This year has been a challenging year for lawn care because of the weather here in Tennessee. I am sure you are wondering “When is the best time to get seeding done?” or “Is it too late this season to seed?”. In this blog, we will be discussing several late fall seeding myths.
It’s too late in the year to do seeding:
Seeding results have to do with a whole host of factors. The date on your calendar is not one of them. Factors that DO affect seeding are things like soil temperature, moisture in the soil, nutrient availability, soil profile, the amount of available sunlight, and the amount of moisture given to the new seed. Over the last few years, we’ve had great soil temperatures for germination well into November. We have no reason to suspect that this trend will not continue this year.
You can’t seed once there’s been a frost:
An early-season frost may affect a seed that has already germinated, but should not affect the seed still in its casing. Also, a single frost doesn’t mean that soil temperatures will not continue to be favorable to germination later in the Fall. Seeds that are still in their casing are relatively unaffected by freezing temperatures. They can lay dormant for a long time, and just “wait it out” until conditions are favorable for germination. This is why you may have grass types pop up on your lawn that you don’t recognize.
Once conditions are right, the grass will grow. The same holds true for the healthy seed you’re trying to introduce late in the season! If your lawn was recently seeded, and the seeds have germinated but are still very immature, there’s a chance those seedlings will die with an early frost. In these cases, there’s often a seed that hasn’t germinated yet lying alongside that new seed. When Spring arrives, you’ll likely get continued growth from seeds sown the prior Fall.
If you do a late Fall seeding, you can’t apply crabgrass control:
Many people believe if you seed so late in the season that you are going to have to deal with crabgrass next summer, or risk killing that seed. There are other options for control products that do not interfere with your seeding. In recent years, lawn care technology has come a long way. Lawn care professionals now have a few different options to selectively target grassy weeds. This means your late Fall seeding will still have a chance to germinate in the Spring, while still controlling the crabgrass.
If your lawn doesn’t look filled in by Winter, your seeding didn’t work:
Cool-season grasses take a long time to mature. Most of them germinate in a moderate amount of time (10-14 days). Once the germination process has begun, cool-season grasses have a maturation process they go through. They often look like a single “hair” growing out of the ground for a number of months. These seedlings then go through a process called “tillering” where they fill out and you will have several blades of grass on a single plant. Tillering often takes about six months for cool-season grasses, regardless of species. It’s going to be mid-to-late Spring before that tillering happens.
When you are ready to overseed your lawn, LawnPro of Murfreesboro will help you achieve the nicest lawn on the block! Give us a call at 615-653-3871 for any questions or to set up your appointment today!
A proper watering schedule can quickly turn your new lawn into the lush green grass you’ve always wanted. Watering new grass seed is a simple process that only requires a small investment of time. Nature designed seeds to respond to moisture, so it makes perfect sense that watering grass seeds properly is imperative to kick-start the germination process that results in healthy growth.
Several days before planting your new seed, water the area to a depth of 6 to 8 inches.
Simply insert a long screwdriver into the ground. If it pushes down 6 to 8 inches without much resistance, you have the proper water saturation.
Water new grass seed for 5 to 10 minutes immediately after planting to moisten the first several inches of soil gently.
You’ll want to maintain moisture in the seeding area from this point on. Remember that if the seeds are allowed to dry out, they will die.
How often to water new grass seed depends on the rainfall your region will get after seeding.
If you’re not receiving any rainfall, you’ll want to water new grass seed twice daily until the top couple of inches of soil is moist.
Best Time to Water New Grass Seed
The best time to water grass seed is in the morning and evening. These are the coolest parts of the day, which allow water to absorb into the ground instead of evaporating. A water timer can simplify the process of when to water grass seeds, so you can easily and efficiently water your newly seeded lawn with no hassle at all.
How to water new grass seed depends on the area you’ve seeded. Large areas can benefit from the use of a quality rectangular sprinkler. Use a small spot sprinkler for smaller seeded areas.
How Long to Water New Grass Seed
How long to water new grass seed depends on your soil conditions and sprinkler setup. In general, ten minutes of watering per session (morning and evening) will provide enough water to keep the top couple of inches of soil moist.
As your new grass seed grows and flourishes, you can water deeper and less frequently – this will encourage established grass roots to extend deeply into the soil. When watering grass seedlings, gradually increase your morning watering sessions over time while decreasing your evening watering. Eventually, you’ll want to water between 6, and 10 am, while the weather is still cool. An established lawn typically requires about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall.
How Long Does Grass Seed Take to Grow?
How long it will take for your new grass seed to begin to grow really depends on where you live, your climate, and what type of grass you plant. It can take anywhere between 3 and 28 days for new grass seeds to begin to grow.
A beautiful, vibrant lawn not only looks great, but it also provides a place for you and your family to play, relax and enjoy. A consistent water schedule for watering new grass seeds is key to ensuring you’re growing a healthy, lush green lawn that will give you years of enjoyment and beauty.
If you would like to schedule overseeding with LawnPro of Murfreesboro, give us a call today at 615-653-3871!
You have spent the money to have your lawn treated on a regular basis. You have spent the money to have your lawn over-seeded or sodded. You have your lawn mowed on a regular basis. So why do I have weeds in my lawn?
The answers to that question are quite numerous. Make no mistake, if you did not have your lawn treated nor mowed regularly, your lawn would be significantly worse. Fescue lawns are at their “most weedy” state during the late summer months. Bermuda lawns are at their most “weedy state” in the late winter and early spring months.
Let’s Talk About Fescue Lawns Today The weeds that typically come up in the summer months in fescue lawns can be very difficult to control. Yes, there are herbicides that can kill most of these weeds but when temperatures are above a certain level the herbicide can do more damage than good to your lawn. Therefore, we often refer to August and September as the “ugly duckling” stage of fescue lawns. Weeds such as spurge, Virginia buttonweed, carpetweed, and others can be controlled but only with herbicides that are safe to spray when the temps are below 90 degrees. Then we have dallisgrass! So many times, people see dallisgrass and think it is crabgrass. These are two very different weeds. Crabgrass can be prevented to a major degree and then controlled when it does come up. Dallisgrass, NOT THE CASE! Dallisgrass is one of a lawn care provider's worst nightmares. The only thing that can be done with dallisgrass is to spray it with glyphosate such as roundup or simply dig the weed out. Dallisgrass will die when the frost comes but make no mistake it has already laid its seeds for next year and it will be back.
Our recommendation for dallisgrass is to spray glyphosate on the weed about 7 days before overseeding for the fall. When you overseed this will thicken the lawn which will be very effective in preventing as much dallisgrass from coming back.
Overall Recommendation For Preventing This “Ugly Duckling” Stage Next Year Keep on Keeping On! Continue with your lawn treatments. Continue to mow regularly and at the right height. Continue to water with the proper techniques. Most importantly overseed! A thick stand of grass cut at the right height is one of, if not the best, ways to keep a weed-free lawn.
Prostrate Spurge is a summer annual broadleaf weed that can be found in dry/sandy and/or nutrient-poor soils along with compacted, weakened, or disturbed turfgrass and landscape sites. Prostrate spurge can also be found in cultivated fields, brick walls, and parking lot cracks. Look for it first in driveways and sidewalks or in potted plants in a landscape or nursery as temperatures start to get warmer.
It germinates from seed in June and July and spreads via low-growing prostrate stems that form a dense mat as they invade the turf canopy. Its ability to establish and grow in multiple soil/climate conditions and highly compacted soils, as well as its ability to withstand low mowing heights, make prostrate spurge a common turfgrass weed.
How to Identify Prostrate Spurge:
Prostrate spurge is a low-growing summer annual weed. The plant is anchored by a central shallow taproot and, as suggested by its common name, it forms a ground-hugging mat with prostrate stems that grow outward throughout the turf canopy. The plant produces these spreading stems along with viable seeds very quickly, often within a couple of weeks after germination.
The leaves of prostrate spurge are pale green, hairy, egg-shaped, widest at the apex, and located opposite of each other on the stems which are pinkish in color and distinctly hairy. Prostrate spurge continually flowers from July to September and produces large quantities of viable seed throughout its life cycle. These flowers are small but numerous, originate from the base of leaves located on the upper stem and are composed of several male and female flowers within a cluster. It produces a fruit that consists of a 3-lobed, 3-seeded capsule with stiff hairs on its surface. Additionally, all spurges exude a milky/white sap when damaged which can be toxic to animals if ingested.
How to control Prostrate Spurge:
Proper turf management such as adequate mowing heights, irrigation, and fertilization will help to produce a dense, aggressive turf which is the greatest defense against invading weeds. Prostrate spurge also thrives in compacted soils; thus, soil cultivation (aeration) may aid in the management of the weed. Due to its shallow taproot, prostrate spurge can often be hand pulled when populations are small enough; however, it is important to remove weeds as soon as possible due to its ability to produce copious amounts of viable seed very quickly after germination. Control options for prostrate spurge can include both pre- and postemergence herbicides.
If you believe you are dealing with Prostrate Spurge in your yard, give us a call at 615-653-3871 for help!
If your lawn in Tennessee is looking thin and unhealthy, or you have bare spots you can’t get rid of, you may want to overseed the lawn when the time is right. We’re in a “transition zone” where we don’t have perfect conditions for one type of turfgrass all year. Our summers are too hot and dry for cool season grasses like Fescue to thrive unless you have an irrigation system and our winters cause warm season grasses to go dormant.
When to Overseed:
In Tennessee, the ONLY time to overseed your lawn is in the fall (September to October), when the cooler temperatures are just right for cool-season grasses. There is enough moisture in the ground to encourage proper seed germination, and the cooler air will stimulate grass growth. Fall is the best time of year for core aeration and overseeding. Fall seeding will have a better root system established to help handle the stresses that summer brings if overseeding is done in September and October.
Overseeding grass is when you apply grass seed to an already established lawn. Before beginning overseeding have your lawn core aerated. Core aeration is one of the best things you can do for your lawn and is ideal for preparing the lawn for overseeding. It mechanically removes small plugs of thatch and soil from the lawn to improve natural soil aeration and increases the penetration of air, water, and nutrients into the root zone of your lawn Core aeration also relieves soil compaction and stimulates new growth.
Benefits of Overseeding:
Improves grass thickness, color, and overall appearance
Repels disease, insects, and weeds
Increase optimal root growth
Reduces erosion
No chemicals or pesticides necessary!
Other Overseeding Considerations:
Before you begin your lawn renovation, be sure to mow the lawn a little shorter than usual. Fescue lawns should normally be maintained at 3-4” in height. Your existing grass will also benefit from the starter fertilizer so it will grow quickly while the new seed is waiting to grow. You should try not to mow your lawn after it’s been overseeded until the new grass has germinated and reached 3-4″ in height. The newly overseeded lawn will need to be kept moist! This may mean lightly misting or watering 2 or three times a day to keep the soil moisture levels ideal for germination and new growth. For an established lawn, an inch of water per week is a good guideline to follow.
When you’re ready to overseed your lawn in Tennessee, LawnPro of Murfreesboro will help you achieve the nicest-looking lawn on the block! Give us a call at 615-653-3871 to set up your appointment today!
