Grass Confusion

     An article that ran in the Gazette earlier this month shows that what works in Virginia, doesn't necessarily extend to Iowa, especially when it comes to fall planting.  Master Gardener, Devon Dietz, said  that the article, "Now's the time to prep your lawn for that winter nap," written by Kathy Van Mullekem of the Daily Press, Newport News, VA, created some confusion. The Master Gardener Hortline received several questions from gardeners questioning the planting of grass seed in November as suggested in the article.

     Here's what Devon noted: The suggestion in the article is that "Fall is the optimal time to aggressively fertilize cool-season turf grasses - bluegrasses, fescues and ryegrasses."  "The next few weeks are also the best time frame for sowing new grass seed because autumn weather is still warm enough to promote germination."  These statements taken out of context are correct.  However, with a publication date of November 1, the suggestions are not appropriate for our part of Iowa.  Virginia has two growing zones, Zone 7 and parts of the upper elevations of western Virginia are Zone 6.  Our part of Iowa is on the border between Zone 5 in southern Linn County and Zone 4 in northern Linn County.

    The suggestion for fall planting of grass seed from Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture, Iowa State University, is as follows:  "Home gardeners can begin seeding of lawns in mid-August. Seeding should be completed by mid-September in northern Iowa. Gardeners in southern Iowa can sow grass seed up to September 30. Late summer and early fall seeding has several advantages over spring seeding. The cool-season grasses germinate quickly in the warm soil of late summer. The warm days and cool nights of early fall promote rapid turfgrass growth. The growing grass also has less competition from weeds as few weed seeds germinate in the fall. For additional information on seeding a lawn, pick up a copy of Pm-1072, "Establishing a Lawn from Seed," at your local county extension office. A new lawn can also be established by sodding. The best times to sod are spring and late summer/early fall. Fall sodding can be done until the ground freezes or is covered with snow."