The Grass Doctor

What's the best type/brand of seeds should I use to plant new grass?

I want to replant my front lawn.

Public Comments

1. First what type of grass are CORRECT for your conditions ? Bermuda seed is very expensive and has a low germination rate unless everything is just right. If you do this seed b/c it's so small you need to mix it well with some fine beach sand and then put in your spreader so it distributes evenly. It is very expensive . Cenipede , Zoysia and St. Augustine are also hard and expensive to do from seed. Hence the reason most people that choose these varieties do sod. Fescue is probably the cheapest but it's time to be laid is in the fall. Try and do it in the spring and it will not have time to "establish" it's root's before the summer heat and it will die by August. Most important aspect's in selecting seed is the right type for your growing conditions. Light and rainfall. After that ,and you decide on the type, then look at how "old" it is. Laws govern that a date be printed on the label. Look. The older the seed the less germination rate. Another is the weed seed content - look it's on the label. next is when to plant. Seed will NOT germinate until the SOIL temp. is above 65 degrees. Water and keep moist until it sprouts. After that ,about once a day for a week. Then about every 3rd day . Now your tired of watering, so go 1 more week and see what mother nature has in store for you.
2. The kind of grass seeds you use to replant on your lawn depends largely on what look you want for your lawn. Different grasses have different leaf shape. Obviously, they are all elongated but some leaves of grasses are a bit slimmer while others are wider. You might also want to consider light conditions your lawn gets. Last Fall, we replanted our lawn. Since we didn't know what grass species the original lawn had, we just picked one from the store. Our lawn has two grown trees on the front and the area near the tree was bare so we decided to choose the seed that is suitable for open areas as well as shady areas. We watered the newly sown area everyday. After a week, we saw that the seeds sprouted even in the shady area and it grew well. We've used sods too on some parts of our lawn. The good thing with sod is that you'll have instant grass. But it is laborious to care. As soon as the sods arrive, you have to plant (roll) it right away. So better prepare the area ahead of time. Then, you have to water them twice a day for weeks until you see that there is a new growth (new leaves). This means that the grass has established into the new area. I bought our sod from a landscaping business.