Is Spring the Right Time to Seed Your Lawn in Northeast OH?

The way your Northeast Ohio yard looks helps you feel like you’re contributing to a positive, thriving, beautiful neighborhood. You certainly don’t want to be the only house on the block with brown grass that’s full of weeds and generally looks unkempt and unloved. 

Bare spots on your lawn can be super frustrating. Not only are they embarrassing, but a thin lawn can be even more prone to getting weeds, which makes its appearance look even worse. 

While you know you want to improve your lawn’s appearance, you also don’t want to be too quick in making a decision to seed your lawn if all your effort won’t pay off. You certainly don’t want to waste your time and money. 

That’s why you might be wondering, “When is the best time to plant grass seed in Northeast Ohio?”

Let’s talk about when to grow grass seed in this area and give you some insight to help you make the best decision for seeding or overseeding your lawn. 

Grass Seed Options for Northeast Ohio Lawns

First, let’s discuss the main grass types you’ll find in your Northeast Ohio lawn. Knowing about these grasses can help you better determine the best time to plant a lawn. 

This area is best for three types of cool-season grasses: turf-type tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. These cool-season grasses tend to grow their top growth or visible growth between March and June and their roots between September and October. They go dormant from December through February. 

Here are some facts about each of these grass types: 

• Turf-type tall fescue: This cold-tolerant grass is shade tolerant and has a coarse texture and a deep, green color. It’s also drought-tolerant and can handle a lot of wear and tear. It grows in thick, taking 10 to 14 days to germinate. It tends to make up 80% of Northeast Ohio lawns.
• Kentucky bluegrass: This popular grass is durable and has a soft, fine texture. It likes full sun, but can tolerate some shade. This grass usually takes about 10 to 21 days to germinate and requires a bit more maintenance than turf-type tall fescue. We recommend your lawn mix include about 10% of Kentucky bluegrass.
• Perennial ryegrass: This fast germinator will grow in 3 to 5 days, offering some instant greenery. It’s fine-bladed and cold-tolerant. It can handle some light shade. It usually makes up about 10% of Northeast Ohio lawns.

Best Time to Plant Grass Seed in Northeast Ohio

Can you seed your lawn in spring? Sure, you could do that, but it might not be the absolute best time. 

Yes, the weather is warm and the garden center stores have ramped up their advertising, so the timing feels right. But spring seeding tends to be a bit more complicated than fall seeding, and here are the reasons why. 

Weather Conditions

Grass seed needs warm soil temperatures to germinate, as well as a decent amount of moisture and cool nights. These are the conditions that lead to healthy lawn growth with great root system development. 

In spring, however, you may have warmer temperatures, but the soil is still warming up and the hot, dry summer is just around the bend. So with the amount of time it takes for that lawn to grow in, you don’t want to stress it out too soon with the drought of summer. The amount of rainfall is also unpredictable in spring, making it an unpredictable time for when to grow grass seed.

Weed Issues

The other major reason why spring can be challenging for when to grow grass seed is the fact that some major weeds like crabgrass are also coming out at this time.

This means your newly planted seed is competing with some tough weeds for space, water, and nutrients. You also may want to limit some weed controls while trying to germinate new lawn seeds, which can make these weeds worse. 

Fall: The Best Time to Plant a Lawn

When it comes to the best time to grow grass, early fall is ideal for Northeast Ohio lawns. 

Here are some key reasons why.

Extended Time For Lawn Establishment 

When you follow the best time to plant a lawn, which is in early fall, you are basically giving that seed two major growth seasons before you hit the hot summer months when grass will be stressed the most. 

First, you get fall as a chance for those lawn roots to sink themselves into the soil, and then you get spring for that top growth to follow suit and thicken up. 

Less Weed Pressure

One of the worst weeds – crabgrass – is its strongest in the spring. It presents major competition for young lawns trying to thicken up, especially if there are bare spots where it can sneak in and take over. 

Fall lawn seeding means you don't have the same weed pressure or competition. When you plant grass seed in fall, your lawn gets a better chance to get tough and thicken up to better fight weeds during the biggest weed season: spring. 

You Need Less to Water

Soil moisture naturally stays more consistent in the fall. The days are shorter and the sun’s angle is changing – it’s much less intense. 

This is an all-around better environment for when to grow grass seed.  

You Can Save Time and Money

While seeding a lawn in spring is certainly possible, it’s not ideal. It’s something we like to describe as a bandaid. 

With spring’s weed pressure and lack of time before the heat and drought of summer, your chances for great seed germination are lower. You’ll get some germination, but not as much as you can get if you follow the best time to plant grass seed: fall.

When Spring Seeding Can Be Acceptable

Sure, you can seed your lawn in spring, but it’s not the best time to grow grass.

If you have some small bare spots, waiting until fall will give you the best results. 

But if you have many bare spots and have a lawn in pretty poor condition, planting seed may be a priority over weed control in spring. Just know your care of these seeds will be incredibly important to maximize germination. 

The proper care includes: 

• Grass requires 1.5 inches of water weekly, coming from a mix of rain and irrigation. By watering slower and longer, you can get that water to your lawn’s roots where it needs it most.
• When mowing, keep your grass to a 3- to 4-inch height. This keeps your lawn thick and healthy.
• Annual aeration and overseeding can help reduce soil compaction, eliminate bare spots, and ensure thick grass.
• Fertilizer applications by a reputable lawn care professional should start in early spring and be applied every 4 to 6 weeks through the growing season. This ensures your lawn has adequate nutrients to thrive. 
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Turf Pride Can Help You Pick the Perfect Season for Lawn Seeding

We hope we gave you some good reasons and research to consider when to grow grass seed in Northeast Ohio. 

We know figuring out all the intricacies and preferences of lawn care can be a challenge. You have to understand the weather and growing conditions of your specific seed, as well as proper care, including mowing, watering practices, and other treatments and protocols to keep weeds down and avoid any big problems. We hope this knowledge gives you some insight into ways you can make your lawn look better. 

If the whole process gets confusing and you have trouble figuring out what to do to improve your lawn, give Turf Pride a call. We’re happy to come to take a look at your lawn and help you put a plan in place to give it the boost it needs. 

Want to improve your lawn’s health, eliminate bare spots, and create a thicker, greener lawn? Turf Pride can help with lawn care services in Northeast OH. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we’ll customize a plan that gives you the most attractive lawn on the block.