You need to start sowing your lawn right now. Waiting until later will cost you a lot of effort

Are you planning to lay a new lawn or reseed patchy areas this year? Although the end of summer and the start of autumn are the best times for this, the calendar won’t wait for you. If you sow too late, the seeds won’t have time to take root properly before winter, and the frost will destroy them.

Grass seed has a much better chance of survival in autumn than in spring. The soil is still warm enough for the seeds to germinate quickly, whereas in spring it’s usually still cold and the seeds simply rot in it. What’s more, the nights are getting cooler, which is good for young seedlings and also helps to reduce the risk of disease. Furthermore, competition from weeds drops sharply towards the end of the season, so the grass doesn’t have to fight for water and light.

Tip: Lawns in August. We moved the lawn.

When is the latest you can still sow?

In the Czech Republic, the safe window for sowing is from early September to mid-October; we do not recommend sowing any later than this. This is because grasses need to develop at least 4 to 5 true leaves and be mown twice before winter sets in, otherwise they will not survive the winter. The whole process, from sowing to the second mowing, takes roughly eight weeks – the sowing date depends on this. So if you miss this window, it’s wiser to wait until spring than to risk the seedlings being destroyed by the first heavy frost.

Photo: Radek Stepan

How to increase your chances of success

Before sowing, dig the soil to the depth of a spade, remove weeds and their roots, and leave it to settle for one to two weeks. Sow the seeds only shallowly, to a maximum depth of one centimetre; they will not germinate if sown any deeper. Allow 2–2.5 kg of seed per 100 m² for ornamental lawns, 2.5–3 kg for high-traffic areas and 1–1.5 kg for meadow mixtures; along the edges of paths, where the soil heats up more, sow a tenth more. After sowing, water the area and keep it moist for the next four to six weeks – the seeds take about ten days to germinate and must not be allowed to dry out in the meantime. Apply the second dose of starter fertiliser 30 to 45 days after sowing; do not mow until the grass is around 10 centimetres high, and mow gently as the roots are not yet firmly established.

The only exception is a wet, snowy winter: carefully remove any snow that has fallen on the new lawn, otherwise mould can easily form underneath it, which would weaken the young plants right from the start.

Sources: Author

Featured image: Pixabay

Start sowing your lawn, Lawn, Lawn condition, Lawns in August, Lawn in August