Timing dormant seeding - Ask Extension
Hello! We seeded a bee lawn in September and the mix has been growing great. I am seeking guidance on timing for reseeding/dormant seeding. It is diff...
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Timing dormant seeding #889956
Asked November 17, 2024, 2:11 PM EST
Hello! We seeded a bee lawn in September and the mix has been growing great. I am seeking guidance on timing for reseeding/dormant seeding. It is difficult for me to determine based on the weather. Thank you in advance for the guidance. Please let me know if you need additional info.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for writing.
Make sure it is watered up to Dec 10 when the ground freezes. Temp at four inches below the surface is about 45 at my house near the U. Overseed again in late march. Seeding now would feed birds and mice.
Make sure it is watered up to Dec 10 when the ground freezes. Temp at four inches below the surface is about 45 at my house near the U. Overseed again in late march. Seeding now would feed birds and mice.
Hello and thank you for your prompt response. We were recommended to dormant seed again this fall by MNL (where we purchased the seed) and by our landscaper who prepared the yard earlier in the summer. We were directed to this U of MN site: https://extension.umn.edu/lawn-care/dormant-seeding#:~:text=Put%20down%20your%20seed%20while,to%20start%20a%20bee%20lawn. Here, it states to dormant seed sometime between mid-October and mid-December, after it is too cold for germination. We understood that the snow would help push the seed into the ground, leading to germination in the spring. Can you help us understand the approach you suggest as it goes against these other sources. Many thanks for your expertise!!
I appreciate your writing back.
Here is the reason. Calendar based guidelines are increasingly difficult to read during climate change. Minneapolis, just got promoted from 4b-5a this year and it has been warming for my entire life.
In the October temperature chart, you can see that the actual low was much higher than than the average low; the same goes for the highs.
The November chart shows the same phenomenon. So far, day temps are above 50, high enough to trigger germination. The night temps are running 12-14 degrees higher than normal.
The ground retains heat. So far germination is not reliably suppressed. Perhaps later this month. Temps can be tracked at https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/minneota/56264/october-weather/9-2247824_1_al?year=2024
Here is another U publication. By the calendar, it's fall advice is incorrect when 2024's temps are taken into effect. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.lccmr.mn.gov/projects/2016/finals/2016_08a_installing_and_maintaining_a_bee_lawn_2pgs.pdf
The bottom line question is how to build a bee lawn. Mine took about 8 years, I am still tinkering with it. It looks wonderful with snowglories, squill, violets, crocuses, forget-me-not, cinquefoil, clover, and about 500 dafodils. You should put in seed that you on hand when the days are consistently 45 0r less (today is 52). There is no point wasting good seed. But, if you do not have seed on hand, the dry season raises the possibility of a relatively snowless winter which will be hard on the seeds. NOAA bets that way. https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-winter-outlook-warmer-and-drier-south-wetter-north If that happens a spring seeding is the way to go.
Here is the reason. Calendar based guidelines are increasingly difficult to read during climate change. Minneapolis, just got promoted from 4b-5a this year and it has been warming for my entire life.
In the October temperature chart, you can see that the actual low was much higher than than the average low; the same goes for the highs.
The November chart shows the same phenomenon. So far, day temps are above 50, high enough to trigger germination. The night temps are running 12-14 degrees higher than normal.
The ground retains heat. So far germination is not reliably suppressed. Perhaps later this month. Temps can be tracked at https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/minneota/56264/october-weather/9-2247824_1_al?year=2024
Here is another U publication. By the calendar, it's fall advice is incorrect when 2024's temps are taken into effect. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.lccmr.mn.gov/projects/2016/finals/2016_08a_installing_and_maintaining_a_bee_lawn_2pgs.pdf
The bottom line question is how to build a bee lawn. Mine took about 8 years, I am still tinkering with it. It looks wonderful with snowglories, squill, violets, crocuses, forget-me-not, cinquefoil, clover, and about 500 dafodils. You should put in seed that you on hand when the days are consistently 45 0r less (today is 52). There is no point wasting good seed. But, if you do not have seed on hand, the dry season raises the possibility of a relatively snowless winter which will be hard on the seeds. NOAA bets that way. https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-winter-outlook-warmer-and-drier-south-wetter-north If that happens a spring seeding is the way to go.
