Can Sod Be Planted in Northeast Florida in October?

Function

• While year-round planting is a possibility throughout Florida, young grass that is planted in the northern parts of Florida during the late fall is often killed over the winter, especially grasses that are considered warm-season grasses which grow best during the spring and summer.

Types

• Planting warm-season grasses such as St. Augustine, Bermuda, Bahamas and centipede grass should not take place in October in northeast Florida when possible. The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences suggests waiting to plant warm-season grasses in May when possible. October planting of cool-season grasses, including rye, Kentucky bluegrass and fescue, is ideal, as these grasses should be planted between September and November in northeast Florida

Considerations

• Though cool-season grasses may be planted in October, they often die during the hot Florida summers and only serve as a ground cover during the winter months. Homeowners may be tempted to plant warm-season grass during warmer days in October, but the warm-season grasses do not do well in cool soil and must be planted in soil with a temperature of near 70 degrees to germinate properly.