As winter begins to thaw in the Wabash Valley, many people are beginning focus on their lawn to begin planning the upcoming growing season. While we use the spring to plan our gardens and plant flowers, we need to be aware and remember that spring is not the best time to plant grass seed.

While the best time to seed a lawn in Indiana is between August and September, we do have a few exceptions to this rule. That does not mean that a spring seeding is foolproof and does not require some patience. A spring seeding may be necessary on a lawn or area that is completely bare of any desirable turfgrass. This could be from winter damage, a new construction project, or a change in landscape layout. Waiting until August may not be ideal so if you have to seed in the spring here are some key things to remember.

Weed Control
When you plant any grass seed, you must be aware that you will face serious limitations on what kind of weed control can be applied and when. For a spring seeding, be sure to avoid any kind of crabgrass preemergent to the areas you wish to grow new grass seed. The crabgrass preemergent can hinder the root development of new seedlings and prevent proper germination and growth. It is also typically recommended, as per the herbicide label, to not apply any post emergent herbicide until you have mowed the newly established grass at least 4 times.

Water
Anything you plant will need water. If you decide to do a spring seeding while the ground is still frozen, the moisture in the soil may be enough to get things moving but you still need to consider that you may have to provide additional water to sustain the plant life. Seed requires soil temperature to be in the mid 50’s before it will begin to think about germination so you may be looking at early April before you see new grass growth. Begin watering as temperatures allow.

Heat/Drought Stress
Since the new grass will be young and tender going into Summer, make sure you keep up on irrigation and a nutrition plan. The new grass will have to be monitored as it will not have developed a full and strong root system before the heat and drought stress of June and July move in. Plan to continue to apply water several times a week to these seeded areas to ensure you do not have too much die off from these stressors. Usually by this time you can begin to apply herbicide. Be cautious when applying herbicide to new grass that is under drought stress as it can harm and stunt its development.

Reseed in August/September
No matter how successful you think your spring seeding turns out, consider a proper overseeding in August/September. This will ensure the area continues to fill in and you can achieve even better results.

Anything you do in a lawn or landscape is a process and does take time. Growing a thick and healthy lawn sometimes requires more patience than products as we sometimes have to sit back and wait for things to happen on their own in nature. A plant can only take up nutrients so fast and water provided through rain may not be enough to sustain a turf.

As long as you keep in mind the above points, you may be able to complete a successful spring seeding.