The Best Times to Seed Your Lawn

Property Resources

The Best Times to Seed Your Lawn

Posted by All Metro Service Companies LLC
3 years ago | October 30, 2021

Do you know when the nest time to seed your lawn is? If you have a lawn that is thin or has dead spots in it, overseeding is your best option. Keep in mind, certain times of the year are better than others. While it’s still possible to seed your lawn during non-optimal times, you will save time and money by seeding during the better parts of the year. 

 

When To Overseed

Most of the grass grown in Minnestoa is considered cool-season grass. It starts growing in the fall, goes dormant in the winter, then grows again in the spring. It doesn’t do well in heat, so it usually looks a little scraggly after the summer. Because of this, overseefing during the cooler months becaomes ideal for overseeding. Here are the three best times to overseed.

Early August through September

This is the best time to overseed your lawn. The grass seed has time to germinate and become established before the winter. It can then start growing as soon as the weather warms up in the spring and develop a nice, lush lawn.

Late October to mid-November

You can overseed now after it has gotten too cold for the seeds to germinate but the soil is not frozen. The seed will be ready when the ground warms up and will germinate then. Since it is generally too wet and muddy to seed during early spring, this allows your grass to start growing earlier than if you seeded in the spring after you can work in the yard. You do risk the seed rotting or being eaten by insects during the winter.

May thorough June

This is an okay time to seed. It is at the tail end of the grass’ natural growth period before it goes dormant in the summer. You may not get as good a stand as you would in the fall, but it will grow.

 

How To Overseed Your Lawn

While you can just spread seed on the problem areas of your lawn, it looks nicer if you overseed the whole lawn. Buy your lawn seed from a reputable dealer so it is fresh when you plant it. Write down the contents of your bags so if you have problems later, you can buy more of the same kind of seed. Divide the seed you purchase in half and walk one way to cover the yard, then perpendicular to that to cover the yard again. Before seeding, mow the lawn down to about two inches.

Equipment

You can rent a slit seeder from equipment renting companies. This cuts a slit in the ground and deposits the seed in the slit for good soil ground contact., then covers the slit back up. These slit seeders take practice to using them correctly. Using a rotary spreader is fine for most lawns. Mix the seed with one part seed to four parts organic fertilizer to make it easier to spread. Use half the seed going one way on the lawn, such as North-South, then the other half going perpendicular to that, such as West-East. After you spread the seed, rake the yard with a leaf rake two or three times to help the seed fall to the ground. Otherwise, it may not be able to make good seed-soil contact.

Water

When seeding during the winter, the seeds will be dormant. When seeding in the fall or spring, they will need to be watered. Water the seed in, then water enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Do not allow the seeds to get too dry or too wet. Continue to keep the soil moist until all the seeds germinate. Water the seedlings twice a week or often enough to keep the soil moist until they are the same height as the old grass.

Fertilizer

Since you put fertilizer in the spreader with the seeds, you do not have to worry about this until the grass is as tall as the older grass. Then fertilize on the regular schedule. Do not use weed killer until the seeds have been germinated for at least two months.

The goal of overseeding is to have a nice, thick lawn that chokes out weeds and covers bare spots. The optimal time to do this is mid-August to September, but you can still dormant seed your lawn. Getting the timing just right can be a problem. All Metro Service Companies, LLC can maintain your lawn and take care of overseeding each year. Not only do we seed at the best time of year, but we can also use a slit seeded to give your grass seed the best chance of growing. We manage lawns all year and would be happy to manage yours. Call All Metro Service Companies, LLC at 763-789-4788 today and set up a time for us to inspect your lawn and talk to you about your goals for it.

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