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Fall Planting of Lawn Grasses

Fall is the best time to plant cool season lawn grasses. The two most popular of these are Fescue and Rye grass. Both of these grasses are widely used in the southeast, and grow well in areas of the yard that have full sun to part shade, making them a great choice for yards that have varying sun conditions. However, don’t plan on planting these grasses in full shade, as no grass will really be successful without some sun.

Fescue can be found in both seed and sod form. Rye grass is only available by seed. Generally the 6 weeks from September 15 through October 31 is the best time for sewing these grass seeds.

We recommend turf-type Fescue for its higher drought and heat tolerance, finer texture and improved traffic durability. Rye grass is an annual grass that will die when temperatures are consistently in the 90s. It’s still widely used for erosion control because it germinates faster than anything else – in about 5 – 8 days. Because it sprouts so quickly, people often mix Rye seed with Fescue. A good mix would be about 25- 33% Rye, and the remainder would be a turf-type Fescue. Rye would need to be reseeded each Fall if temperatures were hot the previous summer, which is usually the case in the southeast.

Whether you are seeding for the first time or filling in sparse areas (overseeding) you always want the grass seed to come in contact with loose soil and keep it evenly moist until it’s established. If the seed is sewn on open ground, don’t cover it with soil. It’s better to leave it on the surface and mulch it lightly with wheat straw. You can apply lawn starter fertilizer mixed with your seed now, or afterwards.

Happy seeding!