As we begin to approach the month of September which brings some welcoming cooler temperatures with it, it is time to start thinking about upcoming fall renovations and when the best type of weather will arrive to do so. As our lawns begin to grow stronger entering into a more favourable time of year and recover from the heat stress of the summer, it is important to take a closer look at your lawn to see if there is any additional service that might benefit it’s recovery to help better set up your lawn for success in the returning spring of 2022. These additional services are things such as fall aerations, overseeding, or topdressing that can help provide better seed to soil contact improving any bare areas, and/or reducing compacted areas that may have thinned out over the year.
So when is the best time of year to overseed? Typically we recommend waiting until middle of September through to the middle/end of October as the weather we experience can have a substantial impact on how much added stress the lawn can handle, the amount of effort required for watering, and the seeds overall success rate of germination. We have had a few phone calls from customers recently asking why they are experiencing limited success from seed that has just recently been laid, and the answer lies in the fact that it was done too early and the frequent hot weather we have been experiencing not only causes the seed to dry out, but is also not correctly timed for most cool season grasses to germinate properly. Seeding at this time of year requires multiple doses of water upwards of every hour if you don’t want the seed to dry. This is why we recommend waiting until we are within a consistently cooler environment so that the seed stays damp for longer periods of time, reducing the required amount of watering needed. It is also crucial to make sure you are combining your seed with some sort of topdressing or soil as this will aid in helping keep the seed moist throughout its crucial germination window.
If you have any additional questions or concerns surrounding fall renovations or would like to book one of our additional services, feel free to contact our office anytime.
