Timing – Timing your seeding to coincide with the natural development cycle of tall fescue maximizes every element of your seeding process. As cold-season grasses, tall fescues establish themselves optimally between late summer and early fall, when the chilly weather promotes strong development.
Early April is the second-best period for sowing tall fescue seed. The optimal soil temperature for tall fescue germination is between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. For fall planting, wait until the soil has cooled to this temperature range. Delay spring sowing until the soil has warmed. By planting during these favorable seasons of moderate temperatures and robust development, you may also take benefit of autumn and spring precipitation.
This will result in less additional watering and less work on your part. Proper soil preparation is essential for successful sowing.
Are you expected to sow grass seed?
Raking is required because the seeds require touch with the soil in order to germinate effectively. Grass seed is frequently applied to lawns with a spreader, which does not provide enough seed-to-soil contact.
Can fescue be planted in February?
Late winter is the second-best time to overseed a lawn. Last year, my grass did not look good. Is it true that grass seed may be planted over snow in the winter? What is the ideal grass kind for this region? This is somewhat accurate. Late winter to early spring is an ideal period to start a new lawn or to thicken an existing one.
- Depending on the weather, the second-best period for lawn grass sowing is often mid-February to late March, however September is the optimal season.
- Wait until there is no snow on the ground, and perform the sowing when the ground is not frozen or muddy, so that the seeds may be covered with loose soil.
From late spring until June, sowing is typically unsuccessful because to weed competition and moisture stress. In Kentucky, cool-season grasses are suggested for residential lawns. Even though we have numerous high-quality Kentucky bluegrass lawns, tall fescue is the grass that is best adapted to Northern Kentucky.
- Tall fescue should almost always be planted on problem lawns with shade, poor soil, or excessive foot activity.
- Additionally, fine (red) fescue and perennial ryegrass have limited use in lawns.
- If you currently have a somewhat healthy bluegrass lawn, however, you should overseed with bluegrass and not fescue.
Never combine the two. Do a soil test immediately (provided for free by your local county Extension Service Office in Kentucky) to identify the specific lime and fertilizer requirements of your grass. Excess lime might result in inadequate nutrition absorption.
- New lawns should be seeded into loose, prepared soil, or by hiring a power seeder, also known as a vertical or slit seeder, which creates grooves in the soil, drops the seed in the grooves, and then softly covers it, all in one pass.
- To avoid conspicuous rows of seedlings, you must make a second pass at a straight angle.
In pre-loosened soil or for tiny areas, a rotary seeder or the typical drop-type seed and fertilizer spreader is typically used for sowing. Per 1,000 square feet of lawn, utilize six pounds of tall fescue seed or four pounds of bluegrass seed. Cover the seed with a gentle rake or a roller with water-ballast.
Straw should be used to mulch the region. The mulch layer should be thin enough to reveal around fifty percent of the soil surface, which equates to approximately one bale of straw per one thousand square feet of land. Frequently water your plants, especially if you do not use mulch or if precipitation is low.
Best Time to Plant Tall Fescue – Overseeding Lawn
Keep the soil’s surface wet for many weeks until the seedlings are well-established, otherwise they may perish. Refer to the Cooperative Extension article “Weed Control Recommendations for Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue Lawns and Recreational Turf (AGR-78)” for recommendations on weed control.
Sadly, the majority of lawn pesticides also destroy grass seedlings. Examine product labels thoroughly. Don’t be frightened to mow a new grass. After the grass has reached its regular mowing height (about 4 inches), you may begin your early spring mowings (once or twice per week), cutting bluegrass and fescue to a height of around 212 inches.
You should never remove more than one-third of the blade’s length at once. By mowing early and without allowing extra grass to collect, the texture will get finer, a significant number of upright weeds will be eliminated, the turf will become denser, and lateral spread will increase.
