Exactly When to Plant Grass Seed in Spring
Get a quote from local lawn experts
Clicking “Get Your Estimate” submits your data to Home Service Quotes, which will process your data in accordance with the Home Service Quotes Privacy Policy.
Ad Disclaimer
Planting grass seed is an efficient way to create a fuller and greener lawn and provide a lush environment for outdoor fun. However, you can’t throw down seeds at any time and expect perfect results. Grass seeding should be completed at the right time to ensure proper germination and growth in your lawn.
For many people, springtime is the season for completing yard work and other outdoor projects. You’ll need to know the proper time for grass seeding in the spring to get the best results. We’ll explain the factors that influence seeding times, how to prepare your lawn for planting, and how to maintain growth throughout the year. We’ll also provide our recommendation for the best lawn care service to help you with this process.
Factors That Influence Seeding Times
While many homeowners have a lawn care schedule in the spring, it’s not enough to just plant seeds at any point during the season. To ensure proper growth, you should consider your location as well as the type of grass you have, as these factors influence the right seeding conditions.
Location
Grass Type
Weather
How to Prepare Your Lawn
While timing is important when seeding your lawn, preparation is also key. Preparing your lawn ensures that your soil is ready to promote new grass seed germination and growth. Preparing your yard consists of multiple steps, including actions like leveling your lawn, testing your soil, and aeration.
Level the Lawn
Before planting new seed, it’s important to remove any rocks and debris. Additionally, be sure to level the peaks and valleys in your yard with a soil mixture that consists of sand, topsoil, and compost. Don’t just use topsoil, as this fresh mixture may contain weed seeds and nutrients that can give rise to nuisance plants.
Test Your Soil
Much of a seed’s growth depends on the pH levels of your soil. Since every lawn’s pH is different, testing your soil is important to determine if it’s acidic, neutral, or basic. Based on these results, you’ll know which minerals and nutrients your soil is missing. Many home improvement stores, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot, sell simple five- or six-step DIY soil testing kits. If you prefer to use a professional, many full-service companies will do it for you.
Try Aeration
When your soil has become dense and compacted, it’s time to aerate your lawn. This loosens your tightly-packed soil and helps with weed control while allowing water and nutrients to reach grass roots. Try simple DIY methods like garden forks or aerator shoes for a lower cost of aeration. However, for more tightly compacted soil, you may want to contact lawn care professionals who have access to core aerator machines.
Address Bare Spots
Bare spots pop up in lawns for a variety of reasons, such as heavy foot traffic, drought, and insect infestations. Once you’ve identified the brown spots in your lawn, you can prepare them for overseeding by digging up the area, mixing in new topsoil, and using a rake to level the ground. From there, the bare spot is ready for seeding. To help prevent future bare patches, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide, but don’t do so at the same time as you spread grass seeds or they won’t germinate.
Use Fertilizer
Fertilizing provides new lawns with concentrated nutrients needed to establish a strong root system. Cool-season grasses should be fertilized in the fall, while warm-season grasses can be fertilized throughout the summer. If you’re planting new grass seed, choose a starter fertilizer, which has a specific blend of nutrients to meet the needs of growing seeds until the root system develops.
Maintaining Your Spring Seeding
It’ll take some time to see results. Cool-season grasses will begin to germinate in five to seven days, while warm-season grasses can take up to three weeks.
Here are some tips to nourish your grass as it grows:
- Be patient with grass that’s in the shade, as these seeds will take longer to germinate.
- Water your new grass regularly but don’t overwater, as this will damage the growing grass.
- Wait until at least two months before mowing your lawn. Grass will be around 3 inches in height when it’s ready to be cut.
- Once the grass is established, use a slow-release fertilizer or organic compost to add nutrients to your growing lawn.
Our Conclusion
Timing is everything when it comes to seeding your lawn. If you have cool-season grass, aim to start seeding in late summer or early fall before freezing air and soil temperatures hit your area. Start the seeding process in the late spring or early summer for warm-season grass.
No matter which type of grass you want to grow, be sure to continue lawn care even after the initial planting. If this process sounds too time-intensive, you may want to consider a lawn care service to seed, fertilize, and maintain your yard throughout the year. Our recommendation is TruGreen, a provider that offers comprehensive services and seeding.
FAQ About When to Plant Grass Seed
Is March too early to plant grass seed?
March is too early to plant most grass seeds. Unless you live in a warm region, temperatures will be too low at this time of year. Be sure to wait until daily temperatures average around 80°F to plant warm-season grass and 50–65°F for cool-season grass.
Can you plant grass seed too early in the spring?
Yes, you can plant grass seed too early in the spring. Planting too early in the spring can cause poor germination, which harms the growing seeds. Wait for the air and soil temperature to warm up enough to plant your grass seed. Each grass is different, so check labels for specifics.
What month is best to put grass seed down?
The best month to put grass seed down depends on the type of grass you have and where you live. The best time to plant grass seed for cool-season grasses is in early fall or around September. For warm-season grasses, late spring or early summer (May to June) is the optimal time.
Can you plant grass seed in the fall to get it to grow in the spring?
You can plant grass seed in the fall to get it to grow in the spring through a process called dormant seeding. This type of seeding is done by putting down seed while the ground is not yet frozen but is still cold enough to prevent seed growth until the spring.
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our lawn recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. We review lawn care plans and packages, navigate the provider website and speak with customer service representatives, request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plan options, additional benefits and customizability, availability, trustworthiness, and customer service to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at [email protected].