In Kansas City, our lawns can take a beating the previous summer from the heat and lack of water. If you did not take necessary steps to seed and repair your Kansas City lawn in the fall, you may need to do this in the spring. If you are forced to do this, there are certain things you need to remember before trying to bring back your Kansas City lawn by sowing new seeds into your lawn.
First of all, 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? Most of the time if you have properly cared for your lawn during the spring and summer months, kept the weeds under control, and fed your lawn, it is just an ideal time to try and repair any damage to your Kansas City lawn. 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.
Why not just seed my Kansas City lawn in the spring? The single biggest reason is that you will not be able to treat for weeds. 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 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 in the spring in Kansas City, get started in early March and 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!
