Fall Fescue Seeding 101

If you’ve never seeded for fescue before, you may be wondering where to start. While the experience is simple on paper, there are a lot of dependencies at play. If you’ve determined fescue is right for you, here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Before Seeding

It’s generally better to seed too early than too late (even late August, before it’s even technically fall, is better than waiting too late into the season). For most lawns, September or early October is the safest bet. To really make the most of your lawn’s seeding potential, here are some guidelines and considerations:

• Make sure soil temperatures are greater than 55 degrees
• Ensure the soil is moist enough (and not overly soaked)
• A soil test is highly recommended (this will go a long way for understanding it and what can help improve it).
• Aerate your lawn if you’re not planning for core-aeration seeding (more on this below)

During Seeding

You’ll need to rake your soil surface sufficiently, measure the amount of needed seed and then sow it by hand or with a broadcast spreader. Typically, a fescue seeding rate is 5-6 pounds of seed per 1000 feet. If you’re on your own, these steps can get tricky and time-consuming. With the right lawn care service company, though, they’ll take care of the hard work for you.

At Fairway Green, seeding is a multi-month process that goes from late August to the last week of October. We offer both slit-seeding and core-aeration seeding, based on the condition of your lawn and what can best benefit it. We handpick our seed, which we call Southern Perfection, for high performance, disease resistance, heat/drought tolerance and other great benefits.

After Seeding

The job isn’t over when the seed is in the ground. Take these steps to ensure things go according to plan:

• Remove leaves from your lawn as soon as they fall. Blowing is preferable to raking if possible.
• Adjust your mower to the highest setting.
• Water your lawn consistently. Germination and development will take much longer if you do not water or are unable to do so.
• Be patient. It’s common to have seeds germinate and develop throughout the winter and early spring, so don’t worry if things don’t happen overnight.
• Take care of your lawn with fertilizer and whatever other services it calls for.
• Plan to reseed and aerate (or core-aeration seed) around the same time next year.

Fairway Green Knows Fescue Lawn Seeding

With our help and our custom fescue seed, you can achieve the fescue lawn of your dreams. To get started, request a free lawn estimate and learn more about which seeding experience can work best for your home.