When to Plant:
| Spring | Fall | Winter | Wild Flowers |
Choose your grass:
If you have hard freezes - choose the Original or Creeping Mix
Hot Dry Areas (from
Southern California through Kansas) require the Hot Dry Mix of
Alpine fescue & supine bent.
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Spring Planting:
is preferred by most landscapers and
gardeners for many reasons.
Nature often assists with watering your fresh new lawn.
The grass has a whole season to establish and does well over winters on
it's own.
Early or Late Summer - planting in summer works well when you have control over watering and can mulch over the grass. (Mulch using whatever is available and weed/seed free.) Do Not Plant in the hottest month (July) since the heat makes it difficult for bare soil to maintain a good level of moisture. Order grass with annual rye from our website for summer heat protection. Though the annual rye will require additional mowing the first year, it will offer first year summer & winter protection, comes in quickly but dies off over winter and then becomes "green fertilizer" for your lawn next spring. . . cats and dogs love to eat it too.
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Fall Planting: has a lot of benefits. Less weeds (if you have done your weed control over summer), less rush to get seed in, warm ground temperatures sprout the seed quickly and when annual rye is added to the seed - it's like getting automatic winter protection.
Prepare the area 15 weeks before your zone's first frost date by removing any unwanted weeds (or grasses if planting to bare soil). Plant at least 12 weeks before the frost date. Be sure to order seed with annual rye. Though it will require some additional mowing, the annual rye provides - fast coverage (it sprouts in 5 days or less), winter protection, dies off over winter and adds "green fertilizer" to your grass in the spring.
Northern Areas that freeze: Dormancy planting is planting seed that will remain dormant over winter and come up in spring when the ground temperatures warm to 60 degrees. Some areas need "frost protection to keep the seed from freeze-drying over winter. Mulching over the area will ensure protection from harsh winter winds. Use a light layer (1/2") of whatever mulch you have available that is weed/seed free. Do not remove the mulch in the spring.Frost Free Areas: Plant anytime the ground temperatures are above 60 degrees. This is the time for establishing a new lawn if you experience extreme summer heat. The goal is to establish a good stand of grass before the summer heat sets in. Do not order seed with annual rye.
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Wild Flowers & Clover - Wild Flowers and clover can be planted anytime and will remain dormant until conditions are right for them to sprout. Some flowers require a first year dormancy and sprout the second year. We recommend planting flower seeds in flats and then placing in lawns for a soft natural meadow appearance. Spread seed over the flat and keep moist and out of direct light until they sprout. Transplant into lawn areas during spring and avoid walking on them for the first few months. After that, all the flowers we've selected will withstand moderate traffic.
Clover is recommended for high traffic areas and poor soil. Though the clover can grow to over 1' left un-attended, it only requires an occasional trim to remain short. It fills out grasses and nourishes them by adding available nitrogen to the soil. This darkens the color of many grasses to rich green.
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