When should grass seed be planted

Exactly When to Plant Grass Seed in Spring

Wondering when to plant grass seed in spring for ideal results? Discover the best times and perfect seeding schedule for your region, plus our top tips.

Reviews by This Old House Reviews Team 03/21/2023 9:29 am

Planting grass seed is an efficient way to create a fuller and greener lawn that gives your home an appealing look and provides a lush environment for outdoor fun. However, you can’t throw down seeds at any time and expect perfect results. Grass seeding should be completed at the right time to ensure proper germination and growth in your lawn.

For many people, springtime is the season for completing yard work and other outdoor projects. You’ll need to know the proper time for grass seeding in the spring to get the best results. Read on to learn more about the factors that influence seeding times, how to prepare your lawn for planting, and how to maintain growth throughout the year.

Factors That Influence Seeding Times

While many homeowners have a lawn care schedule in the spring, it’s not enough to just complete seeding at any point during the season. To ensure proper growth, you should consider your location as well as the type of grass you have, as these factors influence the right seeding conditions.

Location

Your location impacts your climate, which in turn affects the type of grass you lay down and when it should be seeded. For example, many parts of the south use warm-season grasses to handle the temperate climate that prevails all year long. Other parts of the country, such as the midwest and far north, experience freezing temperatures that require cool-season grasses.

Warm-Season Grasses

Unsurprisingly, warm-season grasses thrive in warmer climates. These grasses, including Bahia grass, Bermuda grass, zoysia grass, centipede grass, St. Augustine, and other turfgrasses, germinate in air temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you live in an area of the country where temperatures stay fairly consistent year round, you can typically plant warm-season grasses from early spring to late fall. However, if your yard experiences the highs and lows of traditional seasons, be sure to plant your grass in late spring or early summer.

Cool-Season Grasses

Cool-season grasses, including Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass, fare better in areas of the country with temperate summers and chilly winters. This type of grass is dormant during the winter and grows during the fall and spring. It’s recommended that you plant your cool-season grass seed in late summer or early fall before temperatures dip below freezing.

Weather

In addition to the temperature, which impacts the season you should plant your cool- or warm-season grass, it’s also important to keep an eye on other weather conditions. For example, light rain may help seeds grow, though a heavy pour could wash seeds away. Check the radar to ensure a heavy storm isn’t approaching your area in the days after seeding.

In a similar vein, be sure to plant your seeds when the ground is sturdy and free of mud puddles, which can lead to disease. You’ll also want to avoid windy weather. Just as rain can wash seeds away, heavy winds can push newly-spread seeds across your existing lawn.

If perfecting this timing sounds overly complex, full-service lawn companies such as TruGreen lawn care can attend to seeding and fertilizing your lawn on the right schedule.

How to Prepare Your Lawn

While timing is important when seeding your lawn, preparation is also key. Readying your lawn ensures that your soil is ready to promote new grass seed germination and growth. Preparing your yard consists of multiple steps, including actions like leveling your lawn, testing your soil, and aeration. Take a closer look at each step of the process below.

Level the Lawn

Before planting new seed, it’s important to remove any inconsistencies in your lawn, such as rocks and debris. Additionally, be sure to level the various peaks and valleys in your yard with a soil mixture that consists of sand, topsoil, and compost. Don’t just use topsoil, as this fresh mixture may contain weed seeds and other harmful nutrients.

Address Bare Spots

Bare spots pop up in lawns for a variety of reasons, such as heavy foot traffic, drought, and insect infestations. Once you’ve identified the brown spots in your lawn, you can prepare them for overseeding by digging up the area, mixing in new topsoil, and using a rake to level the ground. From there, the bare spot is ready for seeding. To help prevent future bare patches, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide in conjunction with a fertilizer to prevent weed germination.

Test Your Soil

Much of a seed’s growth depends on the pH levels of your soil. Since every lawn’s pH is different, testing your soil is important to determine if it’s acidic, neutral, or basic. Based on these results, you’ll know which minerals and nutrients your soil is missing. Many home improvement stores, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot, sell simple five- or six-step DIY soil testing kits. If you prefer to use a professional, many full-service companies will do it for you.

Try Aeration

When your soil has become stagnant and compacted, it’s time to aerate your lawn. This loosens your tightly-packed soil and helps with weed control while fighting the stress from droughts. Try simple DIY methods like garden forks or aerator shoes for a lower cost of aeration. However, for more tightly compacted soil, you may want to use lawn care professionals.

Use Fertilizer

Fertilizing provides new lawns with concentrated nutrients needed while establishing a strong root system. Cool-season grasses should be fertilized using a spreader in the fall, while warm-season grasses can be fertilized throughout the summer. Many homeowners choose a starter fertilizer, which uses nutrients to meet the needs of growing seeds until the root system develops.

Maintaining Your Spring Seeding

It’ll take some time to see results. Cool-season grasses will begin to germinate in five to seven days, while warm-season grasses can take up to three weeks.

Here are some tips on how to nourish your grass as it grows:

Be patient with grass that’s in the shade, as these seeds will take longer to germinate.
Water your lawn regularly but don’t overwater, as this will damage the growing grass.
Wait until at least two months have passed before mowing your grass. Grass will be around three inches in height when it’s ready to be cut.
Compost kitchen and garden waste to add nutrients to your growing lawn.

Our Conclusion

Timing is everything when it comes to seeding your lawn. If you have cool-season grass, aim to start seeding in late summer or early fall before freezing air and soil temperatures hit your area. Start the seeding process in the late spring or early summer for warm-season grass.

No matter which type of grass you want to grow, be sure to continue lawn care even after the initial planting. If this process sounds too time-intensive, you may want to consider a lawn care service to seed, fertilize, and maintain your yard throughout the year. Our recommendation is TruGreen, a provider that offers comprehensive services and seeding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Rating Methodology

The 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].

The Best Time to Plant Grass

When your sights are set on a thick, lush lawn, planting grass seed represents an investment of time, money, labor and hope. From seeding new lawns to repairing rough spots and renewing existing turf, proper timing separates sweet success from something less. Your best time for planting grass seed depends on the type of lawn grass you grow and where you live. Understanding your options and getting timing right helps you seize every opportunity for seeding success.

WHY TIMING MATTERS

Grass grows fastest and strongest when your planting season aligns with the seeds' natural periods of active growth. Just as with other kinds of plants in your landscape, lawn grasses vary in their growth cycles and regional climate preferences.

Cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and tall fescue, including Kentucky 31 tall fescue, grow most vigorously during the cool temperatures of late summer and early fall. These grasses flourish across cooler northern climates and into the challenging "transition zone" where cool and warm regions overlap.

Warm-season grasses, such as Bermudagrass, Bahiagrass, Zoysia grass and Centipede grass peak in growth during the warmer temperatures of late spring and early summer. These grasses thrive in southern and western regions and up into the transition zone's southern reaches.

Whether you grow cool- or warm-season grasses, timing your seeding to take advantage of your grass type's natural periods of peak growth helps seed germinate and establish quickly. Your seed gets off to the best possible start and gets on track for both short- and long-term success.

WHY FALL IS BEST FOR COOL-SEASON GRASSES

Several distinct advantages make fall the best time to plant cool-season grass seed. In early autumn, the soil is still warm from months of summer sun. This combination of warm soil, moderate daytime temperatures and cool evenings encourages fast germination and establishment of newly sown cool-season grass seed.

Cool-season grass seed germinates best when soil temperatures reach 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This roughly corresponds to daytime air temperatures in the 60°F to 75°F range. An inexpensive soil thermometer, available at garden stores and online retailers, can help eliminate the guesswork.

The farther north you live, the earlier cool fall temperatures and ideal planting times come. For example, Minnesotans in the Upper Midwest seed cool-season lawns from mid-August to mid-September.¹ For transition-zone lawn owners in central and northern Arkansas, September and October are the best time for seeding cool-season lawns.²

Fall seeding complements the natural growth cycles of cool-season grasses.

As a general rule, plant cool-season grass seed at least 45 days before the estimated date of your first fall frost, before soil and air temperatures drop to less favorable levels. Your grasses will enjoy a full fall season, plus a second cool growing season come spring. Your local county extension agent can help with advice on average frost dates and optimal timing for seeding lawns in your area.

Newly planted seed needs consistent soil moisture, and fall planting offers benefits on that front, too. Fall typically brings more precipitation, which lessens the chance that cool-season seeds may dry out, and reduces the need for extra watering on your part. Using premium drought-tolerant, water-conserving grass seed products, such as Pennington Smart Seed and Pennington One Step Complete, lowers the risk of problems even more.

The second best time to seed cool-season lawn grasses is in the spring, once soil and air temperatures warm back up to their optimal range. However, late-melting snows and early spring rains can keep soil cold and overly wet, giving early weeds an advantage. Grasses also have less time to settle in before higher temperatures inhibit germination and cool-season grass growth begins to slow.

WHY SPRING IS BEST FOR WARM-SEASON GRASSES

Warm-season grasses germinate best when soil temperatures are consistently in the 65°F to 70°F range. This generally corresponds to daytime air temperatures near 80°F or more. Planting in late spring and early summer gives warm-season grasses the advantage of warm soil and early seasonal rains, which help keep soil moisture available during germination and establishment.

Moderate spring weather helps spring-planted grass seed flourish.

As with cool-season grasses, best warm-season planting times vary by location. In California, mid-April to mid-May is prime time for seeding warm-season lawns.³ In central and southern Arkansas, lawn owners plan their warm-season grass seeding for late May through June.² It's tempting to get out and seed at the first hint of spring, but patience pays off. Wait until all danger of frost has passed and soil warms. Cold, wet soil is a recipe for poor germination, rotting seed and disease. Your county extension agent can help with expected frost dates and timely advice when unexpected weather conditions factor in.

As a general rule, warm-season grasses planted at least 90 days before the first fall frost have time to establish well before winter. These summer-loving grasses go dormant once temperatures drop near 55°F, so late-planted seedlings can't prepare for what's ahead. With proper timing, warm-season grass seed gets a natural boost from summer's warmth and a full season of active growth and development before cooling temperatures bring on winter dormancy.

One exception to the spring seeding rule for warm-season lawns is when overseeding with a cool-season grass, such as perennial ryegrass, for temporary winter color. Overseeding for green winter grass is always done in fall, once temperatures drop and warm-season lawns begin to go dormant and lose color.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM NEWLY PLANTED GRASS SEED

Proper timing allows all types of grass seedlings to root well and get established before natural stresses hit. What that looks like in your lawn can vary depending on your grass type, your growing region and the conditions in any given year.

Grass types and varieties vary in their natural germination speeds. For example, cool-season Kentucky bluegrass germination can take two to three times as long as tall fescue varieties. Similarly, warm-season Zoysia grass may take two to three times longer than Bermudagrass. In addition, many seed products include a mix of seed types that germinate at different speeds.

Whether you're repairing bare spots, overseeding an existing lawn or starting from scratch, you can generally expect grass seedlings to emerge within seven to 21 days when grown under proper conditions. It may take another three to four weeks of growth before grass is long enough to mow. For fall-planted seed, this can mean waiting until spring for your first mowing. Some grasses, such as Zoysia grass, may need several months of growth to fully establish.

Much of the initial growth of new grass seedlings happens underground, where you can't see it. New roots get grass firmly established, prepared for the seasons ahead and positioned for strong, rapid growth when their peak season arrives. With proper timing, new grass seedlings compete well for light, water and nutrients and fight off lawn diseases and pests, including lawn weeds.

Time your planting so that new seedlings become established before stressful seasons.

HOW TO MAXIMIZE THE TIMING ADVANTAGE

Even when you plant your grass seed at the best possible time, your lawn still needs help to thrive. Whether this is your first lawn or you're the neighborhood expert, take some advice from turf professionals and get to know your grasses and your soil before you start seeding. Follow through on best practices for preparing and planting and don't neglect traditional tasks, such as fall lawn care, that help keep your grass and soil healthy, well-nourished and ready to support new growth.

Do your research to understand what's in a bag of grass seed and the company behind the seed. Pennington is committed to producing the finest grass seed products possible and providing you with educational resources to help your seed project succeed. By timing your lawn tasks properly, you can maximize your advantage and seed your way to the lawn of your dreams.

Pennington, Smart Seed and One Step Complete are trademarks of Pennington Seed, Inc.

Sources:

1. Mugaas, R. and Pedersen, B., "Seeding and Sodding Home Lawns," University of Minnesota Extension.

2. Patton, A. and Boyd, J., "Seeding a Lawn in Arkansas," University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

3. UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, "Planting Times and Rates for Grasses That Can Be Established From Seed," University of California.

When to sow a lawn, advice on when to plant a lawn

The list of herbs that can be planted for landscaping garden plots in the country and city parks is constantly growing. Plants have their own biological characteristics in terms of vegetation, frost resistance, sensitivity to climatic conditions, so disputes about when it is better to plant lawn grass do not make sense. The schedule of landscaping works in each case is compiled individually.

Simple Rules

The times when the term "lawn" was understood only as a unkempt piece of land in the local area have sunk into oblivion. Today, lawn areas can occupy more than one hectare, and their design is akin to real art. Thanks to the sowing of different types of grasses, zoning is carried out, a background is created for planting park crops - trees, shrubs and flowers.

In order for the green area to look perfect, it needs constant care, but the main stage that determines the quality of the grass cover is sowing. The choice of plants is determined by the functional purpose of the lawn, the climatic features of the area, one's own aesthetic preferences, and the general concept of landscape design. It will not be superfluous to recall that the appearance of the grass cover largely depends not only on how it is grown, but also on the quality of the seed, so it is recommended to buy seeds only from trusted suppliers.

Most landscapers prefer spring seeding. When to plant lawn grass in the country in the spring depends on the climatic features of the area. So, in the southern regions of Russia, due to early spring, work can begin as early as early March, and the optimal period for the middle zone is the end of April or the first decade of May. The main advantage of spring sowing is that by autumn the grass cover will be fully formed and gain strength, which guarantees a successful wintering. As soon as the average daily temperature crosses the positive values, there comes a favorable time when you can plant lawn grass.

Sowing in autumn is also planned depending on weather conditions. Some experts advise sowing the seed in September so that the grass has time to sprout before the first frost. However, some landscape designers are of the opinion that the best time to sow lawn grass in the fall is late October or early November. In this case, the grass sits in the already frozen soil. It is believed that stratification contributes to increased plant viability and contributes to good resistance to various diseases.

Many experts believe that the best time to sow lawn grass seeds is during the summer months, when the earth has warmed up enough and most of the weeds have already faded. However, plants planted in summer may not have enough time to grow and take root before the onset of cold weather, so the question of when to plant a lawn in summer has only one answer: the sooner the better. Another “minus” of summer planting is that in a short time it is unlikely that it will be possible to give the green carpet the desired appearance this year (for more details, see the article “How long does lawn grass sprout after sowing?”)

The decision when it is better to plant a lawn - in spring or autumn - remains with the owner of the site, but it will not be superfluous to consult with a specialist.

Site preparation

Regardless of the time chosen when to plant the lawn, the order of preparatory work does not change much and includes several stages:

clearing the ground of stones and weeds, uprooting stumps, leveling the area, removing elements that could disturb the structure of the lawn;
digging up the soil with the simultaneous application of mineral fertilizers and manure, if necessary, correcting the soil by adding sand, peat, chernozem;
fallow for 2-3 weeks;
immediately before sowing - tillage of the soil surface with a rake, then with a shaft for leveling and crushing;
sow according to the recommended seed rate;
surface mixing of seeds with topsoil with a rake;
plentiful watering before emergence of shoots.

Subject to the correct soil preparation technology, after a while the lawn will please the eye, regardless of when to sow grass in the country or in the city (details in the article "How to plant a lawn correctly")

Finally

In printed publications and on the Internet, you can find a lot of information about when it is better to plant a lawn, how to properly plant a garden plot. In order not to be disappointed with the result, it is advisable to comprehensively work out the issue, since the recommendations are most often of a general nature, without reference to the climatic conditions of the area. When in doubt, it is advisable to contact a landscape designer or urban landscaping specialist who will tell you exactly what grass to choose and when it is best to sow the lawn. In any case, the decision on choosing the type of lawn and planning the timing of planting remains with the owner of the site.

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When to sow lawn grass - planting dates, at what temperature grasses are planted, until what month can be sown

A lush, attractive lawn does not grow on its own. This is the result of competent and painstaking work carried out by the summer resident. Lawn grass needs special growing conditions. If you sow the lawn at the wrong time or prepare the soil incorrectly, the grass will quickly die before it has time to grow. Therefore, we will talk about when and how to accurately sow lawn grass in our article.

Grass selection for sowing

There are two factors that influence the choice of the type of lawn vegetation that you will sow on your plot:

Sowing time. The selected growing period should be correlated with the growth rate of the planted grass, as well as its adaptability to a particular type of soil.
Purpose of the lawn. It can serve as a decoration of the site, and can become its functional part. Decorative lawns are not meant to be walked on. Therefore, for these types of lawns, you can take any lawn grass with the addition of meadow flowers. And for a functional sports lawn, it is better to purchase a grass mixture with perennial ryegrass in the composition.

The best time of the year to sow lawn grass

The best time of year to sow lawn grass seeds is autumn. Autumn sowing allows you to achieve maximum indicators of the quality of the green cover. Autumn is good because:

Painstaking site preparation is not needed to grow a lawn;
No weeds this time of year;
Comfortable microclimate;
Optimal soil moisture level.

The only thing is that the onset of early frosts can negate all the benefits of autumn sowing.

When can you sow lawn grass in your country house?

The correct time for sowing lawn grasses depends on the current season and the weather. You can sow lawn seeds in one of three seasons - spring, summer or autumn. Each season has its own characteristics of cultivation, which we will consider further.

Spring

If you plan to plant lawn grass in the spring, it is best to do so in April or May. March immediately disappears, because in this month the air and soil have not yet had time to warm up properly. In April, the soil is already sufficiently moist and has the right temperature for trouble-free seed germination. During the days of May, additional moisture will be required, since temperature fluctuations often occur in the last month of spring, and rains are rare.

In summer

It is more risky to sow vegetation on the plot in summer than in autumn. Constant heat, low moisture levels and insufficient rainfall lead to dry soil. This means that hydration compensation in summer is insufficient.

All this does not stimulate the growth of the root system of plants, but, on the contrary, prevents it. Therefore, when planting lawn grass in June, you will have to spray the young shoots that the seed gave twice a day twice a day. Not all summer residents are comfortable with such a care schedule.

In autumn

The safest months to sow the lawn are September and the first weeks of October. In autumn, the air temperature is more optimal than in summer or spring. In addition, the soil does not dry out in autumn.

The main thing is not to sow the lawn at the end of autumn, otherwise the lawn will not have time to get stronger before the onset of frost and will die.

At what temperature is lawn grass sown?

It is better to sow lawn grass at an air temperature in the range of +7 to +10 degrees Celsius. This is the best temperature range for successful lawn growth. Of course, in the summer this temperature does not happen. Therefore, you need to choose the least hot day.

When to sow lawn grass in the Moscow region

In the Moscow region, you can also plant lawn in one of three seasons - spring, summer and autumn. In the spring, when active snowmelt begins, the earth is saturated with moisture, which is why the planted seed quickly gives entrances. In the Moscow region, spring planting of vegetation should be carried out when the snow has completely melted and the earth has warmed up sufficiently, i.e. from the end of April to the beginning of May.

If you sow a lawn in the suburbs in the summer, you need to pick up a cool day. Keep track of the weather forecast so you don't miss it. Sowing a plot at the peak of the heat is not a good idea. In the Moscow region, grass is planted in the first month of summer - in June, since, from July to mid-August, a peak of high temperatures is observed in the region.

The best time to plant lawn grass in autumn in the suburbs is the last days of August and the first weeks of September. If you have time to sow the lawn in time, by spring a lush formed lawn will already show off on the site.

Sometimes lawns in the suburbs are planted before winter. They do this shortly before the onset of the first cold weather, i.e. In November. Grass is sown in the soil, sprinkled and left like that until the arrival of spring. During wintering, the seeds undergo natural stratification, and when warm weather sets in, they immediately germinate.

When to sow lawn grass in Krasnodar?

In Krasnodar, it is better to sow the lawn at the end of September or at the beginning of October. If you do this in the spring, then in the summer the lawn will need enhanced watering. Some summer residents note that they planted a lawn at the end of March, but it did not have time to get stronger before the heat, and dry crusts were already forming on the soil.

It is not recommended to sow a lawn in Krasnodar in summer, because very hot summer is typical for the whole region.

Preparing the field before sowing

The dacha is prepared for sowing the lawn in autumn, if the lawn is planned to be planted in the spring. And if planting is scheduled for autumn, then the soil is prepared in the spring. With pre-prepared land, it will be twice as easy to work. In addition, this way the lawn grass is faster and easier to adapt to growing conditions. So, preparing the land on the site before planting seeds consists of the following activities:

Clearing the area from weeds. If you leave the weeds for the winter, they will only get stronger. And then it will be much more difficult to remove them, because. their root system has grown over the winter. And unharvested weeds will continue to germinate between the grains of lawn grass.
Digging the earth. Before the onset of the first frost, you need to dig up the soil, at the same time mixing it with fertilizers (it is possible with organic ones).
The following procedure depends on the type of soil in the area. If it is loamy, it is loosened and mixed with compost. If it is very acidic, lime is added. If alkaline - add peat for acidification. It is important to bring the acidity level to a normal level - 5.5-6.5. If the soil is sandy, organic matter and a moist, drained substrate are added to it.
Before directly sowing the lawn, the earth must be dug up again, loosened and removed (if found) the remains of weeds and debris. Then the earth is leveled and rolled to strengthen.

How to sow lawn grasses

The vegetation on the site can be sown in two ways - manually or using a seeder. Each method has its own advantages.

Manual

Manual sowing is a simple method that does not require special skills from the gardener. To do this, you need to take a handful of seeds in your hand, and then scatter them "crosswise", i.e. one part - in one direction, the other part - in the opposite direction, perpendicular.

The advantage of the manual method is the ability to sow seeds in hard-to-reach places - for example, near curbs, along fences.

With the seed drill

The seed drill is a mechanical device that ensures uniform distribution of lawn seeds on the ground. The disadvantage is the inability to sow hard-to-reach places. In any case, they will have to be sown manually. When using a seeder, the seeds are mixed with sand.

Seeding Rules

Lawn grass should be planted following simple rules:

The first step is to measure the crop area. Then it is divided into squares;
Seeds are evenly divided according to the number of squares obtained;
Then the seeds intended for each square are divided in half;
The first half should be sown lengthwise. The second must be planted across the already sown grains.

Growing tips

There are a few growing tips to keep in mind:

If the site has clay or sandy soil, vegetation will grow slowly;
If weeds and debris are not removed from the site before sowing, the decorative effect of the future lawn will be disturbed;
Properly prepared soil is more than 50% success.

How to care for your lawn

Watering

If the lawn has just grown, water it manually. It is too early to install automatic irrigation systems. Hand watering will help the vegetation to take root better.

Watering is carried out in the morning so that moisture penetrates as deep as possible into the soil. At noon, watering is unacceptable, because the lawn will not receive enough moisture - it will simply evaporate.

Top dressing

Without timely and quality top dressing, the health and splendor of the lawn can be forgotten.