Best Grass Seed: Ultimate Buyers Guide! | BestGrassSeed.net

When youre trying to find the perfect grass seed for your lawn, it can seem like there are so many options available. Our goal is to give you the information you need to select the best grass seed for your situation while answering some common questions:

When youre looking at grass seed varieties, one of the first issues youll run into is when youre asked whether you want cool or warm season grasses. Grass is grass after all, right? Not necessarily.

Cool season grasses are varieties that do well in cooler weather and can tolerate some heat. They grow best in the fall and spring, as well as in the winter for areas in the south. Except for the coldest winters, cool season grasses will even continue growing to a certain extent while under snow cover. Cool season grasses do best when planted in the fall, allowing them to take root before harsh winter weather arrives.

By comparison, warm season grasses do very well in the worst heat of summer and tend to be very drought resistant. If you have extended periods when your lawn is brown and dry during the summer, you may want to consider seeding with a warm season grass. When soil temperatures get below 65F, warm season grasses will begin to brown and remain that way until temperatures warm enough to allow the plant to begin growing again.

New grass seed is usually planted either in the spring or fall, depending on what type of turf grass youre planting. Whichever type youre planing, youll want to plant it when it has the best chances of becoming well established before its peak growing season, so that it may smother out and compete well with weeds for sunlight, soil nutrients and water.

Cool season grasses do best when established in the early fall, though they can be planted in the spring. Why fall? Because the soil is usually still warm from summer, the plants are able to germinate and grow more quickly, while the cooler air helps keep the soil moist. Planting when daytime temperatures are between 60 to 75F are ideal, as the soil will be at the best temperature to promote strong growth and establishment.

By comparison, warm season grasses do best when planted in late spring. If warm season grasses are planted in the fall, they are not able to become well established enough to compete with weeds, leading to a weaker lawn by the time summer rolls around. Because they grow well in heat, spreading warm season grass seed just before summer helps it grow quickly enough to smother out weeds. When overnight temperatures are maintaining 65 to 70F, the soil will be warm enough for warm season grass seed to thrive.

What if youre in the transition zone? In areas that receive both a very hot summer and a very cold winter, you have a couple options. In northern areas, you can plant fescue, which is a drought- and heat-tolerant cool season grass. In southern regions, Bermuda grass is a great grass that is somewhat more cold tolerant that other warm season grasses. The other option is overseeding.

Overseeding involves planting both a cool season and a warm season grass in your lawn. When your lawn begins to brown due to heat or cold, its a good time to plant the other grass type. This allows the new seed to compete with weeds effectively without choking out your established lawn. Overseeding is a very popular option for a year-round green lawn.

Now that youve got a handle on what type of grass youre planting, its time to plan what youll need to get your lawn well established, but there are a few questions to look at first. Are you establishing a new lawn or renovating an old one? A new lawn will require control of problem weeds, and youll want to be especially careful of biennial weeds such as carrot relatives, thistles, mallows or other plants with a strong root system which will actually cause more weeds if the roots are chopped apart in a tiller. A good pre-emergent herbicide can go a long way to help your new grass plants establish themselves without weed competition. Soil preparation is also vital to establishing your new turf grass. A little planning now will help prevent big headaches later.

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Best Grass Seed: Ultimate Buyers Guide! | BestGrassSeed.net