Denny's Soapbox

Winter Dormant Seeding Time is Here

Repair Drought Damaged Turf and have Grass by Spring.

September is usually the best month to put down grass seed, especially after a hot, dry summer like we experienced last year. Many lawns were suffering from severe heat and drought stress. There were and in most cases, still are lots of thin to bare areas in your lawn. Moist homeowners that tried to reseed last September were not successful due to the continuing heat and drought throughout the month. What to do?

Take heart, the second best time to apply grass seed to your lawn would be anytime over the next five weeks. Seeding at this time is referred to as winter or dormant seeding. It definitely is the easiest time to put down your grass seed. Remove any fallen leaves that are lying on the lawn and your soil preparation is complete. No heavy raking or seed slitting is necessary. The heaving and thawing that takes place will naturally prepare a seed bed, melting the seed into your soil. The new seed will germinate in early spring as your soil temperature reaches the proper warmth for your seed to start to grow.

How, Where and What to Apply

The best family (type) of grass seed is turf fescue. There are many varieties to choose from. This family of grass is the best for sun or for shade and tolerates heat and drought better than bluegrass and perennial rye. Place the seed on your lawn where the existing grass is thin to missing. A lawn spreader is the best and most even way to apply your seed. Adjust the setting on your applicator so 4 to 5 seeds per inch of lawn are being applied.

Few Final Tips

Ground Moss should be removed before putting any seed down (it rakes off easy).

Do not apply any pre-emergent crab grass control until your new grass is ready to mow. For those using a lawn service, notify them that you have winter seeded and you’ll notify them when the new seed starts to grow.

No fertilizer is needed especially for lawns that were fed last fall. You can apply a light feeding when you do apply your pre-emergent.

Do not use a lawn roller. Lawns can be very bumpy coming out of winter due to the natural heaving and thawing that occurs. This is natures free aeration and the lawn will smooth out naturally.

Keep foot traffic to a minimum, especially if the lawn is frozen.

Take your mower in for service now before the line gets long. Get the blade sharpened professionally while it’s at the shop.

For additional lawn tips to keep your lawn looking its very best, go to Ohio State University Web Site http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/mg/manual/lawn2.htm