Question:

How do I start a new lawn using seed?

Late Summer Planning

If your lawn is planted in fescue, rye or bluegrass, then plan your Autumn activities from August 1 to Labor Day. Get your soil analyzed, order seed for overseeding, stock up on compost for topdressing, check rates on rented equipment, etc. If you have a good plan, you'll know what you need when you need it, and you can spend more time enjoying your cool season lawn!

Till, sow, roll, mulch, water

Till your entire area and remove all of the debris. Sow your seed according to the rate and depth listed on the package. Roll the lawn to ensure good seed contact with the soil. Top the seedbed with a quality straw mulch (not hay). Water the seedbed at least daily--twice daily if necessary--to keep it moist.

Warm season seeded grass

Bermuda and Meyer Zoysia are the only two really desirable warm season grasses reliably grown from seed. Centipede can also be established from seed, but it literally takes years for it to develop into an acceptable lawn. Instead, warm season grasses are usually established vegetatively--they're planted as sprigs, plugs or sod because their seeds are either sterile or they take too long to grow into a lawn. This makes establishing a warm season grass lawn more expensive, but it's worth the extra cost. Warm season grasses are among the most aggressive competitors among the grass species. Once they get going, they don't stop until you have a beautiful lawn.

Fall or Spring?

Plant cool season grasses, such as fescue, rye and bluegrass, in the fall. You can plant these in the spring, but the young plants will be ill-suited to deal with the harsh, hot weather of summer. You'll lose a significant portion of your new grass to heat and drought stress. You'll be right back out there in fall, overseeding again and wondering why you went through all that trouble.

Plant warm season grasses, like St. Augustine, Bermuda, Centipede and Zoysia, in spring. You can plant these in the fall, but they will not have had enough time to develop a good enough root system to allow survival against a frost.

Plant the right grass at the right time, and you'll save money and headaches.