growing grass may tolerate the temperatures where you live, so select the right seed for your climate zone: either cool-season or warm-season. Cool-season grasses thrive in places with temperate summers and many below-freezing winter days—think Northern California, the Pacific Northwest, the upper Great Plains, the upper Midwest, and New England. Warm-season grasses grow best in areas that see hot summers and milder winters, such as the Deep South and the southeast.
Live in the “Transition Zone” between the north and south (e.g., from Southern California going east to the Virginias)? Both cool- and warm-season grasses will grow well, so take your pick or plant a warm-season grass first, then overseed it (plant over it) with a cool-season grass.
- Ryegrass seeds (both perennial and annual) germinate in five to 10 days and yield an established turf of shiny, fine-textured, dark green blades within five to eight weeks of seeding.
- Rough bluegrass seeds take seven to 10 days to germinate and mature into a fine-bladed, light-green turf within 5½ to 8 weeks of seeding.
- Tall fescue seeds need seven to 12 days to germinate; they typically grow into a moderately dense, medium to dark green turf within 5½ to 8½ weeks of seeding.
DIY Lawn Care. Simplified.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive.
START GROWING
The fast-growing warm-season grasses include Bermuda grass, centipede grass, and buffalograss.- Bermuda grass seeds germinate in 10 to 30 days and form a dense, dark green established lawn within six to 11 weeks of seeding.
- Centipede grass seeds need 14 to 21 days to germinate and mature into a turf of wispy, light green blades within 6½ to 9½ weeks of seeding.
- Buffalograss seeds take 14 to 30 days to germinate and form a thin, softly-colored blue-green established turf within 6½ to 11 weeks of seeding.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Time grass planting for speedier growth.Plant during the seeds’ active growth phase to ensure that grass will grow within the shorter period of the growth ranges listed above.
- Generally speaking, plant cool-season grasses in early fall or spring, as these seeds germinate fastest when soil temperature (as measured by a soil thermometer, available on Amazon) is between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (this usually corresponds to a daytime air temperature between 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Plant warm-season grasses in early summer or spring, as seeds germinate the fastest when soil temperature is 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which usually corresponds to a daytime air temperature of 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
As indicated by the growth periods above, cool-season grasses grow faster on the whole than warm-season grasses. So if you live in a warm or transitional climate zone and will be growing a warm-season grass (e.g., Bermuda), consider overseeding it with a cool-season grass like Ryegrass. You’ll see grass sprout sooner thanks to the faster-growing cool-season grass and eventually get the benefit of a more heat-resistant lawn when the warm-season grass grows.
Photo: istockphoto.com
Mow more often.Not surprisingly, fast-growing grass requires more mowing to keep blades at the optimal height recommended for the species (usually listed on the seed packaging).
While the typical lawn may need mowing every one to two weeks, the speediest of the fast-growing cool- and warm-season grasses demand more frequent mowing to keep turf tidy. For example, Bermuda grass generally calls for mowing every five to seven days to keep it at an optimal height of one to two inches, while ryegrass needs a trim every seven to 10 to days to maintain a height of 1½ to 2½ inches.
DIY Lawn Care. Simplified.
Bob Vila has partnered with Sunday to get your lawn exactly what it needs to thrive.
START GROWING
How to grow a beautiful lawn grass
How to grow a lawn grassIt's no secret that there is nothing better than feeling the soft and juicy grass under you, walking on it with bare feet. It is also always nice to smell the fresh grass.
These plants are quite widespread, so it may seem that it is quite easy and simple to grow. There are many different factors that must be taken into account. They concern not only planting grass, but also further care for it.
Grass selection
Today's buyers have a fairly large selection of grass seeds, so the purchase process should rely on certain factors.
All the huge number can be divided into two main groups, there are designed for warm and cold climates. The location of where the grass will be planted is also of some importance.
Here it can be noted that if the soil is slightly prone to waterlogging processes, it is worth choosing seeds that grow well in moist soil. There are also individual seeds designed for dry soil. Do not forget about the variety of textures and color shades of the future grass.
In order to have the opportunity to grow beautiful lawn grass, it is very important to prepare the soil well in advance. It requires a minimum number of tools. It is important to carry out processes such as loosening, cleaning from debris.
In the process of preparing the soil, it is necessary to ensure that the level of the soil cover was an order of magnitude higher than the place where the water collects.
It is mandatory to add various fertilizers to the soil.
Seed sowing features
During the sowing process itself, the seeds are spread on the soil surface manually or mechanically, depending on the area of the lawn. It is very important to choose the right amount of seeds, since if there are few of them, a bald spot effect can be created. In a situation where there are too many seeds, the grass will become very thin, as each plant will have to fight for vitamins and moisture.
After that, a very thin layer of soil is applied on top, and over the entire sown area. This process is designed to protect the seeds from being blown away by the wind. Without fail, you should water the soil a little, for which you can use a special sprinkler.
Care of grown grass
Grass should be watered infrequently, but at the same time as abundantly as possible.
Once the plants have reached a height of 10 cm, daily watering can be stopped, a simple sprinkler (sprinkler) is sufficient.
It is very important to mow your lawn on time. This process is also carried out after the grass has grown by 10 cm, no less.
Many experts recommend leaving previously cut grass in place, which is an order of magnitude better than bagging it.
Grass cuttings act as a natural mulch that is designed to promote effective grass growth.
Fertilization of the soil cover should be carried out not only before planting, but also about six weeks after the implementation of this process.
After that, the fertilization process is carried out approximately once a year. If you carefully follow all these tips, you can quickly grow a quickly and simply very beautiful lawn on the territory of a country house or city street.
How to plant lawn grass - do-it-yourself lawn preparation
So! You have decided to get a lawn in your area. A reasonable question arises - when and how to plant lawn grass?
Let's start in order.
Content:
How to choose lawn grass
When to sow the lawn
Preparing the soil for lawn grass
How to plant lawn grass yourself
How to care for lawn grass
Seasonal lawn care
How to choose lawn grass
The decisive issue for the choice of lawn grass mixture is its intended purpose.
Usually the name of the lawn grass that you see on the packaging speaks for itself. For example:
Sports turf is a turf for high traffic areas. It can be sports and playgrounds, playgrounds for active games of dogs. Such a lawn is resistant to trampling, but grows quickly, which requires frequent mowing.
Parterre lawn - a lawn with a decorative function, serves as a background for solitary plants and flower beds. It has a bright color and a beautiful sheen. Requires regular watering and space open to sunlight.
Dwarf Lawn is a turf that is made up of low-growing, slow-growing grass species, making it easy to care for and minimizing the need for mowing. It is more often used as decorative, because it is subject to trampling.
Slope Turf - In this lawn, the grasses are selected to form a strong root layer (turf) that is able to hold the soil on the slope and prevent erosion.
When to sow lawn grass
In central Russia, lawn grass seeds can be planted immediately after the snow melts (late April - early May) and until the very end of the confidently warm season (usually October). In a later period, it is not recommended to sow the lawn, since the plants will not have time to fully get stronger before wintering, and as a result, in the spring it will be necessary to oversow, or even re-sow the lawn.
The most favorable period for sowing lawn grass is the end of April - May and September - the beginning of October.
If fresh fertile soil is brought in, it is worth waiting 1-2 weeks before sowing. After spilling the soil, wait 3-4 hours, then sow the lawn.
If sowing lawn grass is carried out in the summer, it is worth waiting for rainy cloudy days.
Do not overdo it with watering. Before germination - watering every day, then no more than 1 time per week.
The first lawn mowing is done when the grass is about 15 cm high.
Before planting the lawn, a drainage system must be established, and, if provided, an electrical supply system and an underground irrigation system.
In order for the lawn to look perfect, it is necessary to level the soil. The slope can be 1-3% to facilitate surface water runoff. A large lawn area can be given a greater slope, but not more than 30%.
Soil preparation for lawn grass
Weed removal
Removing weeds will ensure friendly seedlings, improve the appearance of the lawn and make it easier to further care for it.
Weed control methods:
Freezing is the death of underground parts of weeds in winter. To do this, in the fall it is necessary to carry out deep digging of the soil.
Suffocation - a long-term method based on repeated cutting of weeds at a shallow depth (harrowing for 2-3 years), the effect is achieved by exhausting the rhizome.
Provocation - a couple of weeks before sowing, it is necessary to prepare the soil, and when a lot of weed sprouts appear, they are loosened on the surface, thereby destroying them.
Mulching - covering the soil, depriving weeds of light. For this purpose, ripened compost is well suited, and crushed bark under trees and shrubs.
The new primer is the most effective, but laborious and more expensive method. Removing the old soil and laying out the new soil with a drainage system - the soil is removed to a depth of 30 cm and laid out in layers: crushed stone, sand and black earth, and a rolled lawn is laid on top or seeds of lawn grass mixture are sown.
Herbicides - Weeds must be treated when they are actively growing, but must not be mechanically damaged. Within 5-10 days, the herbicide spreads over the entire area of the plant and after 20-30 days the plant dies entirely.
Approximately 15 days after the action of the preparation, the land can be cultivated. Herbicides are best applied in the fall if lawn grass is planned to be planted in the spring.
Plots on which weeds have already been removed, it would be good to protect from those that have not yet been processed.
The surface of the soil under the lawn must be leveled - there should be no mounds or holes. As a result, water will accumulate in the pits, which will lead to wetting of the grass, and the bumps will make it difficult for the lawn mower to work.
Soil fertility
The thickness of the fertile layer for the proper development of lawn grass should be at least 10 - 15 cm.
The soil should be improved, depending on its characteristics.
The soil mixture and all its components should be mixed well and embedded in detail into the soil, loosened to a depth of about 40 cm, so that the lower layers do not subsequently move upward.
When carrying out these works, it is necessary to remove from the ground all parts of plants that have previously been treated with chemicals, and their roots must also be carefully removed.
In order to make it convenient to care for the edges of the lawn, it is better to fix them. Borders are usually decorated with materials such as gravel, crushed stone or pebbles. You can also use a stone border or tile - this will also look advantageous in a decorative way, and will give you access to mow the edges of the lawn, which will make mowing much easier.
How to sow lawn grass with your own hands
- Level the soil with a rake. There should be no bumps or depressions.
- Seeding rate for lawn grass is usually indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. Sowing is done by hand or with a special manual seeder, the site should be passed several times: in different directions (left to right, right to left and diagonally).
