Can I finally put down grass seed?

[cyclone1975]

I have been wanting to reseed portions of my lawn here in Ankeny, but the weather has been so wonky lately that I have been afraid to do it. Can one of the CF master horticulturists please give me the okay to do so? Or do I need to keep waiting for this never-ending winter weather to end? Thanks in advance.

 

[CYdTracked]

You'll get much better results if you seed in the fall vs the spring. If you are going to put seed down this spring I'd rough up your lawn a bit with a power rake and do an aeration with it too as that will help work the seed into the soil better. You can use a slit seeder to overseed but if you have compacted soil or a lot of clay in your soil it probably won't take too well. One other thing too is don't use a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer in it as that will pretty much kill any new seeding you do.

If they aren't terrible spots then rough up the turf a little and put some seed down and see what happens. Just getting some nutrients to the roots of the existing grass will do a lot. If you don't like how it takes then in late August/early September when it starts to cool off at nights more completely tear up and re-seed the area and you'll get a nice root base before the hard freeze and it will come back nicely in the spring.

 

[chuckd4735]

Yeah every time I've seeded in the spring, the summer heat has killed the new grass. Most likely because I get lazy and don't water enough.

Seed in the fall and let cool temps and rains of fall and spring take over.

 

[CyberJJJ]

I have a colleague at work that always does his seeding right before a late season snow.

 

[mkadlmkadl]

You'll get much better results if you seed in the fall vs the spring. If you are going to put seed down this spring I'd rough up your lawn a bit with a power rake and do an aeration with it too as that will help work the seed into the soil better. You can use a slit seeder to overseed but if you have compacted soil or a lot of clay in your soil it probably won't take too well. One other thing too is don't use a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer in it as that will pretty much kill any new seeding you do.

If they aren't terrible spots then rough up the turf a little and put some seed down and see what happens. Just getting some nutrients to the roots of the existing grass will do a lot. If you don't like how it takes then in late August/early September when it starts to cool off at nights more completely tear up and re-seed the area and you'll get a nice root base before the hard freeze and it will come back nicely in the spring.

Seed before labor day and cover with grass clippings. It never fails If it is shady areas, those can be done in mid August. Keep it damp after keeping well watered for a week. Warm soil, warm days and cool nights is the key. You get those in the August September time period.

 

[HardcoreClone]

Would I be okay if I aerate and seed in the next couple days in DSM? I see we still have potential snow and freezing temps in the future forecast, and I know soil temps are still only high 30s. Will those factors kill my seeds or will they still germinate as long as it gets water?

I want to seed asap so I can still apply preemeegent this Spring once that grass is established.

 

[chadm]

Would I be okay if I aerate and seed in the next couple days in DSM? I see we still have potential snow and freezing temps in the future forecast, and I know soil temps are still only high 30s. Will those factors kill my seeds or will they still germinate as long as it gets water?

I want to seed asap so I can still apply preemeegent this Spring once that grass is established.

The cold soil temp will not kill the grass seed. Our great grandparents planted oats in March most years This does not mean that to much rain or lack of it with a killing freeze will not cause issues.

 

[nfrine]

Seed it now before it's too late. Actually, fall seeding works best but seeding can be anytime in the early spring. A snow will not bother it.

 

[cycloner29]

I plan on renting a power rake with the seeding attachment on it. Frost must be out of the ground as my sump pump started running again a couple days ago.

 

[HardcoreClone]

Seed it now before it's too late. Actually, fall seeding works best but seeding can be anytime in the early spring. A snow will not bother it.

I know Fall is ideal but I really need to fix part of my backyard this Spring. Thanks for the info. I'll get it done soon and get it watered.

 

[cyclonespiker33]

What's the best grass for handling big dogs? I've got a dirt patch from the door to the middle of the yard where they always run.

 

[Clonehomer]

What's the best grass for handling big dogs? I've got a dirt patch from the door to the middle of the yard where they always run.

Artificial

 

[DSMCy]

What seed are you guys buying?

I'm in this exact same situation. Wanted to overseed last fall but weekends got busy and couldn't get it done.
I may rent a power rake next weekend and call that good enough for now.

 

[HardcoreClone]

What seed are you guys buying?

I'm in this exact same situation. Wanted to overseed last fall but weekends got busy and couldn't get it done.
I may rent a power rake next weekend and call that good enough for now.

I'm going to try various bluegrass, rye, and fescue depending on the areas of my yard and the shade/moisture they get.

 

[HardcoreClone]

One last (dumb) question. Am I fine to start using my outdoor spigot/hose for watering? I will disconnect it after every use. I don' think we're in extreme enough temps that it could freeze, but just want to make sure. Thanks!

 

[Knownothing]

I could be wrong but isn't grass seed a lot like grass? You can kind of put it down whenever and it's fine and will grow when the weather gets good?

 

[nfrine]

One last (dumb) question. Am I fine to start using my outdoor spigot/hose for watering? I will disconnect it after every use. I don' think we're in extreme enough temps that it could freeze, but just want to make sure. Thanks!

As long as you have a self-draining spigot you can use it (even in the winter). Just remember to remove the hose as it prevents the spigot from draining properly.

 

[nfrine]

I could be wrong but isn't grass seed a lot like grass? You can kind of put it down whenever and it's fine and will grow when the weather gets good?

I like to seed and let the snow be on top of the seed. When the soil temps get right, the seed will germinate. Again, fall seeding is the best time but spring seeding works too.

 

[mj4cy]

Piggy backing on this thread, I assume I should hold off on pruning my trees since I'm seeing leaves starting to bud again?

 

[Three4Cy]

Piggy backing on this thread, I assume I should hold off on pruning my trees since I'm seeing leaves starting to bud again?

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/yard-and-garden-pruning-trees