Towards the end of August temperatures begin to drop at night. The cooler temperature lessen the humidity in the air, thus creating dew. Dew retains moisture in the lawn throughout the night and early hours of the day, keeping the seedlings moist. In addition, we grow “cool weather” grasses (the bluegrass, rye and fescue varieties). These varieties of turf take 2-3 weeks to germinate, so seed planted in August-September germinate and grow in September through Mid-December, go dormant for the winter months and then begin to grow again in April through June (a total of 7-8 months of growing time!), resulting in a mature grass plant going into the hot, summer months.
How do you seed a lawn (or overseed an existing lawn) ???
Step 1: Prepare the soil
If you are overseeding, first mow your grass as short as possible. If this is a new lawn and you have bare soil OR if you are overseeding, you’ll want to run a core aeration machine over lawn area. The cores become a seed bed for your new grass to grow in. Along with aerating the soil make sure to remove any debris or dead grass.
Step 2: Planting the Seeds
When seeding an entire lawn you may want to use a mechanical seeder to ensure even distribution. We recommend planting about 6 pounds of grass seed per 1,000 sq.ft of lawn area.
Step 3: Covering the Seeds
If this is a new lawn (bare soil) covering the grass seeds with straw or a mulching material. You should also spread a starter fertilizer over the area to help the seed prosper and grow. Using a grass seed mulch and/or straw will help the seedling (and seed bed) retain moisture.
Step 4: Water, water water!
It is crucial that seedlings get plenty of water. However, if you over water them, they can suffocate and die. Light, frequent watering is most effective. If the seedlings are moist they are most likely to germinate so continue to water them until they grow about 2 inches tall.
So if you have areas that need seeding, now is the perfect time!
