Now is the time to seed the lawn: by Tom Butzler

May is too late. Too late to pay taxes (unless you file for an extension) and too late to place out grass seed and expect a healthy vigorous stand. Right now until the end of April is a great time to seed the lawn. Germination will occur with a May seeding, but the grass will not be established enough to withstand a dry, hot summer (remember last year?).

Grasses can be categorized into warm and cool season grasses. Warm season grasses are those that actively grow during the warm summer months. These are commonly grown in the southern states and examples include Bermudagrass and St. Augustinegrass. The maximum growth of cool season grass occurs in the spring and fall, entering a semi-dormant period during hot, dry summer months. These are preferred grasses for the cooler part of the United States and are grown in central Pennsylvania.

Going to a buffet restaurant can be tough for some folks as there are too many items to choose. Grass seed selection can be just as difficult as there are several grass species that are commonly used in central Pennsylvania and can fill in a yard. Each grass type has its advantages and disadvantages and adapts to different levels of sunlight, temperature extremes, and wear tolerance. This article will briefly examine turf species for sunny areas.

Kentucky bluegrass seems to be a favorite to many homeowners for several reasons. The biggest asset for this grass is its growth habit. Kentucky bluegrass produces underground stems, called rhizomes that allow it to spread into areas where grass has been injured or removed. This works well in lawns and athletic fields where excessive traffic kills much of the turf. Think of the turf in front of a soccer goal or the middle of the football field at the end of the season. Turf in situations such as these cannot handle the stress and die. Kentucky bluegrass, compared to other cool season grasses, can fill in these damaged areas if the compacted soil is loosened.

This attribute can also be a hindrance as Kentucky bluegrass rhizomes produces a layer of thatch between the grass blades and the soil surface. Thatch is mostly comprised of dead turfgrass stems and roots that accumulate faster than they can be broken down. Too much thatch creates a favorable environment for pests and disease, and poor growing conditions for grass roots.

Kentucky bluegrass has superior recuperative potential when compared to other cool season turfgrasses because of it rhizomatic activity.

Thatch is mostly comprised of dead turfgrass stems and roots that accumulate faster than they can be broken down. Too much thatch creates a favorable environment for pests and disease, and poor growing conditions for grass roots.


Another cool season grass that performs well around here is perennial ryegrass. Unlike Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass is a bunch type grass and does not form rhizomes so there is very little thatch.

Perennial ryegrass produces a bunch-type growth habit and does not fill in empty spaces as well as Kentucky bluegrass.

The absence of a rhizome does prevent it from recovering as quickly as Kentucky bluegrass from foot traffic. One nice advantage to this cool season grass is that it germinates in five days. This quick germination prevents soil erosion and is able to outcompete germinating weeds. Kentucky bluegrass seed can take weeks to germinate. In addition, many perennial ryegrasses have been selected for their ability to house a beneficial fungi that discourages leaf and stem feeding insects from destroy the turf.

Tall fescue and perennial ryegrass are able to fill in an area much quicker than Kentucky bluegrass.

The other major player in cool season grasses for sunny areas is tall fescue. This species is the most drought tolerant of all the cool season grasses as it forms a very deep root system in which to mine water. The leaf blade of tall fescue is a little broader when compared to Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass and looks a little out of place when mixed with these other cool season grasses so tall fescue is best seeded by itself.

The fine fescues, comprised of creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, hard fescue, and sheep fescue are occasionally used in home lawns (not recommended for athletic fields). These grasses are adapted to soils of low fertility and low pH. The fine fescues, except for the hard fescue, are poor choices for a very sunny drought prone area.

When selecting seed for your lawn, examine how the turf is stressed from foot traffic and exposed to sunlight throughout the day. Certain cool season grasses or mixes of grassed may allow your lawn to grow at its fullest potential.