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Proper soil temps for seed to set roots?

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germination renovate lawn soil temperature
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3.9K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  oqueoque  
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#1 ·
I live in temp zone 4b-5a in NW Colorado. I'm currently doing a yard renovation and have most of my yard stripped down to bare dirt. It is a mix of direct sunlight and shade and I'd like to plant one variety of grass seed across the entire yard. I purchased a ryegrass and Kentucky bluegrass blend to seed with. I've since read that those species will likely not grow due to my soil temp being between 60 and 90° daily. Do I in fact need to wait until cooler temps to seed and begin watering my yard? If so what are the ideal soil temps I should be looking for? Lastly if I do in fact have to wait for more ideal temps how do I maintain the current bareness of my yard? Should I rake 3-4 times a week to avoid weed growth and keep the soil loose? I appreciate all the help as this is my first complete yard renovation. Appreciate any suggestions or help?

Thanks.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Not sure of best temperature.
A top-quality shade seed would be wise if you have less than 6 hours of sunlight each day.

I usually suggest sowing seed about 8 weeks before frost--for northern grass. Warm soil results in quick germination--provided--you keep said soil moist. And the cool weather of fall is a big advantage--especially if accompanied by rain.
Warm soil is fine if you do not get pythium disease as a result of high soil temps and saturation with water.
Fungicide treated seed or a fungicide treatment applied to the soil can prevent pythium seed rot. Do not saturate the soil with water--moist--not wet.
See this info.


And...

Shade Grass Seed - Lawn Seed For Shade

Outsidepride.com offers a wide selection of shade grass seed for your lawn, golf course, putting greens and fairways. If you need lawn seed for shade, look through our selection of grass seed options.
www.outsidepride.com www.outsidepride.com

This source at Iowa state indicates that night temps below 68 degrees new grass will not be attacked by pythium.

Pythium and other diseases

Lukily the nights are cooling down. We generally consider 68 F night temp. as the cut off for Pythium development. Even if you have hot daytime temps, if the night temp falls below 68, Pythium usually will not develop. Brown patch appears to be wide spread this season. Dollar spot is just...
www.extension.iastate.edu www.extension.iastate.edu
 
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#4 ·
As of yesterday I started taking soil temps every hour to track the range. My probe is probably about 2 inches deep and the temp range I've seen thus far is 60-93. I agree that I should hold off a few weeks until the temperature starts trending downward. I will be setting my yard up to be watered via timers and will adjust accordingly to keep the ground moist and not wet. I'm thinking 10 minute sessions 4-5 times a day. That will be dependent on temps at the time and I will adjust accordingly. The grass seed is a combination of brands consisting of Scotts commercial mix all purpose sunny and shady areas, Scotts thick r lawn sun n shade, and a custom mix of 75% bluegrass/25% ryegrass. I plan to mix all this together and spread according to instructions. Followed by a light raking and thin/light layer of straw on top. I also have a bag of Scotts turf builder starter "new grass plant food. Not sure if I should spread that immediately following the seeding or not? Please chime in with any suggestions or if you like or hate my plan this far? Is the straw cover worth doing? Hoping it will help retain moisture and keep the birds from eating all my seed?

Lastly since I am planning to wait another couple weeks to seed, what should I do in the meantime with all the bare topsoil? Rake it occasionally to keep it loose or just leave it be until time to seed?

Thanks for the replys.
 
#8 ·
Keep in mind Scotts Thick-R-lawn is not actually grass seed. It is a mixture of mulch, fertilizer and grass seed. You need to use about twice as much because of the low levels of actual seed in the mixture.
You apply about 10 pounds per thousand sqft. They call their mulch : "soil improver".

 
#9 ·
#10 ·
An excellent article published by the University of Delaware titled “Turf – Critical Temperatures” states you should not plant cool-season grass seed until soil temperatures drop below 70 degrees in the fall. Turf - Critical Temperatures

The most significant risks in sowing seed early are fungus (Pythium and melting out) and heavy thunderstorms that will wash away your grass seed. By the time soil temperatures drop to 70 degrees, much of the risk of fungus and heavy thunderstorms has passed.

You can track your soil temperature here:

Soil Temperature Maps | GreenCast | Syngenta
 
#12 ·
I seeded my own lawn in the middle of August one year in zone 7 , which is about two weeks before our local University Rutgers, who has a turf program recommends. The seed germinated and was growing great, then a storm came that brought rain followed by muggy humid conditions for about 18 hours and Pythium killed a lot of the just germinated seed.it looked like this..
Image


extension.psu.edu

Turfgrass Diseases: Damping-Off Diseases (Causal Fungi: Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium spp.)

Damping-off is a term that refers to diseases of seedlings. These diseases can occur on grasses that have been recently planted and emerged as seedlings or prior to emergence while still in the soil.
extension.psu.edu extension.psu.edu
 
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