Seeding in the Spring

Are You Seeding in the Spring? Don’t make this grass seeding mistake.

If you were thinking to seeding your lawn in the Spring, then think again. You should instead consider either saving your money or grabbing some new plant material and mulch, those can improve any landscape.  Leave the grass seed at the store until the Fall and save your money.  Seed isn’t exactly the cheapest thing money can buy and seeding in the Spring has little to no effect, so we suggest being patient and waiting it out until the fall. 

Why Shouldn’t I Seed Fescue in the Spring? 

There are several reasons not to seed fescue in the spring.  The first being the heat.   By the time your seedlings germinate, they don’t have a mature enough root system to withstand any type of stress.  The first hot spell/drought and your new seedlings are toast.  The second reason not to seed in the spring is the battle against crab grass.  If you’re on a lawn care program with Virginia Green, we apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent summer annuals like crab grass.  Unfortunately, that pre-emergent herbicide will also stop any type of seed from germinating.  IF you decide to aerify your lawn and break that pre-emergent barrier in the soil, you have opened yourself up to a potentially large crabgrass infestation which will make your lawn look worse than before.  

So, what do you do if you need to get some grass growing ASAP? I personally would go get some fescue sod. Sod is grass that is established already and will survive a summer in Virginia if you water it and get it rooted before the heat comes. We suggest not to sod after May 1st.  At that point, just wait a few more months and seed your lawn in the fall.  All the home improvement stores carry sod, I will warn you though, make sure you get it fresh.  Don’t let it sit on the pallet in the middle of the parking either, It will quickly yellow and will struggle to root.  We do have a few neighboring sod farms where you can get some sod that will be freshly cut for you. 

So remember, if you need to establish some grass in your lawn this spring, go grab some fescue sod.  If you can, just wait until the Fall to sign up and get a good seeding and aerification on your lawn with us at Virginia Green.