The Ideal Time To Plant Grass Seed

Although you may be able to plant grass seed at any time in the growing season, there is one time when planting grass seed is much less work and has a better chance of success.

The time when most people think about planting grass seed or spot-seeding bare patches in their lawn is the Springtime. But the biggest drawback then is that, by the time the seed has germinated and has reached a height of about an inch or so, the hot summer sun and heat will bear down on these new seedlings and take their toll. When you plant seed in the Springtime you must be absolutely vigilant on a daily basis to keep your seedlings moist and cool through the hot summer.

If you can afford to wait until just after the peak of summer heat, that is the time to start your seeding project. From this point on, the days should start getting a little cooler. And by the time your seedlings are an inch or so high there is much less chance that they will turn “crispy” under the Fall sun. Your seedlings will have all Autumn and all of next Spring to grow and toughen up before facing the extremes of the Summer sun. By that time they are much more likely to survive that heat.

Incidentally, just after the Summer heat is also the best time to plant or transplant most trees and shrubs. And, here again, the reasoning is the same. These plants will have almost a full year before they will be subjected to the extreme heat and drought conditions that can be brought on by the Summer sun. These plants will have almost a year for the roots to grow deeper and for the rest of the plant to become accustomed to its environment.

NEXT TIME: Compost: The Natural Fertilizer