Healthy Baby Grass
With that question, comes another question. What type of grass seed are you putting out? There are only so many really different types of grass that can be planted. To name a few…Fescue, Bluegrass, Rye, Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine. Let’s start with the grasses that grow well in my area, Nashville, Tn.
Fescue is a great cool season grass that stays green yearround, but struggles in the dead of summer. This grass should be planted in the Fall of the year.
Bluegrass and Rye are also both cool season grasses and should be planted in the Fall of the year.
Bermuda and Zoysia love the heat. They thrive in the heat of the summer and go dormant in the cool of the winter. These grasses can be put out by seed, and should be done about late June, into July. Zoysia is much more common installing plugs or sod to get the best coverage the fastest.
St. Augustine does not grow in Tennessee. It is only a southern turf. In South Carolina they call it Charleston grass. This one is nearly impossible to get by seed. It always has to be put out by plug or sod. This can be done almost yearround.
What is a plug you ask? A plug is a 2 inch circle of grass, dirt and roots of the plant that is plugged into your soil.
Why is Fall the best time to plant grass seed? The temperature is getting cooler in the Fall, Fescue takes about 2 weeks to germinate, so the plant has enough time to establish itself before the frost begin to come. Then when the plant goes dormant for the winter, it continues to use all the rain from the winter to develop strong roots for the next season. When planted in the spring, it is growing on the top and sometimes forgets to develop roots.
Happy Seeding
