Why Is September the Best Time to Plant Grass Seed for Landscaping in Kennewick?

There are two main reasons to plant grass seed in September for your Kennewick landscaping.  The first reason is because our grasses are cool season grasses such as Kentucky Blue that don’t do as well in the hot summer months.

So why not plant in May, you might ask?  That leads to the second reason to plant in September: weed germination is in full swing in the Spring but not so much in September.  If you live in Kennewick and make use of the abundant irrigation water that is available you know how much you have to weed a vegetable patch due to all the weed seeds that are brought in through the irrigation system.  Though May is a good month temperature wise those poor little grass seedlings will have to compete with some pretty unfriendly weeds to get a spot in the sun. If you live in Richland or Pasco your water is cleaner and weed growth is not such a problem.

This ideal planting time of early September still allows for the grass to grow tall and strong enough before winter, provided that it is watered until the first week of November.

One workaround to this weed problem when planting in May is to use your tap water instead of your irrigation system for watering.  If you are installing a small area or just repairing some areas that have been damaged or over-used then using tap water is feasible and won’t make your water bill skyrocket.

As for a watering schedule, for best results water it often enough to not let the lawn dry out (2-3 times a day for about 5 minutes) until the lawn is ready for its first mowing. Let the ground dry out the day before mowing so you don’t mow a muddy, wet lawn. Water after mowing and go to a once-a-day, 10-minute watering for about a week. Each week, water less often but longer. Your goal is to water once a week for an hour in a fully-established lawn (with a couple of waterings in between on particularly hot, dry stretches). This deep-soaks the ground, resulting in longer roots and more drought resistance, a necessity for landscaping in Kennewick, WA.

For the best time of day to water you will want to do that in the early morning while it is still cool so more of your water ends up in the ground rather than in the air.  Also, in the morning the top layer of soil will dry out soon to prevent mushroom growth.  If you water in the evening your top layer of soil stays wetter longer which encourages mushroom growth.

If all this sounds like too much work give us a call at 509-521-6567 to arrange a time for us to come out and give you a free quote for installing your new lawn. For landscaping in Kennewick, WA you can count on us to provide a top-quality service.