Digging Up

Question

I have different kinds of grass/weeds growing in the front yard. I want to dig all of it up down to the dirt, then add some top soil and new seed. Will the new grass be ok for this summer’s weather? Thank you.

Answer 1

Spring is a good time for planting warm-season grasses but you will still need to keep it watered over summer while it establishes strong roots. Generally, however, fall is better for planting most other types of grass seed. Fall weather has an ideal amount of rainfall and temperatures for grass seed germination. You have two options for fall grass seed planting. You can plant the seeds in September and the grass will germinate and establish this year, or you can plant the seeds after this, and they will stay dormant for the winter and germinate in early spring, when the conditions are ideal as well. The bonus of a late fall grass seed planting is that many of the local birds will have left by then, making the seed less vulnerable to them (as spring planting means also protecting the seeds from birds). Then the winter rain or snow will quickly cover it up until spring.