Knowing when to apply grass seed to either establish a new lawn or overseeding for a thinning lawn after spring time can be tricky to figure out.

However, Greene County ISU Extension Coordinator Michael Cooley says now through September 20th is the ideal time to do that.  He explains why late-summer to early-fall is the best time to plant grass seed.

“Seeds germinate most quickly in the warm soil of late summer where there’s some warm days but also cool nights and usually quite a bit of precipitation as well.  In addition on top of all of that, weeds are at this time starting to become fewer and fewer so there’s less competition from weeds.”

Cooley points out other tips for starting a new lawn that includes breaking up the soil and making sure that you have six inches of good soil.  He suggests submitting a soil sample for free to the Extension office and they can determine what kind of soil you have and recommend whether or not you should apply fertilizers and what kinds of grass seed to use.

He adds that moisture and precipitation are keys for the grass seed to germinate and if there isn’t rain during the day to water it in the evening so the moisture is there to grow the grass.

Cooley notes that they have additional information about preparing your lawn for next spring at the Extension office in Jefferson.