Late summer is the best time to seed, but sometimes turf must be seeded in the spring. The following points should help improve the success of spring seedings:
- Seed as soon as possible (now is not too early) so the seed is in the ground and ready to germinate as soon as the soil temperatures rise.
- Improve the seed-soil contact by raking or disturbing the soil before seeding. After seeding, a light raking will further mix the seed and soil or a light rolling will push the seed into better contact with soil.
- Water lightly to keep the seedbed moist as soil temperatures warm to 50o and the seed starts to germinate.
- Avoid any herbicide applications to the seeded areas until the seedlings are established and mowed at least 3 or 4 times (this might be May or later depending on the weather).
- Since the seedlings will not develop a good root system until next fall, keep the newly seeded areas well-watered all summer.
Much more information is available in AY-20: Seeding a Turf Area in the Spring.