MY GARDENING PRO

Do you have a few unsightly bare spots in your lawn because you did not have time to get your grass seeds down during the fall?

 

I have found myself at that point several times during the last few years. It is like being stuck between a rock and a hard spot, you don’t want to wait until spring and you don't want to leave those spots bare. Some people do choose to go ahead and plant their grass seeds in the Spring, but I would not recommend it. Once Spring hits, you need to be focusing your lawn care effort on treating for pesky weeds. Others may choose to wait until the Fall, which can also lead to disaster. Weeds love nothing better than a nice sunny patch to sprout up. 

 

But wait there is a third option, as long as you live in an area that receives one decent snowfall per year. Instead of waiting for Spring or letting the weeds take over, I would recommend to put your grass seed down in the winter months just before a snow storm. Some people may think this sounds crazy, but it works time and time again.

 

The snow provides three main benefits to help the grass seeds grow:

 

1. Provides the grass seeds with adequate water.

2. The snow coverage offers protection from birds and other scavengers.

3. The weight of the snow on the grass seeds compacts the seeds down into the soil. This creates a deeper, stronger root system.

 

The trick is to be prepared before snow arrives. You will want to have a hard rake, a bag of topsoil, straw and grass seeds before there is even a chance of snow. Once you have a reliable forecast for atleast two inches of snow you will be ready to plant your seeds.