Patchy, weedy lawn? The one thing you need to do right now to revive it
For lawns in the Tri-State region, autumn is the best time to sow grass seed because cooler temperatures and more moisture help new grass establish.
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If your lawn is patchy, thin, brown or suddenly full of weeds after a rough summer, you are not alone and September is the time to fix it using grass seed. News 12 crews visited Long Island Cauliflower Association, which sells grass seed mixes tested to perform well in our climate and specific soil conditions. The family-owned business began in 1901 and remains the last remaining full-service farm and garden supply center on Long Island. They supply many of our local lawns with fresh grass seed. They are open to the public at 139 Marcy Ave. in Riverhead.
How adding grass seed can fix your lawn
Putting grass seed over an existing lawn is called "overseeding." This tactic can improve many lawn issues by filling in thin or bare areas and introducing grass varieties better suited to your conditions. Before you seed, mow and loosen the soil surface where needed so the seed can make contact with the soil, then keep it consistently moist while it establishes.
Why is September the best month for sowing grass seed?
For lawns in the Tri-State region, autumn is the best time to sow grass seed because cooler temperatures and more moisture help new grass establish. There are several weeks of growth before winter, when the grass may stop growing visibly but continues developing its roots. John Bokina, CEO of the Long Island Cauliflower Association, says that lawns are not dead in the winter despite their appearance. The dormancy period is an important time for root growth. Achieving thick turf going into winter will help prevent weeds in the spring and give your lawn more vigor when it returns in spring.
There is conflicting advice online about when to plant grass seed, and that's why it's so important to work with experts in our local climate. There are two categories of lawn turf: warm-season and cool-season grasses. Warm-season grass describes grasses that come to life when temperatures are regularly warmer than 55 degrees and those seeds do best when they're sown in late spring and summer. However, this is not the most popular species of lawn grass because they often won't green up until late spring in our area. The Northeast has cool-season grasses, which grow best in the cooler periods of spring and fall.
Choosing the right grass mix
John, CEO of Long Island Cauliflower Association, says that their sun-and-shade mix remains one of their most popular because it is very rare for turf blends to be versatile enough to survive in both conditions. There are several great species that perform well as turf grass in our area. Good choices include Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and fine fescues. Tall fescue is a good option when durability and drought tolerance are priorities, while fine fescues perform well in shade. It's the right ratio of these and other species that makes the grass seed mixes at Long Island Cauliflower Association so successful.
