Autumn is for the Lawns

Fall is one of the best times to start planting cool season grasses in your lawn. Early autumn retains the warm soil temperatures from summer months, which is great for cool season grasses. Cool evenings paired with warm soil will let your grass germinate and establish quickly, making fall the best time of the year to grow cool season grasses.

Growing Cool Season Grasses in Fall

Cool-season grass seed is grown it’s best whenever the soil temperatures are around 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Air temperatures will be around 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit at those soil temperatures. In other words, perfect conditions for most cool season grasses!

Fall is great for cool season grasses because of the temperatures being warm enough for good seed germination. Warm soil also help boost root growth and establish the roots quickly before the winter strikes. Those roots will keep growing down until the soil temperature starts to goes down
to around 40 degrees, which is usually around November, but sometimes can be as late as December. Early fall will also generally bring regular rain that will nourish the young grass.

To begin planting, make sure you choose quality seed, cheap seeds can be prone to insects, disease, and many other problems that are not worth dealing with. Just buy the quality product! Loosen the soil where you’re going to plant. For grass to be able to sprout, it must have good contact to the soil around it. It will also have a much easier time getting through loose soil rather than hard soil, which is why it’s very important to begin by breaking up the soil before planting. Cool grass seed should be planted no more than a half an inch deep, any more and it will have a hard time growing. Plant the seeds by simply scratching seeds into the top of the ground, then pat it down. Using a thin layer of straw over planted grass will keep birds from eating your soil and help the grass keep in moisture. You should keep your grass damp consistently until your grass seeds begin to sprout. Depending on the weather, you may need to water it two times in one day if it’s that hot.

Once your grass has begun to sprout, you’ll only need to keep the top inch of the soil damp in order for it to grow. Soon, the grass blades will have grown, once that happens, you can change watering to every other day. However, give it more water each time you water now to get the deeper soil wet. This helps the deeper roots that usually would get no water. Make sure to keep the soil damp as the grass continues to grow up until frost. Fertilizer will help aid in the grasses growth, and should be done around October. Use a fertilizer preferably that uses nitrogen for the best results. If you need a fertilizer to use, Goffle Brook Farms has many in stock, you can view them here. We recommend trying out Miracle-Gro All-Purpose Plant Food! Also, here are coupons for you to take advantage of for the upcoming fall!