Is it time to put some grass seed down?

 

Spring is a good time to rejuvenate your lawn by adding grass seed to repair bare spots or to help thicken up a thin lawn by over-seeding. Most of our lawns are Kentucky Blue grass or combinations of Kentucky Blue grass, Perennial Rye grass and fescue. These are cool season grass seeds, meaning they are best sown now in March and April. Warm weather grass such as Buffalo grass should be seeded in May.

Selecting the right seed depends on whether you’re lawn is sunny, shady or a combination of the two. Since we sell seed in bulk, we can help you select the right seed combinations for your particular lawn condition. Flower Bin Blue is a combination of blue grasses designed to be drought tolerant and hardy in sunny locations.

Colorado Complete is a combination of blue grass, perennial rye and fescue meant to be used in sunny and partial shade conditions. Colorado’s Own is our best seller. It will blend in with most lawns in our area. Emerald III is the grass seed to select for shady areas. Really, the most important question of all is the quality of the soil under your grass, because your turf grass will only be as good as the soil it’s growing in.

For repairing small areas in your lawn, you can work some organic material such as Sheep, Peat and Compost into the spots to be fixed, add grass seed and cover lightly with compost or peat. For large areas, or for over seeding your lawn, have the lawn aerated, then add organic material and seed.

Core aeration involves using a machine which extracts a plug from the lawn, which helps reduce thatch, improves soil structure and in general opens the soil so that water, air and fertilizer get to the roots.  After aeration, leave the cores in place. They will break down over time.

Next, add some organic material over the entire lawn. This is called top-dressing and as the organic material works its way into the soil, it helps break up the clay and improve root structure. Stronger roots mean a more resilient lawn, especially in the summer.  Over-seeding is when you apply extra seed to thicken your lawn. It’s a good practice to over-seed your lawn every three or four years.  Another improvement you can make is to add Soil Activator, a granular humic acid applied in the spring and fall to improve soil structure, strengthen roots and increase microbial activity. Soil Activator can be applied more frequently if your soil is heavily compacted. If you have questions, stop in. We’ll help you decide what the best choices for your lawn.