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Establishing Turfgrass Areas
Establishing Turfgrass Areas
From Seed
From Seed
Purdue University
Turf Science
Department of
Agronomy
www.agry.purdue.edu/turf
University of Illinois
Turfgrass Program
Department of
Natural
Resources and
Environmental
Sciences
www.turf.uiuc.edu
Turfgrass establishment is most commonly
accomplished with seed, although sod can also
be used. Sod offers the advantage of an “instant
lawn” whereas seed takes much longer to produce
a green turf. Establishment with seed is much
less expensive than with sod. Establishing a lawn
with seed is not an easy task that should be taken
lightly. Following proper establishment procedures
can produce a healthy turf that one can be proud
of for many years to come.
Late Summer Seeding is Optimal
The best time to seed a cool-season turfgrass
(Kentucky bluegrasses, perennial ryegrasses,
tall fescues and fine-leaf fescues) lawn is in the
late summer to early fall. Adequate soil moisture,
warm soil, and limited weed pressure allow for
excellent seedling growth. Between August 15
and September 15 is optimum seeding time
in the northern half of Indiana and Illinois, and
September 1 to September 30 is optimum in the
southern half of Indiana and Illinois. It is critical to
seed as early as possible within these windows.
Even when seeding within these windows, waiting
one week to seed may mean the stand will take 2
to 4 additional weeks to mature.
Dormant and Spring Seeding
Seeding in spring is difficult and often
unsuccessful. However, there are circumstances
that warrant a spring seeding:
• Thin turf due to winter damage
• Poor turf density due to poor recovery from
previous year’s problems, i.e., grub damage,
drought damage, etc.
• Construction of a new home or business.
If a spring seeding is necessary, consider doing
it before the ground thaws from winter. This is
called “dormant seeding” because the seed will lie
dormant until the soil temperatures warm in April
or May. Depending on your location in Indiana or
Illinois, dormant seeding can be done as early as
Thanksgiving and as late as March. The benefit
of dormant seeding is that as the soil heaves and
cracks during the winter, crevices are created
for the seeds which provide ideal germination
conditions. Additionally, dormant seeding is easier
to schedule than spring seeding, because spring
rains often make it difficult to seed after March
in Indiana and Illinois. Dormant seeding is more
effective in the northern-half of our states because
weather remains cold enough to delay germination
until spring. Occasionally, warmer periods in
the southern-half of our states could allow for
germination and seedling death with ensuing cold
weather.
Summer Seeding
Summer seeding should be avoided. Areas
seeded in summer will succumb to heat and
drought stress because of their limited root
systems summer seedlings are out-competed by
summer annual weeds resulting in a thin weak
sward.
Preparing the Seedbed
A soil test should be taken from the site. The
test will determine fertilizer recommendations for
the area. Correct any deficiencies in nutrients
or pH by following the recommendations on
the soil test report. Use a rotary tiller or other
cultivation equipment to work the soil to a depth
of 4 to 6 inches, incorporating fertilizer or other
soil amendments. Do not work wet soil because
clodding usually results; in addition, overtilling will
destroy soil structure and is not desirable. The soil
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Table 1. Purdue University ‘s 2005 phosphorus recommendations for newly planted turf and for annual
fertilization of established turf.
Soil test values
New sod or seed Annual applications
range ppm lbs P/acre (lb. P
2
O
5
/1000 ft
2
) (lb. P
2
O
5
/1000 ft
2
/yr)
low 0-13 0-25 1.5 1.5
medium 13-25 26-50 1.0 1.0
high 25+ 51+ 1.0 0.0
should be allowed to settle after tilling or compacted
slightly with the tires of a tractor or other suitable
implement. Heavy rains and/or irrigation will hasten
settling. Allowing time for the soil to settle will prevent
undulations and difficult mowing in the future. Just
prior to seeding, rake the area to fi nish grade.
After the area is at finish grade, apply a “starter
fertilizer” to enhance seed germination and
development. Starter fertilizer is high in phosphorus
which is listed as the second number in the analysis
on the fertilizer bag. For instance, a 16-22-8 fertilizer
contains 22% P
2
by weight. Apply the fertilizerO
5
according to the label at 1.5 lb. P
2
O
5
/1000 ft
2
. Refer
to Table 1 for the proper amount of starter fertilizer to
apply.
Seeding
Seed should be applied using a drop spreader
because rotary spreaders do not disperse the seed
uniformly. However, spreaders typically do not
come with calibration information about seeding
turfgrasses. The easiest way to apply seed uniformly
is to set the spreader adjustment very low, sow
one half of the seed in one direction, and then sow
the other half at right angles to the first direction of
seeding. It might take three or more passes over
your lawn in a single direction, but it is well worth
the time to get a uniform seeding. Seeding rate
recommendations are presented in Table 2.
After the starter fertilizer and seed have been
applied, the area should receive a light raking
followed by a light rolling to ensure good seed-soil
contact. A roller designed to be filled with water,
but left empty, is perfect for this job. It is critical to
maximize the seed-soil contact for quick germination
and establishment.
Mulching
Mulching the area will prevent erosion and conserve
water. Therefore, mulching is most important when
it is impossible to adequately irrigate newly-seeded
areas. One bale of clean (weed-free) straw per
thousand square feet will give a light covering that
will not have to be removed after germination. Many
homeowners apply too much mulch, which can
shade seedlings and require removal later. Apply the
mulch very lightly so you can still see approximately
50% of the soil through the mulch layer. Some
professionals use hydromulch which is a paper-
based mulch blown on the soil by a specialized
sprayer, which is an ideal method.
Watering
Seedlings are susceptible to desiccation, and the
seedbed should not be allowed to dry. A newly-
seeded lawn will need to be irrigated two to four
times daily depending on the weather. Water
frequently enough to keep the top 0.5 to 1.0 inch
moist, but avoid over-watering and saturating the
area. Once the seedlings are two inches high,
gradually reduce the frequency of irrigation and
water more deeply. After the turf has been mowed
two or three times, deep and infrequent irrigation is
most effective. Refer to AY-7, Irrigation Practices for
Homelawns, for more information.
Mowing
Mowing a new lawn will encourage the turf to fill
in quickly. Mowing should begin when the fi rst few
seedlings are tall enough to mow. You may only mow
10% of the plants in the first mowing, 20-30% of the
Table 2. Recommended seeding rates for lawns in Indiana and Illinois.
Seed Blend or Mixture Seeding rate
lbs./1000 ft
2
lbs./acre
100% Kentucky bluegrass 1.5-2.0 65-87
85-90% Kentucky bluegrass + 10-15% perennial rye 3.0-4.0 130-175
50-70% Kentucky bluegrass + 30-50% fi ne fescue 4.0-5.0 175-220
100% tall fescue 6.0-9.0 261-348
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plants in the second mowing, and so on. Most wait
too long to mow a newly seeded lawn, so mow early
and often. Initially mow Kentucky bluegrass, perennial
rye, and fine fescue at 1.5 inches and tall fescue at
2.0 inches. After the first three to four mowings, you
can adjust your mower to the permanent mowing
height which is 2.0 to 3.5 inches for Kentucky
bluegrass, perennial rye, and fine fescue and 2.5 to
4.0 inches for tall fescue. As always, never remove
more than 1/3 of the grass blade at any one mowing.
Fertility
New seedlings have poorly developed root systems
and thus they cannot effectively absorb nutrients from
the soil. Therefore, it is important to fertilize frequently
after seeding to encourage establishment. Apply 0.75
to 1.0 lb N/1000 ft
2
four to six weeks after germination
and again eight to ten weeks after germination.
Assuming seeding in mid-August, these applications
would be mid- to late September and again mid- to
late October. For more information on fertilizing
lawns, refer to AY-22, Fertilizing Established Lawns.
Weed Control
There is little weed pressure in the fall so weed
control may not be needed. Broadleaf weeds may
become a problem in the fall, but these can be easily
controlled with a broadleaf herbicide application
in October or November, after the third or fourth
mowing. Avoid using broadleaf herbicides in newly-
seeded areas until seedlings have been mowed at
least three times. Quinclorac and carfentrazone are
the only broadleaf herbicide that are safe to use on
seedling turf.
Annual grasses such as crabgrass can be easily
controlled with preemergence herbicides applied in
the spring. With dormant seedings or seedings made
very late in fall where the lawn is not fully established
by winter, avoid applying a preemergence herbicide
in early spring because it may damage late-
developing seedlings. In this case, consider using a
postemergence crabgrass herbicide later in summer
to control crabgrass. Do not use preemergence
crabgrass controls (except siduron) at the same time
as a spring seeding. As a general recommendation,
delay use of these materials until new seedlings
have been mowed four to eight times, depending
on the herbicide. Check the herbicide label for exact
recommendations. Siduron is the only preemergence
herbicide that can be used at the time of seeding,
but will only control crabgrass for only 3 or 4 weeks.
Quinclorac can be used for postemergence control
of summer annual grassy weeds in seedling turf
with little risk to the desired seedlings. Always apply
according to label instructions, and refer to AY-10,
Control of Crabgrass in Homelawns and AY-9,
Control of Broadleaf Weeds in Homelawns, for more
Authors:
Zac Reicher, Professor and Turfgrass Extension Specialist,
Purdue University Department of Agronomy
Cale Bigelow, Assistant Professor and Turfgrass Extension
Specialist, Purdue University Department of Agronomy
Aaron Patton, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue
University Department of Agonomy
Tom Voigt, Associate Professor and Turfgrass Extension
Specialist, University of Illinois Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Sciences
Rev. 5/2006
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