Lawn
Late Summer Beats Spring for Overseeding Cool-Season Lawns
Seed sown in late summer germinates into warm soil with less weed competition and two cool growing seasons ahead of it.
Cool-season grasses germinate best in soil around 10-18°C. Late summer delivers that with warmth still stored in the ground, while air temperatures fall — the reverse of spring, where soil lags behind air and seedlings meet summer heat within weeks.
Crabgrass and other summer annual weeds are also finishing their cycle rather than starting it, so a late-summer sowing faces far less competition for light and water than an April one.
Put this into practice
- Grass Seed CalculatorHow much grass seed do I need?
- Lawn Fertilizer CalculatorHow much fertilizer does my lawn need?
More facts like this
- Grass Clippings Do Not Cause ThatchLeaving clippings on the lawn returns up to a quarter of its annual nitrogen and does not build thatch.
- Mowing a Lawn Too Short Weakens It More Than Skipping a WateringScalping a lawn to save mowing trips stresses the grass more, and for longer, than a week of missed watering would.