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Is It OK to Plant Grass Seed After the Middle of May?

Planting a lawn is a big job. Hauling in topsoil, grading the site and then all that watering to get the grass seeds to germinate is work gone to waste if you don’t sow the seeds at the appropriate time. Summer is the worst time to sow grass seeds because of the difficulty you’ll face keeping the seeds moist until they germinate. The best time to sow grass seed depends on the type of grass as well as where you live because summertime weather begins early, such as in May, in certain locations.

  1. When to Sow Cool-Season Grasses

    • If you live in a region with very cold winters and hot summers, then your yard most likely needs a cool-season grass. Such grass thrives when air temperatures are 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. An example is Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 3 through 9. Sow cool-season grass seeds in late summer to early fall or in early spring.

    When to Sow Warm-Season Grasses

    • Warm-season grasses thrive when air temperatures are 75 to 90 F. Many warm-season lawn grasses, including zoysiagrass (Zoysia japonica), hardy in USDA zones 5 through 10, must be started vegetatively, such as from sprigs or sod. Those that grow from seeds include common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon), hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10, and their seeds germinate best when sown in spring, no later than mid-May.

    When to Overseed

    • The problem with warm-season grasses is that they go dormant and turn brown in winter. Many homeowners can’t stand the thought of a dead-looking front yard so overseed their warm-season lawn with cool-season grasses. Just as the warm-season grass goes dormant, the cool-season grass seeds germinate. Then the cool-season grasses die back when the weather warms. The best time to overseed the lawn is in fall.

    When to Fertilize

    • Whether you sow cool-season grasses or warm-season grasses, or overseed your lawn, a starter fertilizer applied when you sow the seeds will get them off to a healthy start. You will water the seedlings quite often, which will leach fertilizer from the soil. So fertilize again within three to four weeks. Seeds require a fertilizer high in phosphorous, which is represented by the middle number in a fertilizer's analysis or ratio. An example of a starter fertilizer is 10-20-10. When using that fertilizer, apply 10 pounds of it per 1,000 square feet before sowing the grass seeds. Use a nitrogen fertilizer, such as ammonium sulfate – 21-0-0 -- for the second fertilizer application, at the rate of ½ pound per 1,000 square feet.

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Lawn Planting
  1. Can I Plant Grass Seed After a Hard Frost?
  2. When Is the Best Time to Plant Grass Seeds?
  3. The Season to Plant Grass Seed
  4. When to Plant Lawn Seeds
  5. Grass Seed Planting in the Fall
  6. When to Plant Grass Seed in the Northeast?
  7. How to Plant Centipede Grass Seeds in the Late Fall
  8. How to Plant Grass Seed by the Moon
  9. The Best Time to Plant Grass Seed in Florida
  10. How to Plant New Grass Seeds
  11. How to Plant Grass in the Southwest
  12. How to Plant Grass Seed in the Winter

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