Is it ok to sow grass seed now?

Sunnyday

safestored4 wrote: »

Rather than ask a bunch of well meaning amateurs who will give you conflicting and often erroneous information just type in 'When to sow grass seed' into your search engine for an authoritative answer. This will explain why it is not a good idea to waste money sowing seed at this time of year.

Already done that and got many conflicting results there - i thought it best to ask the nice peeps on here as the information that is given is usually spot on and its nice to hear the opinions of knowledgeable people that i trust.

lostinrates wrote: »

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Op, what killed your grass in winter? Was it pressure of use and dogs?

LIR - yes they also like to chase each other around the garden table and churn up the grass in a big circle Its now a rather muddy racetrack and i'm loathe to stop them enjoying themselves just so that i can sort out the grass which is why i'm going to do one area at a time.

Thanks for your input everyone - i've decided to wait e few weeks until its dryer and a bit warmer before sowing seed but i will section an area off and prep the ground to satisfy my need to actually start doing something

Thanks again!

SD

sobie

Don't sow it now, even if your soil is dry we're certainly not out of the worse of the weather and in all likelyhood it will rot on the soil, maybe some of the tougher seeds (rye) might survive and germinate but the results will be so patchy you'll end up sowing it again.

Grass seed has a fairly limited shelf life. It doesn't stay fresh for long once opened (one of the reasons we don't sell loose grass seed at my GC) and the viability may decrease within 3 months, so if you've got old seed to use throw down a lot more, or do a sow test on damp paper before sowing.

Although if you intend on your dogs using the lawn once the new seed has germinated, I'm sorry but wouldn't bother at all even the toughest lawn will struggle and you won't be able to use any fertilisers to help thicken the grass. you'll be forever trying to repair the patches, and might as well save your money for some new doggie toys or saving up for artifical grass. Or if the garden is big enough, section a small area for you, and a big area for your dogs, keep your area nice and let your dogs have all the fun they'd like in theirs.

cyclonebri1

annie123 wrote: »

You're too soon and the threat of snow and frosts are still there for where you are till the end of winter.
Grass will grow when temps are above 5c, but starting from seed you need longer daylight hours too.
Wait until spring, when you won't have frosty nights, your may get some sun and hopefully the days will be warmer too! And, thinking on it, the birds won't be so hungry that they eat your new seed.

The idea is that the seed is in the ground, waiting for the sun as you describe.

You miss quoted me on that, as I did you. I was filling in the lines.

Point of fact; the ground warms up when the sun shines, Arguments please.;);)

So how else is the ground going to warm up??????????????

Ash_McCloud

I was sowing grass seed right up to the end of Novemeber (NW of England) and it's all germinated, even in one spot right on the top of a hill where the temp's always a degree or two lower than the rest of the places I sowed.

[Deleted User]

Is turf a possibility?

cyclonebri1

Sunnyday wrote: »

Already done that and got many conflicting results there - i thought it best to ask the nice peeps on here as the information that is given is usually spot on and its nice to hear the opinions of knowledgeable people that i trust.



LIR - yes they also like to chase each other around the garden table and churn up the grass in a big circle Its now a rather muddy racetrack and i'm loathe to stop them enjoying themselves just so that i can sort out the grass which is why i'm going to do one area at a time.

Thanks for your input everyone - i've decided to wait e few weeks until its dryer and a bit warmer before sowing seed but i will section an area off and prep the ground to satisfy my need to actually start doing something

Thanks again!

SD

In all honesty that's probably the best option because believe me, the weeds will germinate 1st :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:, do that gives a chance to pull out the eager 1's before you seed. (Same thing applies at anytime of year).

cyclonebri1

shrimper1 wrote: »

Is turf a possibility?

Of course it is, but given that this is a money saving site, go wash your mouth out, ;););):money::money::money::D:D

Derky_2

Grass seed needs three things in order to germinate:-
Warmth
Moisture
Air

Now you can sow the seed at anytime and it may just germinate but if your objective is to establish a lawn as soon as possible then the best thing to do is to sow the seed as the the temperatures start to rise. The best month is April the seed will germinate quickly and grow away quickly which will give you an even well established lawn.

cyclonebri1

Derky wrote: »

Grass seed needs three things in order to germinate:-
Warmth
Moisture
Air

Now you can sow the seed at anytime and it may just germinate but if your objective is to establish a lawn as soon as possible then the best thing to do is to sow the seed as the the temperatures start to rise. The best month is April the seed will germinate quickly and grow away quickly which will give you an even well established lawn.

I think light needs to be included in that list too.

I was always lead to believe that the ideal month was October, the earlier the better. Still warm enough to germinate, won't suffer drought and will keep growing albeit very slowly over winter.
Personally I think there is the further advantage that kids aren't so active at that time of year so less danger of it getting too much foot traffic.

But to be honest given recent and present conditions I think the OP would have better results growing rice.:D

Derky_2

Grass seed does not need light to germinate only the three things I listed above. October is a good month for grass seed but if you were a little grass plant when would you prefer to germinate in October when the winter is coming or April as the spring and summer are due to arrive?