In Kansas City, our lawns can take a beating in the summer from the heat and lack of water. If your lawn needs to be seeded, there are certain things you need to remember before trying to bring back your Kansas City lawn.
The best time to seed in Kansas City is in the fall, on our around September 1st and finishing up around September 30th. Why is fall the best time to seed? You have less weeds at the beginning of fall, the temps start to drop, and moisture starts to increase again, all making an ideal environment for seeding in Kansas City. A best practice when seeding your Kansas City lawn include scarifying the bare areas with either a rake or verticutter machine, ensuring seed contact with the soil. This will help to ensure good germination of your newly planted seed.
Why shouldn’t I seed my Kansas City lawn in the spring? The single biggest reason is that you will not be able to treat for weeds in a timely manner. This includes putting down a pre-emergent weed preventer for crabgrass, as well as spraying a broadleaf herbicide on weeds such as Kansas City dandelion and henbit. Why? It will simply hurt the new seed if it is applied after the seed is down, and applying weed control before seed will prevent the seed from germinating. Basically, if you seed in the spring, you will have to live with the weeds.
Bottom line, if you must seed, fall is the optimum time. And remember, make sure you do not do any type of weed control measures until you have grown the newly germinated grass to a minimum of 5 inches and have cut the new grass at least two times for optimal results in Kansas City. Good luck!
