Lawn Seed

While it’s tempting to just toss seed out and hope for the best, grass seed needs direct contact with the soil to actually take root. If the seed just sits on top of old thatch or dead grass, it will likely dry out or get eaten by birds before it ever has a chance to sprout. A quick pass with a heavy rake to loosen the top layer of dirt makes a world of difference in your germination rate. For the best results, you want the seed tucked about a quarter-inch deep where it can stay moist and protected. It is much more effective to spend a little extra time on prep than to watch your hard-earned money blow away in the next windstorm.

Timing is everything when it comes to getting a cool-season lawn established before the winter frost sets in. The “sweet spot” for most homeowners in Southwest Missouri is right around the middle of September, though any time from late August to early October can work if the weather stays mild. You want to get the seed in the ground while the soil is still warm from the summer but the air temperatures have started to drop into the seventies. This gives the new grass enough time to develop a strong root system before the first hard freeze hits. If you wait until November, the ground is usually too cold for the seeds to wake up, and you’ll likely be waiting until spring to see any green.

A newly seeded area needs frequent, shallow watering rather than one big soak once a week. For the first twenty-one days, a quick ten-minute run with the sprinkler in the morning and again in the late afternoon is usually sufficient to keep the surface damp. You want to avoid watering late at night, as leaving the grass wet overnight can invite fungus and disease that will kill off the young seedlings. As the grass matures and reaches mowing height, you can transition to deeper, less frequent watering to encourage the roots to grow down into the soil. Consistency during the first month is the secret to moving from a brown patch of dirt to a durable, healthy turf.