A Guide to Successful Seeding

Fact: a healthy lawn starts with proper seeding. Whether you’re preparing to seed your cool-season lawn before fall’s first frost or already dreaming of spring planting, our guide to seeding maintenance will help you cultivate a dense, healthy lawn. Read on for our tips!

Choose A Seed You Can Maintain

Selecting the right seed for your lawn requires careful consideration of your budget, climate conditions and water availability. For example, if your lawn receives little rainfall, you’ll want to explore seed that is drought tolerant; if you live in an area that regularly reaches high temperatures, select seed that is heat resistant. For best results, make sure your growing conditions align with the needs of your preferred seed type.

Time Your Seeding Correctly

Lawn seed is highly seasonal and will only thrive under specific planting conditions. To give your chosen seed the best chance of survival, make sure you plant it during the right time of year. Cool-season grasses, like fescue and bluegrass, are best planted in early fall, before the weather is too cool for germination. Conversely, warm season grasses like bermuda grass and zoysia require warmer soil temperatures for seed to establish.

Water, Water, Water

Moist soil is required for timely seed germination, so prioritize watering at least once daily as soon as seeding is complete. If your lawn receives full sunlight, you will likely need to water more frequently to keep the soil moist (not overly saturated). However, water may be less available to you; if this is the case, patience is key. Germination will still occur but will take significantly longer when only fed by natural water sources, like dew and rainfall. However, it isn’t uncommon for your lawn to germinate in sections, even with water access, so this is no indication that your lawn will not thrive.

Avoid Immediately Reseeding

If your lawn is newly germinating, you may still see unestablished seed on the ground. It’s important to avoid applying more seed—too much seed creates competition for the resources that help young plants grow. Instead, save any excess seed for your next planting season!

Keep Your Lawn Free of Leaf Litter

Anything that accumulates atop a newly seeded lawn blocks sunlight from reaching germinating seeds and can cause them to die. Use a leaf blower within three days of leaf accumulation to keep your lawn open to sun and water.

Wait to Mow or Treat Your New Turf

Allow your new lawn to grow to at least 4 inches tall before its first mowing. As the grass blades grow, so too will their roots, allowing the new turf to become more entrenched in the ground. Once your lawn has reached a sufficient height, you’ll have to mow at least three to four times— at your mower’s highest setting—over the following weeks before applying weed killer.

Get the Lawn Results You Want With Fairway Green

Our proprietary blend of tall fescue, Southern Perfection, was hand-picked to provide North Carolinians with a healthy, attractive lawn. If your lawn is in need of fescue seeding, or any other type, contact the professionals at Fairway Green to get started with a free estimate!