Seeding your lawn often will help ensure that your lawn does not turn brown, patchy, and thin, and will fill in all the bare spots and gaps in the sod.

Seeding will also help thicken your lawn’s grass. Thick grass can effectively hold surface water, preventing soil erosion. A lawn with thick, healthy grass also looks good.

The Best Time of Year for Seeding

The time you seed your lawn will determine whether you will end up with a lush-looking lawn or a patchy lawn. To ensure that you end up with a thick, lush lawn, seed your lawn during the best grass-planting periods. When are these periods? It all depends on the type of grass you grow on your lawn and the climate of the area you live in.

For Cool-Season Grasses

If you intend to plant cool-season grasses such as tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and bluegrass, you should seed your lawn when the temperatures are low like early fall or late summer. However, fall is the best season to plant these seeds. During the fall season, the soil is usually warm. Daytime temperatures aren’t too high, and evenings are usually cool.

All this encourages grass seeds to germinate fast since cold-season plants’ seeds germinate when soil temperatures are between 50 and 60°F. Also, soil moisture levels are a bit high during the fall season. That helps ensure that the newly planted seeds do not dry out even if you fail to water them consistently.

For Warm-Season Grasses

If you intend to plant warm-weather grasses such as Bermudagrass, centipede grass, and Zoysia grass, you should seed your lawn when temperatures are a bit high like early summer or late spring. Warm-season grass seeds germinate best when soil temperatures range between 70°F and 65°F. Soil temperatures reach this range in late spring and early summer. Also, seasonal rains are experienced in late spring and early summer. That helps keep the soil moisture levels high, ensuring that the planted seeds do not dry out.

How to Select the Best Grass Seed for Your Home

To know the grass seed that will be best for your lawn, you need to find out your soil’s PH. Lawn Doctor offers comprehensive soil testing and analysis services to determine your pH level and offer advice on the best grass seed to plant, depending on the results.

Six factors to consider when choosing types of grass seed for your lawn include:

• How you use your yard
• How you want it to look
• How much maintenance you’re willing to do
• How warm or cool your climate is
• How much sunlight your lawn gets
• How quickly you need it to grow

What Are Grass Seed Blends & Mixes?

Grass seed blends feature a combination of at least two different subsets of the same grass species. Grass seed mixes consist of two or more types of grass from different species. Using a grass seed blend or mix over a single variety can be beneficial in preventing certain types of lawn diseases and ensuring survival.

For example, Kentucky bluegrass can tolerate cold but has a low tolerance for heat, while ryegrass is known for its weed resistance. Using a combination of both may increase the lawn’s chances of survival in the event of an extended heatwave or weed invasion.

If you’re not sure which grass seed or blends and mixes to choose, Lawn Doctor is happy to advise you on the best options to consider.

Steps to Seed Your Lawn Manually

Follow these steps when seeding your lawn:

1. Weed the area where you want to plant your grass seeds. You should use an herbicide to do this. You should also remove any debris that may be in this area.
2. Dig the area using a tiller after ensuring that the area is free of weeds and debris. Digging will help loosen the soil. You should remove any roots and rocks that you come across when tilling this area.
3. You should then prepare the soil. This kind of preparation involves amending the soil and covering the area with sand or soil. You should use a rotary tiller to spread this soil. You should also cover the area with compost.
4. Firm the soil using a weighted lawn roller. That will help ensure that your grass seeds are not blown away by the wind after planting them. It will also help ensure that your lawn area is flat and even.
5. After doing this, add peat moss, sulfur, or lime to your soil. These products help balance the soil’s PH. They also add nutrients to the soil.
6. Using a spreader, add starter fertilizer to your lawn area. This kind of fertilizer will help the planted grass seedling to grow rapidly. It usually contains nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Nitrogen is needed for green coloration and satisfactory root growth, whereas potassium is necessary for good disease resistance. Phosphorus, on the other hand, is necessary for root development. You should follow the manufacturer’s instructions when spreading the fertilizer.
7. Next, sow your grass seeds. However, you should ensure that your soil is not muddy or dry before sowing these seeds. If it is muddy, let it dry out. If it is dry, water it.
8. After you are done sowing the grass seeds, spread them using a spreader. The result should be 13 to 15 grass seeds per square inch of land.
9. Cover the previously planted seeds with a soil layer. A rake can help you do this. However, you should ensure that the seeds are not buried deep into the soil.
10. Pack down the soil after covering the previously planted seeds. A lawn roller can help you do this.
11. Finally, add mulch to the lawn area where you have planted your grass seeds.

Seeding a New Lawn vs. an Existing Lawn

Seeding a new lawn involves planting seeds in fresh soil where grass is just starting to grow, while existing lawns already have mature grass and seeding is often performed to improve density. With new turf grass, the general rule of thumb is to use approximately 4 to 7 pounds of grass seed per 1,000 square feet of lawn. With an existing lawn, the seeding recommendation is around 2 to 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

How Lawn Doctor Can Help

Not only will hiring professionals save you time and hassle, Lawn Doctor brings expertise to the table that you may not have otherwise. We provide expert recommendations on the type of grass seed that’s best, considering the soil conditions, climate, and your individual lifestyle. Our lawn seeding services take care of every single step.

Contact us today for a lawn evaluation or get started with a free quote.