Our recommendations regarding spring seeding for your lawn.

Spring is here! You plan on planting some new bushes, preparing your vegetable garden, and seeding your lawn. However, did you know the best time to seed is in the fall not in the spring?

In Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Summit, and other surrounding areas in New Jersey, 1.888.Lawntec does not recommend core aerating, dethatching, power seeding, or overseeding in the spring. If you have problem lawn areas that need attention in the spring, consider spot seeding it and then doing a complete job in the fall. Here’s why:

1. When you seed in the spring, you cannot apply pre-emergent crabgrass control. Newly seeded areas must germinate, mature, and be cut at least 2 to 3 times before pre-emergent crabgrass control can be applied. This takes about 3 months, and at that time, it will be too late to make a pre-emergent application.
2. Weed killers cannot be used as well or your new seed will be dead.
3. Once summer arrives, crabgrass and weeds will begin to spread and can damage the new grass. Controlling crabgrass and weeds in the young grass in the summer is not possible.
4. Well, what if we seed a few weeks after you apply the pre-emergent crabgrass control? It is not possible to apply pre-emergent crabgrass control and then seed a few weeks later. The pre-emergent crabgrass control application creates a barrier on the ground that needs to be there throughout the entire spring and into the summer. If you rake the ground and apply seed, both the seed and the preventive crabgrass control will fail.
5. New grass planted in spring does not have time to establish a deep root system, so it will dry out quickly. During the hot and dry conditions of the summer, most grass planted in the spring may thin out or even die.
6. Spring seeding is highly susceptible to disease. It has been proven that the chances of disease damage to spring seeding are almost 50%.
7. Fall seeding (in September) is ideal since no important control products are needed at that time. The seed can establish through the fall, and then handle pre-emergents and weed killers in the spring.

Schedule Fall Seeding Services Now!

So, if you wanted spring seeding, it is most likely best to hold off and schedule it for the early fall now! Summer stress can wreak havoc on your lawn, take a look at the condition of your lawn after the summer and get on the important fall seeding schedule if needed.

For our customers in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Summit, and all other surrounding communities, 1.888.Lawntec’s professional lawn technicians evaluate and make recommendations to every lawn we service. Fall seeding recommendations take place on the 4th (Late Summer) lawn program visit.

I hope these spring seeding recommendations have helped you. Enjoy your lawn & landscape!