How to Germinate Grass Seed

Is your grass looking a little thin? It may be time to plant some new grass. It’s a challenging task to plant new grass but simple steps can befollowed to ensure your success.

Moisture of your seeds:

For germination to be effective it is important that the seeds receive the right amount of water. You don’t want to over water them but if you don’t water them enough they will dry out and die. About two inches is suggested. For more information of how to water your lawn properly you can take a look at last weeks blog post, “Simple Steps to a Healthy Lawn.”

Temperature:

It is key to have the right temperature soil for your seeds to properly germinate and turn into healthy grass. The winter is not a good time to plant grass because the snow will most likely cover it and prevent it from receiving sun light. Spring time has ideal conditions for planting new grass, but we don’t recommend spring seeding, because the HOT SUMMER DAYS are right behind the cool spring days.  So when is the “ideal” time, you ask?  FALL.  That’s right; we are approaching the ideal time to start seeding lawns.  The fall season usually has warm days, cool nights, ideal soil temperatures, good “natural” precipitation (complimented by your irrigation system) and most importantly…the weeds just don’t like (or thrive) during the fall season.  So SEED AWAY in the fall!

Oxygen:

Before planting your grass seeds make sure your soil is aerated. This process is done by a machine that punches through turf and pulls out plugs of soil and thatch. The holes that are created during aeration will allow the new seeds to receive the proper amount of oxygen. If oxygen isn’t present then the seeds can not grow.

Depth:

If your seeds are planted too deep they will not be able to get sunlight. Sunlight allows them to begin photosynthesis which results in the growth of the seeds. The seeds should be planted about a half-inch below the soil. This will allows them to get the sunlight they need to grow.

Germination Rates:

Remember that there are different types of grass that need different conditions, such as cool season grasses which will not grow well in warm weather or warm season grasses that will not grow well in cold weather. Therefore, different types of grass may need different temperatures.

Based on the type of grass you’re growing, the number of days needed for germination can be seen below: