What type of grass seeds to use - Ask Extension
I live in Potomac Maryland. My front yard has some spots with not so much grass! It gets sun about 1/2 day an some places less sun. I want to overs...
Knowledgebase
What type of grass seeds to use #866302
Asked April 29, 2024, 1:29 PM EDT
I live in Potomac Maryland. My front yard has some spots with not so much grass! It gets sun about 1/2 day an some places less sun. I want to overseed it to get better lawn.
1. Which type of grass do you recommend?
2. I would like to pre-germinate it until start to root. Is it OK? Do you have any document or recommendation?
3. After starting to root, I think I should let it dry a bit, then mix it with MILORGANITE ORGANIC LAWN FERTILIZER and soil and spred it. Is it OK? Do you have any document or recommendation?
4. Should I spread it right after the lawn is cut?
5. How long should I wait after spreading before cutting the lawn again?
Any other recommendations?
Thank you,
Esmail
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
One other thing: I am planning on Dithering before putting down the pre-germinated seeds. In it OK?
Thank you,
Esmail Sadeghi
Sr. VP Quality Systems & VP MIS
<personal data hidden> Cell
Attronica: www.attronica.com
Dear esmail,
Thank you for using Ask Extension. A request for support has been created and a representative will follow-up with you as soon as possible. Questions are usually answered within two business days. You can view this question's progress online.
YOUR QUESTION #0136223:
What type of grass seeds to use
I live in Potomac Maryland. My front yard has some spots with not so much grass! It gets sun about 1/2 day an some places less sun. I want to overseed it to get better lawn. 1. Which type of grass do you recommend? 2. I would like to pre-germinate it until start to root. Is it OK? Do you have any document or recommendation? 3. After starting to root, I think I should let it dry a bit, then mix it with MILORGANITE ORGANIC LAWN FERTILIZER and soil and spred it. Is it OK? Do you have any document or recommendation? 4. Should I spread it right after the lawn is cut? 5. How long should I wait after spreading before cutting the lawn again? Any other recommendations? Thank you, Esmail Sadeghi<personal data hidden>Ask Extension offers one-to-one expert answers from Cooperative Extension/University staff and volunteers within participating Land-Grant institutions across the United States.
If you wish to provide additional comments or information regarding the issue, please login to your account for a complete archive of your prior questions and answers.
This message for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for personalized professional advice. For specific local information, contact your local county Cooperative Extension office or other qualified professionals. eXtension Foundation does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, professional services, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned. Reliance on any information provided by eXtension Foundation, employees, suppliers, member universities, or other third parties through eXtension is solely at the user's own risk. All eXtension content and communication is subject to the Terms of Use which may be revised at any time.
Hello Esmail,
UMD researches which varieties of turfgrass perform best in our region and publish their results every summer. The most current publication is this 2023 recommended turfgrass cultivars document (see linked page). The cultivars listed for each turf type (tall fescue, zoysia, etc.) are among the most resilient in the face of typical Maryland challenges like hot summers, periods of drought, and high humidity that stress the grass and may encourage disease. Maryland is a tough area for successful turfgrass, and each type (warm-season and cool-season grasses) struggle at least part of the year here.
Areas where turfgrass will not thrive include places with too much shade (like from a building or a mature tree), competition with tree roots, and any area prone to being dry or soggy. Compaction from regular foot traffic (like from people or pets walking over an area repeatedly) will also stress any type of grass. If a spot in the yard does not get at least 4-5 hours of unobstructed/direct sunlight in summer, the minimum light requirement for tall fescue (or 2-3 hours, the minimum for fine fescue), then alternative plantings or just mulch should be considered. Fine fescue is more shade-tolerant overall than tall fescue, but it is used differently because it cannot handle as much foot traffic or mowing, and is even fertilized less than tall fescue.
Cool-season grass is the most common type grown in Maryland, and within that group, tall fescue is the most widely-grown and most versatile type to use, so we usually recommend it. Warm-season grass is also grown in Maryland, and of that group, zoysia is the most widely grown.
If you are considering overseeding an existing lawn, and if your lawn has actively been growing and green for a few weeks now, you probably have tall fescue. (If you had zoysia, it probably would still be brown and dormant until sometime later in May, and it's not overseeded the way fescue is.)
Cool-season grass should be overseeded in autumn (in the late August to early October window of time). Overseeding in spring is possible, but generally less successful for a variety of reasons. We might not be understanding what you mean by "pre-germinate," but the grass seed is put down on the soil surface where you intend to grow the grass; it can't be germinated elsewhere and moved into place, nor should it be mixed with anything (and the seed should not be covered with any soil, at least not beyond a very light dusting). If you want to plant already-rooted grass, you would lay sod instead, but that requires that the planting site be clear of any vegetation, including any old grass. Sod is best used for repairing bare patches or creating a new lawn.
Milorganite and any other type of lawn fertilizer used should be applied only as part of a regular fertilization that complies with Maryland law regarding how many nutrients are applied to a lawn over the course of a year. Our Lawn Fertilizer Schedule web page provides guidance about how much nitrogen can be applied yearly, and at what time of year based on lawn type. Milorganite claims to have an N-P-K analysis of 6-4-0, so it is not phosphorus-free as some fertilizers for lawns would be required to be, depending on the results of a soil test. We suggest that any lawn not tested in the past few years have a soil sample sent to a soil testing lab for analysis. This will measure current nutrient content, acidity level (pH), and organic matter content. Soil acidity plays a role in how well roots can absorb nutrients in the soil, and organic matter helps the soil drain well and retain more nutrients. The linked page provides more information about how to take a soil sample and how to interpret the results.
Lawns should be mown high (that is, not cut too short) because it keeps the grass healthier and helps it to out-compete most weeds by itself. What height to mow depends on the grass type; for tall fescue, it's between 3 and 4 inches high. New grass seed becomes a bit lower-maintenance once it reaches mowing height for the first or second time, which will probably be about 4-6 weeks after the seed is sown. Since you can't easily mow a lawn that was overseeded normally without stepping on lots of young grass, the mowing just before seeding can be lower than normal, to give the existing grass more time to grow between mowings. Until they are established, the grass seed and young seedlings need careful attention for watering needs so germinating seed does not dry out for very long. The older the grass gets, the more spaced-out watering sessions can be, to wean it off of a frequent schedule as it matures.
Miri
UMD researches which varieties of turfgrass perform best in our region and publish their results every summer. The most current publication is this 2023 recommended turfgrass cultivars document (see linked page). The cultivars listed for each turf type (tall fescue, zoysia, etc.) are among the most resilient in the face of typical Maryland challenges like hot summers, periods of drought, and high humidity that stress the grass and may encourage disease. Maryland is a tough area for successful turfgrass, and each type (warm-season and cool-season grasses) struggle at least part of the year here.
Areas where turfgrass will not thrive include places with too much shade (like from a building or a mature tree), competition with tree roots, and any area prone to being dry or soggy. Compaction from regular foot traffic (like from people or pets walking over an area repeatedly) will also stress any type of grass. If a spot in the yard does not get at least 4-5 hours of unobstructed/direct sunlight in summer, the minimum light requirement for tall fescue (or 2-3 hours, the minimum for fine fescue), then alternative plantings or just mulch should be considered. Fine fescue is more shade-tolerant overall than tall fescue, but it is used differently because it cannot handle as much foot traffic or mowing, and is even fertilized less than tall fescue.
Cool-season grass is the most common type grown in Maryland, and within that group, tall fescue is the most widely-grown and most versatile type to use, so we usually recommend it. Warm-season grass is also grown in Maryland, and of that group, zoysia is the most widely grown.
If you are considering overseeding an existing lawn, and if your lawn has actively been growing and green for a few weeks now, you probably have tall fescue. (If you had zoysia, it probably would still be brown and dormant until sometime later in May, and it's not overseeded the way fescue is.)
Cool-season grass should be overseeded in autumn (in the late August to early October window of time). Overseeding in spring is possible, but generally less successful for a variety of reasons. We might not be understanding what you mean by "pre-germinate," but the grass seed is put down on the soil surface where you intend to grow the grass; it can't be germinated elsewhere and moved into place, nor should it be mixed with anything (and the seed should not be covered with any soil, at least not beyond a very light dusting). If you want to plant already-rooted grass, you would lay sod instead, but that requires that the planting site be clear of any vegetation, including any old grass. Sod is best used for repairing bare patches or creating a new lawn.
Milorganite and any other type of lawn fertilizer used should be applied only as part of a regular fertilization that complies with Maryland law regarding how many nutrients are applied to a lawn over the course of a year. Our Lawn Fertilizer Schedule web page provides guidance about how much nitrogen can be applied yearly, and at what time of year based on lawn type. Milorganite claims to have an N-P-K analysis of 6-4-0, so it is not phosphorus-free as some fertilizers for lawns would be required to be, depending on the results of a soil test. We suggest that any lawn not tested in the past few years have a soil sample sent to a soil testing lab for analysis. This will measure current nutrient content, acidity level (pH), and organic matter content. Soil acidity plays a role in how well roots can absorb nutrients in the soil, and organic matter helps the soil drain well and retain more nutrients. The linked page provides more information about how to take a soil sample and how to interpret the results.
Lawns should be mown high (that is, not cut too short) because it keeps the grass healthier and helps it to out-compete most weeds by itself. What height to mow depends on the grass type; for tall fescue, it's between 3 and 4 inches high. New grass seed becomes a bit lower-maintenance once it reaches mowing height for the first or second time, which will probably be about 4-6 weeks after the seed is sown. Since you can't easily mow a lawn that was overseeded normally without stepping on lots of young grass, the mowing just before seeding can be lower than normal, to give the existing grass more time to grow between mowings. Until they are established, the grass seed and young seedlings need careful attention for watering needs so germinating seed does not dry out for very long. The older the grass gets, the more spaced-out watering sessions can be, to wean it off of a frequent schedule as it matures.
Miri
