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Is it too late to sow a new lawn?
Kamo
Posts: 41
I had planned to do a new lawn in mid to late September but it hasn't gone to plan and now it's late October and I'm not sure if it's too late to start seeding a new lawn and if I should wait till next spring.
I'm in Northamptonshire, the weather is reasonably warm (around 12-15c) and the area for sowing gets sun at the moment. Soil is clay but I've dug in some mushroom compost and have some sandy loam topsoil that will be going on top.
Anyone have experience of sowing a lawn this late, does it work or will I be wasting my time and money?
Thanks
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Posts
Too late now; you will be wasting time, effort and money. Wait until March.
Grass seed needs around 17 degrees to germinate, and it takes a couple of weeks.
As redwing says - no point. I couldn't even get it to germinate in July this year as it wasn't consistently that temperature.
When you sow in spring will also depend on where you are in the country, and what your conditions are. Ideally , wait till the ground is warming up but you still have moisture. Saves watering
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
How big an area is it? Would you not be tempted to get turf? That can be done at any time.
Thanks for the replies, I've considered turf but want to keep costs down (lots to do the garden) and part of the area will be shady so wanted to buy seed suited to shade. The anytime seeds appear to still state March to October
Say I wait till spring, is it best to get the area prepped now or wait to do it before sowing? I have dug over the area and added compost already, but I have a bulk bag of sandy loam topsoil that I was going to use to help level the area (garden has a slight dip in the middle) and have a finer top layer in which to sow the seed? The bulk bag is sitting on the drive waiting to be used!
Last edited: 20 October 2017 18:03:43
I'd sow grass now, I do. But if I wanted a proper lawn I wouldn't do it now.
I'd get it levelled, winter will settle it and you can rake it over for a final levelling when things warm up in spring
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In the sticks near Peterborough
As Edd says , do it now if your ground is prepared . Exactly a year ago this week , I sowed several sq. yards of grass seed , it was showing signs of growth in 8-days (!) . Mild autumnal temperatures , heavy dews and good rainfall last year prompted very fast germination .
I didn't buy anything fancy , just a tough grass seed mix from Wilkinsons . Wait until spring and you run the risk of dry weather spells , which would mean having to water frequently .
Go for it ! What have you got to lose ?
I'm confused I thought spring was also a good time of year to do it, is that not the case?
The area is only part prepared and still need to get the grass seed and need a shady mix so was going to get something from the internet.
I'm not sure why Edd says spring isn't suitable either Kamo, although where I am, late spring is the earliest I could sow grass seed and be sure enough it will germinate reliably. Ground's too wet and cold, as well as overhead temps. The timing of sowing really depends on your own conditions, in my opinion. A couple of years ago, I sowed a new lawn in June. I can get away with that because of the amount of rainfall, whereas people in the south east might struggle because it would be too dry at that time of year. The seed I sowed this July didn't germinate because of the (admittedly unusual ) conditions we had, but it has now rotted. Even the birds didn't want it!
Ground will settle quite a bit over winter with the weather, so I'd definitely leave it so that you can adjust that next year, but others disagree, so it's really up to you I'm afraid.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I agree with Fairy,
but it's about temperature and soil conditions rather than calendar time. Once germinated grass is fine under snow. (experience tells me) but if not germinated before cold and wet sets in it may rot. Cold and wet is unpredictable. Could be next week or next year.
In the sticks near Peterborough
I am still of the view that it's too late for sowing. I do have moderate experience of sowing grass seed, a few acres over the years. Mr Redwing used to be a farmer and also has sown some larger scale field work. Even if you are lucky with the weather, light levels will be low. You say your soil is clay; once clay soil gets cold and wet, it will stay that way until spring when days lengthen and temperatures warm. I think if sown now you will get a poor germination rate and what is there will struggle.
Spring is an excellent time to sow grass seed. You could get a dry spell, as pointed out by Paul but watering with A hose is not so bad. After about six weeks there will be no further need.
Last edited: 21 October 2017 11:20:50