best time to plant grass?

[alice]

I hope this is in the right group....I'm wondering when the best time would be to plant grass here in the Pacific Northwest.

[Agave]

Some would argue Spring, others Autumn; still others say anytime...except maybe when the ground is frozen. But, I think there are some questions first - the answers which may help lead you to the time that is best for you.

From seed? What kind? Laying sod? Fill in bare patches only?

Google - grass planting season

[Phisherman]

My guess is fall. To find out for sure, talk with local nurseries. I plant in mid-September if at all possible, east TN. At that time the ground is warm and the grass (fescue) can become established without any drought during the (short) winter.

[hob]

Look at the natural/domesticated grasses in your area. Then see when they seed.

Basically, that's when you should seed.

"Planting" sod is best done when the new-growth season starts in your area - usually spring.

That said - Most perennial grass seeds will sprout and sod will take nearly all times of the year when soil temps are above roughly 50F. Some midwest grasses will sprout in temperatures lower than that. (How many of those planted will actually sprout at the partticular temp is more to the question.)

fwiw

>

[hob]

I should add that many grasses don't sprout shortly after they seed: they often wait, until the wet season.

[Travis M.]

In the fall.

[alice]

I'm planting from seed. I started a small patch, with some seed/fertilizer mixture, and it's starting to sprout little bits just like the instructions say it should. But before I do the whole rest of our yard, I figure I should make sure it's the best time. Seems like maybe I should wait for next spring? I don't know, there seem to be a mixed bag of suggestions. Maybe it doesn't really matter.

[George.com]

what type of grass are you using? Warm season or cool season grass. My experience with grasses like turf ryes and fescues is that autumn is a good time to plant (coolish weather before any frosts arrive and reasonable rainfall), that is around april in the sth hemisphere. Spring is also fine. Avoid summer for these types of grasses and deep winter.

rob

[dr-solo]

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[Agave]

The 'mixed bag of suggestions' seems to center around you needing to do some more homework on the type of seed you're sowing. It appears though that you're using some general purpose seed purchased at one of the home stores, which may negate the need for the homework, since you're not sowing a specific seed type. However, it still would be a good idea to check into the subject as much as you can.

There was a show (Grow it and Mow it) on the DIY network about lawn basics. As I recall, one of the questions was "when to plant seed", the expert answered "anytime", as long as you do proper ground preparation, seeding, and follow up care. It seems most failures are caused by improper ground prep and follow up, mostly ground prep though. For example, simply sowing seed on bare dirt that hasn't been properly tilled may allow the seed to germinate and begin to grow, but not allow it to establish a strong root structure, so it dies off after a few weeks. Additionally, simply putting down a few inches of top soil on compacted earth has the same effect due to soil stratification. If you're sowing seed in an already established lawn, there's still prep work that needs to be done, just different than bare earth.