What Is The Best Grass Seed For Southern Lawns

What Types Of Fertilizer Are Best On Grass

• Scott’s Lawn Builder Scott’s Lawn Builder is probably the best lawn fertilizer on your list. Suitable for all types of lawns/meadows.
• MiracleGro Water Soluble Lawn Fertilizer This fertilizer is safe for all types of lawns and can be applied at any time during your lawn’s growing season.
• GreenView lawn fertilizer

Warm Season Lawn Grasses

Plant warm season grasses in the late spring. Be aware that extended cooler temperatures turn most warm season grasses brown. Improved is found on golf courses across the South, but it’s Common Bermuda Grass that’s used for lawns. This low maintenance grass likes the heat, but isn’t suitable for shady areas.

The heat tolerance of St. Augustine Grass makes it a popular choice. This fast growing grass performs well in sun and shade. Bahia Grass comes in Argentine and Pensacola varieties, but Argentine is the better choice for lawns. A low maintenance grass, its resistant to drought, disease and insects. The well developed root system helps to prevent soil erosion.

Centipede Grass grows well in less than fertile soils and crowds out weeds. Its slow growth requires less mowing than other grasses, but it doesn’t have the dark green color some homeowners want.

Planting Grass Seed In Fall

Learn the benefits of seeding in the fall.

Fall does what no other season can do. Its warm, sunny days and cool, dewy nights provide ideal conditions for growing new grass and developing your lawn’s source of strength, a deep and dense root system.

Your most successful seeding time is right around Labor Day. Seeding 2 weeks before or after that easy-to-remember holiday gives your new seedlings time to build strong roots. In fact, overseeding with grass seed and fertilizer in the fall can make your lawn up to 49% thicker next spring* and it will be better able to resist weeds and summer stresses.

*2008-2009 Scotts Field Trials, Marysville, OH vs. no treatment

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Why Overseed Your Lawn

Overseeding your lawn is when you plant new grass seed over existing grass or turf. This is done without destroying or pulling up any of the previous turf as well as soil.

The most obvious reason to overseed is to improve the look of your lawn. You might want to overseed if your lawn looks old, brown, somewhat worn out. If your lawn needs huge amounts of water and nutrients to thrive, consider overseeding.

Overseeding is a great way to fill in bare spots in your grass, make your lawn thicker, improve the current grass variety you are growing, or give your lawn an overall better look. No longer will you need to worry about people running on your lawn or if heavy rains are thinning it out.

After overseeding, your lawn will be able to hold up to natural events and environmental stress.

Another reason for overseeding is if you have an insect problem or are prone to diseases. Having a healthy lawn means you will no longer be prone to pests or weeds. That means if you are looking to avoid using chemicals then overseeding is a great option.

What Grass Should I Grow For My Lawn

Crop and Soil Environmental News, March 2008

Virginia is what turfgrass managers describe as a âtransition zoneâ. What it means to you and your lawn is that our cold winters and hot, dry summers donât allow for easy choices in lawn grasses for most of our state. Following the drought of 2007 there are lots of lawns that need work this spring and we might have more problems ahead this summer. This article considers the strengths and weaknesses of the major turfgrasses that can be managed as lawn grasses across Virginia, where they are best adapted, and how their use fits into lawn management programs that deliver quality, aesthetically pleasing turf in an environmentally friendly approach.

Cool-season turfgrasses. These grasses prefer temperatures of 60-75 o F and have active growing periods in the late summer to early winter, and early spring to early summer. Their growth rates in mid-summer drop sharply as they encounter the typical high temperatures and possible drought of the summer season. These grasses are best adapted to the hill and valley regions of the southwest, the Shenandoah Valley, and northern Virginia. Tall fescue is grown in all regions of the state but is likely to struggle during summer extremes in the southern Piedmont and Tidewater regions. Spring establishments are possible, but fall is the preferred time for planting.

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Lawn Care Companies In Georgia

A lot of work goes into planting and maintaining turf grass. Beyond basic mowing, watering, and fertilizing, some lawns require regular dethatching, aerating, and weed or pest treatments to look their best.

If you dont have the time for extra yard work but want to improve the health and appearance of your lawn, contact a local lawn care company. Best Pick landscaping and lawn treatment professionals are experts on regional grasses, and many offer maintenance programs catered to your lawns needs.

What Type Of Grass Should You Buy

Turfgrass can be divided into two categories, warm season and cool season. In our climate, both can grow, but neither grow well. Warm season grass does fantastic in the summer but falls short during the spring, fall, and winter. Cool season grass grows well in the spring and fall but goes dormant in the heat of summer and cold of winter.

Generally, I recommend cool season grass because it has the longest growing season in Maryland, looks better in my opinion, and has a more desirable feel on your skin.

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Install Irrigation And Drainage

South Florida isnt a desert, so installing an automatic irrigation system may seem like overkill. But the reality is that a sprinkler systemeven in South Floridacan work wonders to keep your yard healthy and beautiful all year .

Dont forget to include a drainage system to keep water from pooling and creating a swampy breeding ground for mosquitoes. An irrigation system pro will take your yards slope into account to design the perfect irrigation and drainage plan.

How Often To Water Grass Seed

When your lawn is just starting out you should keep the area constantly moist, but not soaked, until the new grass is two inches tall. This is usually accomplished by watering 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes at a time. After this, begin cutting back until youre watering every other day. After a few weeks of this, cut back to three times a week. Once your lawn is fully established you can follow a more permanent schedule but remember infrequent, deep watering is better for your lawn than frequent, shallow watering. Watering every day not only encourages weed growth, it can also lead to a shallow root system since the roots have no reason to grow deeply to find moisture. This makes the grass more susceptible to drought stress if water suddenly becomes unavailable, like when water restrictions are put in place or natural precipitation fails to fall. Shallow roots are also more prone to pest problems, traffic damage, and diseases. Instead, water deeply enough to saturate the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches. Do this once or twice a week max. To find out if youre watering deep enough, grab a shovel and start watering you lawn. Dig up a small section of your lawn every 15 minutes to find out how long it takes for water to seep 6-8 inches down. Once you know how long it takes, set your sprinkler system to water for that duration every time.

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Best Grass Seed For Maryland

Tall fescue is perfect for Maryland lawns.Not only is tall fescue wear-resistant, but its also heat-, drought-, and shade-tolerant. This means it doesnt require crazy high amounts of maintenance compared to other grasses that will brown more quickly in summer. Tall fescue tends to brown much less than others in our transition zone climate. But just like any grass, this best grass type for Maryland lawns has its preferences for care in order to thrive.

Is It Really Cold Where You Live

In northern states, Kentucky bluegrass is king. Its extremely winter hardy and will take just about any harsh winter weather Mother Nature throws at it. Fine fescues, including creeping red, chewings, sheeps and hard fescues, are also well adapted to northern winters. Seed mixtures such as Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun and Shade Mix or Mountain View Seeds Natures Own Sun & Shade Mix are highly-rated options that contain these seeds, perfect for cold-weather lawns.

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Common Indiana Lawn Grasses

Indiana falls within zone 5 to 6, meaning 0 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit is our average coldest temperature in the winter. The region requires cool-season grasses over the warm-season varieties, which do better in southern climates.

Some of the best types of grasses for Indiana lawns are:

• Bluegrass
• Perennial Ryegrass

Cool Season Lawn Grasses

Early fall is the best time to plant cool season grasses, but they can also be planted in the spring.

The most common cool season grass is . It performs best in full sun, but can be mixed with fine fescue for shady areas. The color, texture and density produce a good all around yard.

is popular, because of its drought and heat tolerance. Fine fescue includes red fescue, hard fescue and Chewings fescue. While they can be planted alone, fescues usually are included in shady lawn blends.

The durability of perennial ryegrass makes it a good choice for high traffic lawns. It establishes itself quickly and withstands drought conditions. It’s also cold tolerant. lives for only one season.

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When To Plant Grass Seed In Indiana

Early fall from about mid-August to early-October is the ideal time to plant grass seed. If you try planting grass in the spring after the thaw, it may work, but conditions arent as favorable. The ground is chillier, and spring downpours can oversaturate the soil and disrupt the grass growth.

Heres why early fall is a suitable planting season for Indiana grasses:

• The soil is still warm from the summer, about 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Weed growth slows during the fall, reducing the competition over sunlight, water and nutrients.
• Two months before the first anticipated frost is ample time for the roots and promotes a denser covering for the following spring.

Benefits Of Professional Lawn Care

If you enjoy taking care of your lawn but dont always have the time for it, talk to a professional landscaper. Choosing the right grass and maintaining a yard, even a small one, can be a daunting task for many people. Fortunately, a professional lawn care company has the tools, experience, and time to keep your grass in good shape and your property looking its best.

Enjoy your outdoor space in any season. Find a Best Pick professional lawn care company today to have the lawn that you dream about.

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Fescue And Fescue Blend Grasses

When it comes to cool-season grasses in Georgia, one of the most popular are Fescue grasses. These cool-season grass types are relatively heat-hardy, and quickly take over for your warm-season grass when it goes dormant.

Growing Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Mostly Full Sun to Mostly ShadeWater Requirements: Some Irrigation RequiredDrought Tolerance: AverageMowing Frequency: 1x every 5 days at peak growing

Grass Pairing

Fescue grasses are known for creating a bright green lawn year-round when paired with Zoysia grasses and even some Bermuda Grasses.

Heat Tolerance

Youll want to look for the variety of grass youre buying depending on the heat tolerance you need. Fescue grasses can be moderately heat tolerant to extremely heat tolerant. The further South you live in Georgia, the more heat-tolerant you need your grass to be.

Height and Sun Tolerance

Fescue does reasonably well in shady conditions and may even be taller through the summer if its grown in the shade. Fescue is generally healthiest kept between 2-3 inches tall, which can be a bit taller than some of the warm season grasses in Georgia.

Varieties

Fescue has more grass varieties than a lot of other lawn grasses, partially because its been grown specifically to meet a wide variety of standards. Always check to make sure you arent buying a Fescue thats designed for more Northern states, especially if youre ordering grass seed online.

The Best Grass Seed For Georgia Lawns

Theres nothing quite like the lush feeling of healthy green grass between your toes. Whether youre looking to create a fun backyard for your kids to play in or striving for a bright green front yard for the local lawn competition, achieving healthy grass is a landscaping goal for most homeowners.

But Georgia micro-climates can make getting a green lawn more of a challenge. Georgia has a wide variety of different weather and climate conditions, making it incredibly important to match your lawns grass to your local weather and soil conditions.

Lawns in the more northern part of Georgia will need a very different grass variety than lawns closer to Georgias coast or Florida border. Considering the mountains and other unique environments throughout the state, youll need to consider temperature range and rainfall when you pick your grass as well.

There is good news. Its not impossible to match your grass to climate and weather conditions in the state. It just takes a little know-how to pick the right varieties for your lawn goals and climate.

This article will cover all the core information you need. Well also present several types of grass that have done well in the unique Georgia climate.

Disclosure: We may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. This does not impact our reviews and comparisons. All opinions are our own we pride ourselves on keeping our articles fair and balanced. For more info see our disclosure statement.

In This Article:

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How Much Seed To Apply

The amount required for overseeding lawns is usually on the label as it is different with different seeds as well as different lawns.

If you decide to overseed each year, you will need less seed than if you choose to do it once every few years or for the first time.

• Generally plan to use 2-4 lbs per 1000 square feet. This is if you want your lawn thick, and prepare to need to maintain this more as well.
• If you have trouble spots or are servicing a large dirt area, you may need up to 4-8 lbs per 1000 square feet.
• Performing a complete renovation of your lawn? Be prepared to use 8-12 lbs per 1000 square feet.
• Make sure to always irrigate properly and have patience. It will take a while to seed a bright and vibrant green lawn.
• Try not to apply too much seed when overseeding. Thick lawns are created over time, and adding too much seed all at once may lead to overcrowding and thinning.

How To Read The Label For Grass Seeds

Before buying a bag of grass seeds, you need to understand the information on its label.

• The package will indicate any special benefits of the seeds, such as heat tolerance, shade tolerance, good for heavy foot traffic, or weed resistance.

• If you are buying a seed mix or blend, check out the percentages of each included variety. If the varieties arent listed, pass on that brand.

• The instructions should state how many square feet the grass seeds will cover. Be sure you know how large your lawn area is before you buy.

• Check out the germination rate of the seeds, which means how many seeds you can reasonably expect to actually sprout. There is no such thing as a 100% germination rate for any type of seed, but a germination rate of 75% or better is ideal.

• Any bag of grass seeds will have a certain amount of inert filler, such as dirt or chaff. However, the filler should be less than 2%.

• The label will indicate the percentage of weed seeds these creep in no matter what brand you choose but that rate should not be more than 0.5%.

• Check the grass seeds expiration date. Dont buy seeds that are past that date the germination rate falls sharply beyond that point.

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Carolina Lawns: A Guide To Maintaining Quality Turf In The Landscape

Lawns are smooth, living carpets that add beauty and recreational space to your home. The benefits of a healthy lawn go beyond the obvious. As your grass grows, it helps the environment by stabilizing soil and reducing air pollution, noise, heat, dust, and glare. Surveys show that an attractive, well-landscaped lawn can even add to the value of your home.

To reap the rewards of a handsome lawn, take great care in the selection, establishment, maintenance, and renovation of your lawn grass. By making the proper choices, you can create a durable lawn that will grow with minimal maintenance and pesticide use.

How To Plant Grass Seed In Southern Ontario

21 September, 2017

Plant grass seed in southern Ontario by properly sowing the grass seeds and creating future environmental conditions favorable to the growth of grass. Southern Ontario’s temperate climate requires hardy grass species that are able to grow quickly in the short spring and summer months and survive harsh winters with temperatures falling well below zero. Such cool season grasses include Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, fine fescue, and rye grass varieties. Grass prefers moist, high pH soil and direct sunlight.

Rake the lawn clear of debris using a flexible, metal rake.

Sow the grass by distributing the seeds evenly over the lawn using a fertilizer spreader. Use 2 pounds of seed per 1000 square feet when reseeding a mature lawn or 4 pounds of seed per 1000 square feet when over-seeding a new lawn.

• Plant grass seed in southern Ontario by properly sowing the grass seeds and creating future environmental conditions favorable to the growth of grass.

Lightly sprinkle 1/12-inch layer of lawn lime over the seeds using a fertilizer spreader. Lime increases the soil’s pH balance.

Cover the seeds and lime with 1/2-inch layer of clean compost or peat moss fertilizer using a spreader. Fertilizer adds minerals and nutrients to the top soil while regulating temperature fluctuations and moisture absorption.

Water the lawn once daily for the first two weeks or until new growth is visible through the top soil.

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