by Rex Trulove

Created on: September 14, 2008

It is rather interesting that people have a tendency to think that the spring, especially the early spring, is the best time to plant grass seed. Certainly, it can be planted this time of year, and it will often grow quite well under the right conditions. However this actually isn't the best time to plant the grass seed.

The fact is that since grass is fast germinating and growing, it can be grown almost any time during the growing season. This is especially good for those who are over seeding or planting to fill barren spots in the yard. If the seed is kept well watered and held down by hay or straw, the bare spots will quickly be filled with good growing grass.

This doesn't really answer the question of when to plant grass seed, though. The question really presupposes that it is meant when the best or optimal time to plant the seed is. To answer the question, we need only to observe how grass grows in nature.

In the spring, as the ground grows warm there is an explosion of growth in grass. This is when the grass produces a good root structure and expansive mats of green. Later in the year, toward the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the grass begins to dry out in nature, and as it does, it puts up seed stalks. As the grass dries more, the stalks do as well, and the seeds mature and are dropped to the ground.

Normally, the grass seed doesn't immediately germinate. Since the nighttime and ground temperatures are falling, the seed goes into a dormant stage. Leaves and other organic debris usually cover the seed shallowly, breaking down and composting through the next many months.

When winter arrives, there is a dramatic increase in moisture and a corresponding drop in temperature. The grass seed is bathed in moisture, however the temperatures are generally too cold for germination.

However, when warmer weather in spring arrives and the ground warms up, the still moist seeds, in moist soil, germinate. This is what leads to the explosion in growth, and interestingly it is what makes people think that spring is the best time to plant the seed.

If we mimic nature as closely as possible, though, we can see that the best time to plant grass seed is in the autumn. This makes it possible for the grass to grow thick and healthy in the early year, when the weather conditions and soil temperatures are right for grass. Not only does this produce healthier and thicker grass, it means that the minimum of effort needs to be expended to have a great lawn. Nature takes care of the growing of the seed.

If the question is when can grass seed be planted, the answer would be any time of the year, even in winter. It will simply be dormant in winter. If the question is when is the best time to plant grass seed, the answer is pretty easy, in the fall, just as nature normally does it.

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