Why Early Fall is the #1 Time to Seed a Lawn.

Full Lawn Care Academy from Jonathan Green on Vimeo.

In New England, lawns are usually seeded with what's called "cool season" grasses. This is because they do their best growth in spring and autumn, with a period of dormancy in the hottest summer weather.

Lawn seed can be sown in either spring or autumn but this article from Jonathan Green (on why seeding can fail) lays out your sowing choices like this: would you rather swim in the ocean in April or in August?

The same reason we'd prefer to swim in August is the same reason grass wants to be planted in August: it's warm. In spring the soil is wet and soggy, weather is unpredictable and there's a shorter window of time before dormancy in summer. Right now we have nice and warm soil for grass to send their roots into, nights are cooler, summer weeds are subsiding and rainfall is more reliable.

For the same reason, fall is the best time to complete maintenance that sets you up for a successful subsequent spring. When it comes to lawns, the old adage that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is certainly true. Read more on fall maintenance here.

Get in-depth instruction on how to seed your lawn from Jonathan Green. This three-minute clip from This Old House talks about why Jonathan Green Black Beauty is the top choice for lawns (they're using sod because it’s freezing weather when they're laying it down).

If you've got 30 minutes and you wanna really learn what's what when it comes to lawns, grab a drink, and get cozy, it's time for the New American Lawn TRAINING ACADEMY.