Popular Types Of Grass Seed

There is a wide range of grass varieties, but there are just two basic categories of grass types: Warm Season grasses and Cool Season grasses. As you might imagine, all of the different varieties in each of these grass types is best suited for a certain type of climate.

Warm Season grasses are generally native to tropical regions and thrive when they are in hot climates with a lot of daily sunshine. They tend to grow best in temperatures ranging from 75F to 90F and will often turn brown or go dormant in the cooler late-fall and winter months.

The majority of the growing of Warm Season grasses happens in the summer months. Some examples of popular Warm Season grass varieties include St. Augustine grass, Buffalo, Bermuda, and Centipede.

Cool Season grasses do well in areas that have cold, freezing winters and very hot summers. They grow the fastest when temperatures are from 65F to 80F, or during in the spring and fall months.

While Cool Season grasses are suited to climates that have regular intervals of rain in the summer, many of them can withstand long periods of drought by going dormant. Some popular examples of Cool Season grasses include Perennial and Annual Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Red Fescue, and Bentgrass.

You can start you search for the best grass seed for your lawn by learning which type of climate you live in. If you are in the Warm Season zone, you should be researching the different varieties of Warm Season grasses and vice versa for the Cool Season zone.

Each grass variety has certain applications where it does best. For example, Bahia grass and Buffalo grass are both Warm Season grasses, but they have different characteristics. Bahia grass does best in full sun conditions and in areas with sandy, slightly acidic soil. It needs regular watering, but is relatively resistant to short periods of drought and is ideal for high activity areas.

Unfortunately, while being an extremely hardy grass, it doesn't create a very uniform lawn and it doesn't handle the cold very well. On the other hand, Buffalo grass has a smoother, more manicured look and can withstand near freezing temperatures for short periods. It can also survive through extended drought periods, but doesn't do well in high activity areas.

To choose the best grass variety for your home, start by testing the pH of your soil. You can adjust your soil pH as needed, but why not choose a grass variety that does well in your soil type and skip the hassle? Next you should consider how much maintenance you want to put into lawn care. If you don't want to deal with regular waterings, go with a variety that is drought resistant.

If you don't want to have to mow so often, choose a slower growing variety. You'll also want to consider how much traffic you'll be subjecting your lawn to. Some grass varieties can deal with cars being parked on them regularly, while others can't even withstand minor foot traffic.

Not everybody lives in a Cool Season or Warm Season grass climate. There is a narrow band across America known as the Transition Zone and picking the right grass variety in these areas can be trickier. If you live in the Transition Zone, you'll want to consider Kentucky Bluegrass, Zoysiagrass, Thermal Blue, Perennial Ryegrass, or Tall Fescue.

Creating the perfect lawn isn't just about picking the right variety. You'll also need to maintain it correctly and plant at the right time of year. A general rule of thumb is that Warm Season grasses should be planted from March through September, and Cool Season grasses should be planted from mid-August through mid-October, but refer to the directions on your specific grass variety to further narrow down the best seeding time.

You need to make sure to prepare your lawn before laying down your seed as well. If you are planting a new lawn, start by loosening the top few inches of soil with a cultivator or hoe. Next, remove large debris and break up any big clumps of soil. If you have any low spots where water might collect, you should level them out, so no grass seed is left in standing water for too long.

After your lawn has been fully prepared, you can spread your grass seed. For best results, you should fertilize with a starter fertilizer after seeding and then water twice a day. Once you have mowed your new lawn one or two times, you can revert back to a normal watering schedule.

If you are overseeding an existing lawn, you'll want to mow your grass as short as possible, loosen any bare soil spots, remove dead grass clumps, and then spread the seed as evenly as possible. As with a new lawn planting, you should water twice a day until after the first or second mowing and lay down a starter fertilizer.

Continued here:
The 7 Best Grass Seed - Ezvid Wiki: The World's Video Wiki

Why Overseed?

Over-seeding is the practice of spreading new seed over an established turf. Bermuda, zoysia, and other warm-season grasses go dormant and turn brown during the colder winter weather. Over-seeding your lawn with a cool-season grass gives you a green lawn throughout the entire year.

When over-seeding, you are actually seeding into the existing warm-season turf. Rye grasses are well suited for this purpose and more specifically perennial ryegrass is highly recommended.Over-seeding just before the warm-season grasses go dormant ensures that youll enjoy green grass throughout the winter months. Good fall establishment will require some seed bed preparation, but tilling should be minimal enough to let the warm-season grass recover well in the following spring.

St. Augustine and zoysia grasses are not well suited for over-seeding. However, lawns featuring bermuda grass are easily over-seeded, producing a green landscape year-long.

The best time to over-seed your lawn with cool-season grasses will occur between October 1st and November 15th. Over-seeding too early in the fall can result in thin, spotty establishment; the actively growing bermuda grass will out-compete the ryegrass. If planted too late, growth is slowed down by colder temperatures resulting in poor establishment.

Ryegrass seed germination will decline after soil temperatures start to move below 63 F. You can stick a cooking thermometer into the ground to determine the temperature. Make holes with a screwdriver to take the temperature in multiple areas of your lawn.

Verti-cut, power rake, and mow your bermuda grass as low as possible to remove or reduce thatch. If you can only mow, lower your mower blades as far as they will go. You essentially want to scalp the grass down as much as possible. This will guarantee good seed contact with the soil. Planting your ryegrass seed is done just like planting grass for a new lawn. Apply grass seed using a spreader or seeder. Apply only 1/2 of the seed in one direction, and then apply the other 1/2 of the seed in the other direction. This method insures an evenly covered seed bed.

If over-seeding with annual ryegrass, plant 10 to 20 lbs of seed per 1,000 square feet. If using perennial ryegrass (recommended), plant 10 to 15 lbs of seed per 1,000 square feet. Over-eeding more than this may cause excessive competition among seedlings. Crowded seedlings will be more susceptible to diseases.

After seeds are planted, they must stay moist to germinate properly. Covering the seeds with finely-ground bark mulch, manure compost, or sand which will help hold the moisture in; this practice is known as top-dressing. Do not use peat moss because it is difficult to keep wet and can blow away.

Light, frequent watering (up to three times a day) is essential during the first seven to ten days. Keep the soil moist until the seedlings have established their roots.Germinating seeds need a lot of oxygen so dont overwater and cause flooding.

Water the newly-planted seed for about 15 minutes to get the grass seed and soil soaked well the first time. Continue watering three times daily for 3 to 7 minutes each for the first 7 to 10 days. If your soil drains well, you may water for longer but if your soil is heavy and doesnt drain well, prevent puddling by shortening your watering time. Once germinated, grass seed watering intervals should gradually shift to about once each week. During the coldest times of the season, you may only need to water once every two weeks.

Monitor the soil moisture by sticking a screwdriver into the soil. If the screw driver goes in easily and comes out damp, you dont need to add water. You want to keep the top six inches of soil moist; when your grass needs water, it will let you know. Symptoms of moisture stress are wilting, grey-green color and footprint indents remaining visible long after stepping over lawn.

Two weeks after seedlings emerge, apply a high-phosphorus grass fertilizer, which will promote good root development. There are many starter fertilizers that you can choose; one example is ammonium phosphate (16-20-0), which you would apply at about 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet.

Annual and perennial ryegrass should be first mowed when they reach heights between 2 -inches and 3 inches. If using a rotary mower, set the blade height between 2 -inches and 2 -inches. If using a reel-type mower, mow your lawn between 1 and 1 -inches, when grass is a third of the normal mowing height.

Bermuda and most warm-season grasses start growing back when nighttime temperatures reach the upper 60s. To encourage the return of your bermuda grass, lower the mowing height to an inch or less once the nights become warmer. This will effectively scalp the cool-season grass, reducing shade and warming the bermuda grass beneath. At this point, stop fertilizing, but continue mowing low and maintaining good soil moisture for your grass. This will reduce competition between the bermuda and the ryegrass, helping your bermuda grass come back strong.

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Over-seeding Grass - PLANTING GRASS SEED CENTER

Why should I overseed my lawn?

Overseeding is the planting of grass seed over an existing lawn. Overseeding corrects thin lawns, or prevents thinning, by compensating for the natural slowdown of the turfs reproduction or turfgrass death from environmental stresses.Overseeding introduces new and improved turfgrass varieties into your lawn that out compete weeds and fill in bare spots. By doing this, the lawn stays healthy and you seldom have to start over.

The best time for overseeding is late summer to early fall. Weeds are less active at this time so the seed will germinate better, temperatures are cooler, the ground is warm and you have great growing months ahead.

How do I begin?

Choose the proper Jonathan Green grass seed for the growing conditions of your lawn. We recommend using Black Beautygrass seed mixtures when seeding for their beautiful dark green look, drought tolerance, along with its disease and insect resistance.

Test your soil pH to see if Mag-I-Cal is needed, ideally your lawn should have a pH of 6.5 to 6.8. Then, check your lawn for soil compaction and overall soil health, to determine how muchLove Your Soilis needed. To test for soil compaction, push ascrew driver into the soil. If this proves difficult, your soil is compacted. If your soil has clay, sand, is light in color, or has a dusty composition it is missing essential microbes and Love Your Soil could be appliedeither once or twice a year, between the months of May and early September, depending on its severity.

If the lawn has not been mowed, do so before raking the ground to loosen the soil. While raking, remove dead grass, stones, sticks, etc. from the lawn area. In the case of larger areas, use of a rented, motorized, thatching machine can be helpful in the establishment of a seed bed.

Apply Winter Survival or Green-Up for Seeding and Soddingand soil foods,such as Mag-I-Cal and/or Love Your Soil.These products can be applied the same day as the seed.

If following our organic program, apply Mag-I-Calfor Acidic Soil or Mag-I-Cal for Alkaline Soil, along with our Organic Lawn Foodif it has been over 2 months since your last lawn fertilization.These products can also all be applied on the same day as the grass seed.

How do Iaccurately apply grass seed?

Apply seed at the proper rate,preferably with a spreader. For proper application seethe back of all product bags, or our spreader settings website,for accurate rates and settings.For maximum germination, please be sure that the grass seed is in firm contact with the loosened soil. Grass seed should be raked lightly so it is covered by 1/4 inch of soil.

How often should I water?

The seed bed should be kept moist for a few weeks while the grass seed is germinating. Light waterings,2 to 3 times a day,are of benefit during the early days when the newly seeded area is establishing. Within a few weeks, after the newly seeded grass needs to be mowed, you can decrease your watering schedule.

Is it possible to seed too heavy?

All plants need ample space for roots to spread. By spreading your grass seed too thickly on the ground, roots have to compete with each other to grow. Some seeds push through quickly and others fail to grow a deep root structure at all. As a result, you have a patchy lawn that still struggles as the seedlings fight for nutrients.

When will my grass seed sprout?

Perennial Ryegrass germinates the quickest, sometimes in 5 days, however it usually takes 10-14 days. Fine fescues including the creeping, chewing, and hard types usually take about 10-20 days. Tall Fescue usually takes 10-20 days but can be slow to establish under colder temperatures. Kentucky Bluegrass is the slowest to germinate, usually in 14-30 days and longer with cold temperatures. Remember, germinate means start to grow. You cannot expect a filled in lawn in 10 days!

Mow the new grass once it reaches 4 high. Keep the mowing height at 3 except for the last cut of the year which should be 2 inches in height. This is very important for your lawn during the winter months. The shorter mowing height helps the grass plant roots survive winter stress.

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Seeding Guide | Jonathan Green

Seeding a New Lawn

Using seed is the most common method of planting turfgrass. Whether you have an established lawn or you are starting a new one, the basic principles are the same.

1. Dig or till to a 3-inch depth.

2. Rake to remove clumps and clods.

3. Smooth and level the surface. Remember, you are establishing a finished grade so include any contours needed for drainage.

4. Add compost, topsoil and starter fertilizer and work them into the soil.

5. Roll with a weighted lawn roller.

6. Spread the seed. To ensure even coverage, sow half of the seed in one direction and the other half at a right angle.

7. Rake and roll again.

8. Mulch with a weed-free straw, such as wheat straw. As an alternative, you can use a seed starter mat or seed blanket to help keep the seed and loose soil from washing or blowing away.

9. Water frequently to keep the seeds moist (don't saturate). Cut watering back to once a day when the grass reaches about 1 inch in height.

10. Mow when the grass reaches 2 1/2 inches - 3 inches.

11. After it's been mowed three times, use a regular watering schedule of 1 inch per week.

12. Apply a pre-emergent crabgrass control to stop germination of unwanted grass.

Overseeding an Existing Lawn

To fill out an otherwise healthy lawn or to add extra green for the winter months, you can overseed:

1. Mow lower than usual.

2. Dethatch if needed or rake to thin the existing turf.

3. Aerate to reduce soil compaction.

4. Amend with compost.

5. Add starter fertilizer.

6. Apply seed.

7. Rake in loosely.

8. Top-dress with mulch, compost or peat moss.

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Seed Your Lawn: How and When to Plant Grass Seed

By Lance Walheim, The National Gardening Association

Starting a lawn from seed is the least expensive way to transform your home or garden with a new lawn. Find information and step-by-step instructions on how to turn grass seed into a lush, beautiful lawn.

The best time to start lawns from seed, or by any means, is just prior to the grasss season of most vigorous growth.

First, you need to determine the type of grass that grows best in your climate whether you need cool-season or warm-season grass. Think of cool-season and warm-season grasses as the yin and yang of the turf world. Or better yet, when you think of cool season grasses, envision blue spruce. When you think of warm-season grasses, envision palm trees. Get the picture?

For cool-season grasses (which grow best in fall, spring, and, in some areas, winter), the best time to plant is late summer to early fall. At that time of year, the ground is still warm enough for quick germination, and the young grass plants have the entire upcoming cool season to become established.

Early spring is the second-best time to start a cool-season lawn from seed. The young grass has less time to become established before the onset of hot weather, but results are usually satisfactory as long as you start seeding early enough.

Warm-season grasses are best planted in late spring. At that time, the weather is still mild enough to let you get the grass established, but the hot weather of summer and the most vigorous growth are just around the corner.

The soil is ready, the site is level, and the watering system is in place now you can plant the seed.

Spread the seed.

Make sure that you properly set your spreader rate for sowing seed. (You can check the manufacturers instructions, but many times, the spreader has the necessary information printed on it.) Put half the grass seed in the spreader. Spread the first half of the seed by walking in one direction and then spread the second half crisscross to the first direction. This pattern ensures even coverage.

Dont forget to use a starter fertilizer. Starter fertilizers are high in the nutrient phosphorous, which is essential to seedlings.

Top-dress the seed to hold moisture.

Open the door of a peat spreader (or cage roller) and fill it with peat moss or other fine-textured organic matter. You may end up spilling some, so dont do this on the lawn surface; otherwise, you have to clean up the mess, disturbing the seedbed as you do.

Briskly push the cage roller back and forth over the lawn until you cover the entire area. Apply a very thin layer, 1/8- to 1/4-inch of mulch, no more. Adjust your speed until the roller applies about the right amount.

If you live in a windy area where the peat moss blows around or if youre trying to save a dime, you can lightly rake the seedbed instead of mulching. Use a stiff metal rake and just lightly push and pull the tines back and forth to make shallow grooves and cover the seed. Dont push too hard, or youll move the seed around or cover it too deeply.

Roll the surface.

To ensure good contact between seed and soil, roll the entire area with a roller that youve filled only halfway with water. Roll the perimeter first and then finish the entire area.

Water.

This may be the most important step. With the first watering, make sure that you apply enough water to wet the soil down to at least 6 to 8 inches. Apply the water gently so that you dont wash the seed away or create puddles.

You may have to water several times in short intervals until the bed is thoroughly wet. After that, water often enough to keep the top inch or so of the seedbed moist until the seed germinates. Remember, seeds get only one shot at germination. Let them dry out, and theyre dead.

Sprinkle the seedbed lightly with a handheld hose several times a day especially if its hot or windy to get even germination across the entire lawn. However, you dont want to overdo it. Too much water causes the seed to rot.

Watch the color of the soil surface. As the soil dries, the surface becomes lighter in color. When you notice about half to two-thirds of the surface lightening up, its about time to water.

Protect the seedbed.

Here comes the neighbors dog! Oh, no, what a muddy mess. To keep kids, pets, or whatever off your newly seeded, very wet lawn, encircle it with brightly colored string attached to small stakes.

However, that may not be enough for the dog. If the lawn is small, you can surround the whole area with some roll-out metal fencing available at hardware stores or at least tell the neighbor to keep her dog in her own yard.

As your new lawn becomes established, you can start easing up on the water, depending on the weather. If you continue your everyday watering routine, youre likely to overdo it and rot the young seedlings. Also, if the ground is too wet, you can inhibit root growth.

When you have a pretty even ground cover of new seedlings, try skipping a day of watering and see what happens. Watch the grass carefully. If the color starts to go from bright green to dull gray green, the grass needs water. You may have to water some quick-to-dry areas with a handheld hose.

If the grass doesnt dry out, keep stretching the intervals between watering until youre on a schedule of once or twice a week, or as needed. When you do water, dont forget to water deeply, getting the moisture down 6 to 8 inches. Dont be a light-sprinkling fool you end up with one lousy lawn.

But theres more to a new lawn than just watering. You need to mow the new lawn when it reaches 3 to 4 inches high, depending on the type of grass. Mow when the soil is on the dry side; otherwise, you might tear up the new turf.

You also need to make your first application of fertilizer about 4 to 6 weeks after germination. Young seedlings have a hefty appetite, so dont skip this important feeding. (After you have your grass growing, Keeping an Eco-Friendly Lawn can help you keep both the lawn and the environment healthy.)

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Planting a New Lawn from Seed - dummies

BISMARCK, N.D. - For the next five or six weeks its the very best time to seed a new lawn, or repair an old lawn that might be thin.

And when you think about it grasses and nature are seeding themselves now.

What you want to do first is loosen up the seed bed.Whether you scrap it up with a rack or use a roto tiller and go very thin.

Then we want you to put the grass seed on in two different directions so you get good coverage and maybe take a third trip on over and put fertilizer on at the half a dose rate. Now we got you losing it up putting the grass seed on.Putting the fertilizer on then we want you to roll it. Roll it with one of these rollers, and it will help firm it up so it wont blow away and the birds wont get the grass very much.

If you have a lot of steep slopes some people use this netting with this straw or burlap blanket with the spun wood or they might use burlap to fix hard to grow patches.

Theres lots of kinds of grass seed but some are good for sun some are good.

For the shade and some are good are what we call low maintenance rural grasses.

If you might have to spray to kill some weeds first like with Round Up. But if you do, you can seed the very next day. So go to our website if you want all of this in writing. Cashman.nursey.com or stop out we have a great hand out so until next week Good gardening.

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Dan's Garden: Seeding your lawn - KFYR-TV

Aug 25, 2017 5:41 PM

In keeping with the theme started last weekthat fall is for plantingI was going to continue this week with some more tips on several perennials that you can divide now and enjoy next summer. But, while looking around the property during the week, I realized it might be a good idea to review some lawn care this week and get back to other planting work next week. So, this week, a few ideas on renovating or patching your lawn.

For one reason or another, you may be noticing spots or patches on your lawn where the turf is thin to nonexistent. Yes, its been a remarkable growing season for most of our lawns, and it is the first time in about 20 years I can remember our lawns not taking a break. We can usually depend on the warm and dry months of July and August resulting in the grass growing more slowly, and cutting it once a week, or even stretching it out to 10 days now and then, has been the norm. But not this summer. This year, the lawn has stayed green and lush right from the first spring flush of green. In fact, the lawn has actually been getting ahead of us, and I found I had to cut twice in one week in August.

And yet there are those spots where I screwed up. I spilled something in one spot, a local dog left a spot in another spot, we pruned some large trees that left an area where no grass would grow to an area now in full sun and it has to be seeded.

The store shelves are filled with all kinds of lawn patch products and bags of pre-mixed seed blends, so whats a homeowner to do, and what will you use?

Im a little old-fashioned here, and I like to keep it simpleno gimmicks, just a little science, seed, soil and moisture. If youre looking for a more complicated explanation or a good introduction to lawns and how to take care of yours, there are some great links at the end.

So, this time, Im only going to speak about renovating small areas of your lawn. In other years, weve gone over over-seeding, full renovations and soddingbut this year lets concentrate on the small areas that need to be filled in with grass plants before the weeds settle in and take over.

The first task is to get these areas ready for seeding so that in the next two to three weeks they are all prepped and seeded and well on their way to being established and ready for winter.

But, before you begin to rake out these spots, make sure you have all your tools, seed, fertilizer and mulch. Tools can be as simple as a fan rake or short-toothed tine rake. Youll use these to scratch out the dead grass and weeds and also to rough up the soil below to a depth of a half inch to an inch.

Remove any stones and debris, and if theres actually a depression, you will want to fill it in with some good screened topsoil thats loose and friable. If it comes out of a bag or dumped from a truck, you might want to screen it so its consistently granular as opposed to clodded.

Mix in a very small amount of starter fertilizer. Its very important that you only use starter fertilizer and use it sparingly, as too much can damage the young grass plants.

Spread the soil over the area to be seeded, and let a little blend into the surrounding grass, feathering it as you move to the edges. You can use your rake and ever so gently pull it over the soil to create very shallow furrows.

Now, youre ready for the seed.

Instead of pre-packaged seed, go to a local garden center and ask if they have custom seed mixes. The better garden centers will have several that they have made just for our area, and they will be different blends of grasses for shade, sun or both. These mixes will contain some combination of Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and ryegrasses, and we usually use all three in varying percentages, as each has attributes that the others may be missing.

A good garden center salesperson can be very helpful hereand you wont find this kind of help at the big-box stores. And this is the one place where you dont want to skimp. You can buy what is called a builders mix, which is cheap and fills in really fast, but it will have you reseeding again next year.

Know how many square feet youll be needing to cover, buy a good blend, and ask how much you should use for new seeding for 100 square feet then do the math to know how much you need for your 5-, 10- or 20-square-foot spots.

Seeding is done by hand by filling your palm with a few ounces of seed and gently spreading it over the prepared area like you were putting sprinkles on a cake, keeping the application even and uniform. When done, there should be 10 to 15 seeds per square inch.

Now, turn your rake overtines pointed up, not down, for a fan rakegently pull the rake over the seeded area. For a stiff, steel-tined rake, use the rake like a tamper and gently push the flat side of the rake against the soil. The object is to bring the grass seeds into contact with the soil. Only a small portion of the seed needs to contact the soil, and the seed should never be entirely buried.

The next step is to water. Gently spray the area with water so the soil absorbs it. Dont sprinkle, sprayor youll create puddles and the seed will get washed into the puddles and ruin your great seeding job.

Theres more to watering, but we need one more step first, and thats the mulch. Now that the seedbed is moist, you want to add a mulch that will keep the sun off the seed bed but still allow it to warm during the day and cool at night without totally drying out.

You can use a special mulching material thats sold in bags and is lightly spread over the seedbed then watered. These materials, such as Penn Mulch, contain a form of cellulose that will absorb the water, expand and, if applied correctly, be a perfect light cover. You also can use salt hay, or specially cut hay, or straw that is seedless or headless. Dont just use any hay or strawit must be seedless, or youll contaminate your seedbed with seed from the parent hay or straw plants.

Once the mulch is down, you can now sprinkle the seedbed with water. Keep it moist for several weeks by watering lightly once or twice a day, unless theres rainfall or a series of cloudy days.

Moisture, at the right amount, will result in great germination and a perfect patch. Depending on the seed mix you used, you should have germination of some seeds in a week, and all of the seeds within three weeks.

When the grass plants are filled in and about 3 inches tall, the first mowing can be done.

For those of you who want more detailed information on grass seed, here: http://bit.ly/2xu8btz. And on lawns in general, they have great information here: http://bit.ly/1HidWKO. There are dozens of links to other lawn grass topics.

So if you can, read up, but time is of the essence. Get those brown spots and lawn renovations done in the next few weeks, and youll see the results this fall.

Keep growing!

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Lawns: How To Patch And Repair - 27east.com

I get a lot of questions on plant pests in late summer. The signs of insect feeding and symptoms of diseases are often not very visible until late summer so they go unnoticed as the pests develop. Gardeners are usually seeking a remedy and oftentimes apply pesticides that have no effect on the pest because they are just treating the symptoms and not the developing pest.

Most plant pests in our region start their development in early spring and complete their life cycle by the fall. These pests are also most vulnerable to treatment early in their development prior to when they have done significant damage to plants. In fact, control practices for most diseases and some insects need to be applied prior to when they start their life cycle.

Despite it being too late to control many problems, this is a good time to of year to identify pests and to determine their severity. Most pests will reoccur to varying degrees every year as long as their host plant is present. Identifying the common problems in your landscape will allow you to plan preventative measures for next season, if appropriate. Most plant pests only cause aesthetic damage and do not require control; however, some can be more serious.

There are a few pests for which fall treatment is appropriate. I will touch on a few lawn tips here and cover other timely pests as fall progresses.

Now is a great time to focus on lawn weeds or other problem areas in your grass. Most perennial weeds are best controlled in early fall. This is also a time when your lawn grass is producing new plants that will displace weeds that are controlled. It is also a good time of year to plant new grass seed in thin areas. Problem crabgrass areas can be lightly tilled to dislodge crabgrass and new grass seed can be put down to displace it.

Fertilizing your lawn in early fall will promote vigorous vegetative propagation without excessive leaf growth that is experienced with spring fertilizer. This allows your grass to fill in thin areas and to store up carbohydrate reserves for next spring's new growth.

Fall is also a good time to aerate lawns. Aerating is most important on high-fertility lawns that have thatch built up. Aerating brings soil to the surface, allowing it to filter back into the thatch. This helps decompose excess thatch and transforms it into new topsoil. Aerating is also useful when over-seeding thin areas to loosen soil and create a good seedbed.

Fall is also a good time to dethatch. Lawns that have excessive thatch will feel spongy if you walk on them when they are wet. The moisture that is held by a thick thatch layer creates good conditions for lawns disease, so addressing thatch problems in fall can reduce disease pressure the next year.

Dethatching is only a benefit under conditions of excessive thatch. Otherwise it just removes valuable organic matter.

Late August through September is a great time to focus energy on lawns. Effort now will really impact the quality of your grass for next season.

Doug Courneya is owner of Courneya Horticulture Services. Doug has bachelor's and master's degrees in horticulture and is a certified arborist with more than 25 years of experience. Send plant and garden questions to life@postbulletin.com or email Doug directly at dcourneya@charter.net.

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Let it Grow: Now is a good time to prep your lawn for next spring - Post-Bulletin

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

I have decided to replant my back lawn. Is this a good time to plant? Would you recommend sod or seed?

This is actually the very best time of year to plant a lawn. It fits the natural cycle of grass growth. Where grass is not mowed it matures seed about this time of year. The seed falls on the ground and sprouts.

Whether seeded or sodded, the cooling temperatures are ideal for grass growth as it multiplies quickly and forms a strong root system. The soil is still warm so seed sprouts quickly and develops rapidly.

This time of year you can have a full thick lawn in 6 weeks from seeding. If you can water frequently and keep the kids and dogs off of it for that long. The cost is considerably cheaper than sodding often a third or less.

If you need quicker results, then sodding is immediate. Even a sodded lawn should be babied for a couple of weeks until the grass is well rooted.

If you have a heavy clay soil which has not been amended with organic matter, I would recommend tilling in several inches of organic matter such as bark dust or peat moss. This will insure better long term performance of your lawn.

If you kill the existing grass and weeds, you can rototill in the dead grass with a large rototiller. It will take several passes to get the grass chopped up finely.

The grass itself is a good organic amendment but I would still add some bark dust.

I have had good success using a short cut method. Spray the existing lawn and weeds to kill them. Then scalp mow the remaining top growth to a 1/2 inch height. About one week later apply a top dressing of soil mix from a nursery or bulk soil and bark supplier. It takes about 1 1/2 yards per 1000 square feet of lawn area. This can be raked to smooth any bumps or dips in the lawn.

Fertilize and lay sod or broadcast seed directly on this soil mix. The old grass will gradually decompose. Roots grow well into it. Seed should be raked so that about ?/3 of the seed is covered.

A newly sodded lawn requires daily irrigation or rainfall to keep the top inch moist for about 2 weeks. A newly seeded lawn requires irrigation at least 3 times a day to keep the top of the soil constantly moist for about 3 weeks. Then irrigation can be reduced to once a day.

If you have the time and energy, you can plant your own lawn using one of these methods. If you would like more information on lawn planting send me an email.

Allen Wilson is a Vancouver gardening specialist. Email Allen Wilson at allenw98663@yahoo.com.

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Now is right time to replant, sod lawn - The Columbian

Believe it or not, late summer and early fall are the best time of year to give your lawn a little TLC.

Personally, caring for turf grass is not my favorite gardening activity by far. I'd much rather work on my flower or vegetable gardens. But we have some problem areas this year that are beginning to bother even me. So that says a lot.

The grasses typically seen in yards in our area are cool season grasses, like Kentucky bluegrasses, perennial ryegrasses, and fescues. These grasses prefer cool spring and fall temperatures, and turn brown and go dormant during the heat of the summer if not watered.

Sometimes you see lawns planted in warm season grasses, like Zoysia. These grasses do their best growing in the heat of the summer and are brown and dormant in the spring and fall.

When a friend moved to St. Louis a few years ago, she frantically texted me pictures of her lawn that spring, worried something was wrong since it was brown and looked dead as a door nail. It was just Zoysia grass, sitting dormant in the cool spring weather as it was supposed to do. Once the summer heat set in, her Zoysia grass came back to life.

Most lawns in Central Illinois are planted in cool season grasses. Late summer and early fall are the best times to start a new lawn in our area because not only do the cooler fall temperatures encourage grass growth; the soil is thoroughly warmed up.

While we all look forward to the green blades of grass that signal spring is here, the spring air warms a lot quicker than the soil. Even if the temperature outside is perfect for grass seed to germinate, grass seed planted in the cold soil will just sit there. The longer that seed lies in the cold, and often wet, soil, it is more likely to rot than germinate. But in fall, soil and air temperatures are perfect for seed germination.

Whether you are starting a new lawn or over-seeding an existing lawn to fill in some thin or bare spots, it is critical that the grass seed has good soil contact. A common misconception is that you just need to scatter seed and call it good. If youre scattering your seed on top of existing lawn, its highly likely that the seed will just sit on top of the grass or thatch without touching the actual soil. Without soil contact, the seed will not germinate. At least use a garden rake to scratch the seed into the soil to about a -inch depth after broadcasting seed.

Besides soil contact, grass seed needs consistent moisture to germinate. You may need to water a seeded area multiple times a day depending on the weather. Keep the top two inches of soil moist but not muddy after seeding to encourage rapid germination.

Consider renting a slit seeder, especially if you are planting grass seed over a large area, whether a new or overseeded lawn. This machine makes little cuts in the soil and drops grass seed directly into these slits. After several failed attempts to broadcast seed to establish part of our lawn, my husband finally rented a slit seeder. It was a night and day difference. We finally had grass growing in that part of the yard! Good soil contact makes all the difference.

Something we do every fall is lawn aeration. Aerating, or circulating air through your lawn loosens up compacted soil, and is an effective way to break down thatch. Compaction is one of those lawn problems that creeps upit tends to get worse slowly over time. If the high-traffic areas of your lawn tend to grow nothing but flat, ground-hugging weeds like spurge, you may have issues with compaction. We have a high-traffic area in our yard that is compacted and wearing thin. We need to aerate and reseed it before weeds move in worse than they have already.

Please ignore the aerating devices out there that are just spikes that stick into the ground. They don't help and may make compaction a little worse since they are compacting the soil around each spike as they penetrate the soil.

The best way to aerate your lawn is by using the specialized machine that removes plugs of turf and soil from the lawn and deposits them on the surface. Actual removal of a plug is crucial for breaking down thatch.

Thatch includes all the dead stems, roots and nodes of turf grass that do not break down readily. Bringing some soil to the surface by way of aeration plugs exposes the thatch to microbes in the soil that help decompose the thatch.

A common homeowner myth is that leaving grass clippings on your lawn will cause thatch. This is simply not true. Clippings are 75 to 85 percent water and decompose readily.

You dont need to declare war on all thatch though. Its beneficial to have a small layer of thatch less than -inch thick. A thin layer of mulch protects your lawn from rapid changes in temperature and moisture. It also gives your lawn a bit of cushion and springiness for sports and other recreation.

The major cause of excessive thatch in most cases is over-fertilizing. Encouraging too much top growth of turf creates a situation where the plant cannot support all that green growth, and it dies. Then the homeowner puts on more fertilizer because they think the lawn is not as plush and green as it should be, and the cycle begins again. The dead plant parts create thatch.

Thatch can be a serious problem because it may get thick enough to keep the lawns roots from reaching the soil. If your lawns roots arent in good contact with soil, your lawn will tend to dry out very quickly since it cannot access deeper soil moisture and will be very weak as a result.

Applying a fall fertilizer formula as one of the last lawn projects of the year in November or so is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. It helps the turf recover from a stressful summer, and a stress-free plant is less likely to succumb to disease and winter weather. Fall fertilization encourages turf root growth; turf with a well-developed root system will be well-equipped to survive the summer heat and drought in the next growing season.

Jennifer Schultz Nelson shares practical ideas and information to bring out the gardener in everyone in her blog at http://www.groundedandgrowing.co.

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Jennifer Schultz Nelson: Lawns need TLC in early fall - Herald & Review