How Your Irrigation System Can Ensure Successful Grass Growth Even From Seed

Late summer and early fall is generally the best time to plant new grass and your in-ground irrigation system can help guarantee success. Because of the often-cooler temperatures and greater rainfall, many homeowners wait until late August and September to plant new grass. Whether you're looking at planting from seed, overseeding an existing lawn, or laying down sod, the new plants need to be kept consistently moist in order to thrive.

Another great reason to plant and overseed in the late summer and early fall is because your grass has enough to time to put down good roots so in the spring you're lawn revives looking great. You don't see the snow melt and face the daunting task of planting grass when the weather might not be the best. Fall is often a better season to be outside and working in the yard.

At Nutri-Lawn Irrigation Burlington, we think one of the best investments you can make for your lawn and landscape is an inground irrigation system. Learn more here.

Seed vs Sod

Cost is one of the major considerations often when deciding between seed and sod. Sod provides instant lawn you can walk on. Planting new seed needs two to three weeks for it to sprout and you'll have to stay off it even longer until the roots are stronger. If you are planting grass on a slope or in the shade, sod may be a good investment. Seed tends to wash away on slopes and struggles to sprout in the shade. Sod can be staked down on slopes so it takes root precisely where you've placed it.

Overseeding

There are a variety of grass seed types and it's important to choose a variety that's both suited to your yard (soil type, drainage, and amount of sunlight), but also will blend in with your existing lawn. If your shady lawn refuses to grow thick despite your in-ground irrigation system, perhaps consider overseeding with a shady variety of grass that's better suited to that space.

It's often a good idea to blend the varieties as one's weakness is another's strength so you're sure that your lawn will remain healthy and withstand whatever comes at it. Some grasses prefer full sun, some prefer shade and will tolerate high traffic and acidic soils better than others. Remember, when overseeding that those seeds need contact with soil to grown and must remain consistently moist until the seeds sprout which could be two or three weeks.

Planting Grass Seed

Before planting a new area with fresh seed, let your irrigation system water that area. This can help identify any bumps or hollows that need to be smoothed out. Ideally, it's best to avoid allowing water to pool on the surface of the soil if you want grass to thrive. Grass seed needs to stay moist to sprout. This is not a deep watering, but a surface wetting up to four times a day depending on the weather. Once sprouts appear you can reduce that by half.

Watering is made easier if you have an inground sprinkler system. If you are about to plant new seed over your whole yard, now is the time to install an inground sprinkler system.

Take the guess work out of residential irrigation contact us today for your complimentary quote.