With fall on our doorstep, you may be thinking it’s time to seed your lawn. Before you spend any money, there are a few things to consider.
Timing:
Fall is the number one best time to add new seed to your lawn. With the cooler temperatures, the weeds are starting to die off and the grass is coming out of the summer dormancy. The cooler temperatures make it perfect for new seed to germinate. Typically the best time for seeding is Mid August through early October depending on the weather and temperatures.
Preparation:
Before any new seed is put down, the lawn/soil needs to be prepared. When the new seed starts to germinate, the tender roots can not penetrate compacted soil and many times will not continue to grow.
There are a few ways to do this. The soil needs to at the very least be scarified or scuffed up. You can use a rake or a dethatcher.
The best way would be to aerate your lawn first.
Aeration:
A core aerator removes 1-3″ plugs from the soil. This helps greatly with compacted soils. This is the best time to put down some seed as well. The cores act like perfect cups that catch the seed. The cores also help to protect the seed and hold water to help the new seed germinate.
Type of Seed:
In the New England area, we have cool season grasses. This is why our grass goes dormant during those hot summer months. If you have a sunny lawn you want to be using more of a Kentucky Bluegrass blend with some tall fescue. The tall fescue can withstand some of the heat we have been having a little better than Kentucky bluegrass. If you have a shaded area, you’ll want more of a fine fescue. Many times you can find a sun shade blend with both types mixed together. This way the grass that thrives will out-compete the other to fill in either a sun or shady area.
Water your new seed!
Now that you’ve done the work, you need to help it along. More important than anything is watering and patience. You want to be sure you are watering regularly, for new seed that means every morning. If we get some warm days, you may need to do a light watering in the afternoon, the key is to not water too late in the day that the existing grass stays wet overnight, you want that to be dry to prevent any potential disease. Typically you’ll see germination in 2-3 weeks.
Getting the perfect lawn requires patience. Following these steps this fall can help you be on the way to a better looking lawn.
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