When to plant grass (lawn, fertilizer, bugs, seeding)

[mommytotwo]

should i plant grass in the spring or fall?

I have an area of the yard that we cleared, and I want some advice as to when to plant the grass, I can either do it now or wait till spring, but someone told me that it is better to do it in the fall than fight with all the bugs and weeds in the spring.

Are there less bugs/weeds in the fall? I did have a lot of weeds.

And what is a good brand / type of seed to use. I used Scott's premium on another part of the yard and it came up pretty good. Is there something better?

[si33]

...my best advise..is to plant grass in the fall...
...grass started during this time will have a chance to get going before winter sets in...taking advantage of cooling weather yet soil which is still relatively warm....
.....spring is usually the second best time to install a lawn...for much the same reasons...
..depending on the size of the area in question...is sod installation an option?..or are you seeding ...both are best put in during the times i suggested above...
......as for the question as to what to recommend,it all depends on #1,the over all exposure of the site,and secondly,how the lawn area would be used...alot of traffic?..stick with durable seed blends which will take abuse,...little or no traffic?..go ahead with more delicate blends...
....just remember to grade the area before you seed or install sod...also,..if you seed,..cover lightly with straw...cover the seed too heavily and it won't be able to push through the straw...also, use of a pre emergant fertilizer will help the lawn get off to a good start..and prevent any weeds you might disturb during installation...either season ...

[wit-nit]

There are no active bugs in the winter, they either go dormant or freeze to death, so I would not worry about that. Weeds should be inactive too in Mass with your frost and freezes.
I would start seeding in the spring when the weather indicates its time, which normally is when temps hit 65 degrees nighttime temps. All grasses in Mass go dormant with the freeze/cold weather there.
Never heard of pre-emergent fertilizers??? Pre-emergent weed/vegetation killer products yes.

[mdvaden]

Originally Posted by mommytotwo

should i plant grass in the spring or fall?

I have an area of the yard that we cleared, and I want some advice as to when to plant the grass, I can either do it now or wait till spring, but someone told me that it is better to do it in the fall than fight with all the bugs and weeds in the spring.

Are there less bugs/weeds in the fall? I did have a lot of weeds.

And what is a good brand / type of seed to use. I used Scott's premium on another part of the yard and it came up pretty good. Is there something better?

I don't know your climate.

Here, in sunny areas we can use seed for ryegrass, which takes 5 to 8 days to germinate. I'd never spread it later than October 1st.

In shady spots, fine fescue will be in the seed mix, and it takes 14 to 18 days or so just to germinate. If spread October 1st, it may barely get started.

[Rtom45]

Now is an excellent time to plant grass in the Northeast. Soil preparation is important, make sure the seed makes good contact with the soil. Straw or other type of cover is helpful. Starter fertilizer is important. If you're happy with the Scotts seed that you used previously, stay with that. Make sure you water, seed needs to stay moist til it germinates, then water as needed after germination. You may get some weeds germinating also, but they can be controlled in the spring once the grass is established.

[Moth]

Spring or Fall are best, but I planted a brand new lawn from seed starting in August. I simply watered before leaving for work every morning and repeated again at dusk. Came out fine.

[MarkotheAussie]

buffalo grass mixed with couch grass Cynodon dactylon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
is a good hardy lawn mix.

What grass are you planting? A cool season grass needs to be planted in autumn. A warm season grass needs to be planted in spring.

[mommytotwo]

I have no idea. The bag I got at BJ's, scotts premium mix. I've run out now so I don't even have the package. I will have to take a look at it next time I am there.

Most of the grass I planted in the spring is doing great, although I just noticed that a patch in one area is doing pretty poorly. I don't know what happened over there although I can honestly say I haven't watered much in the last month and a half, but we've had sooo much rain i kind of forgot to think about it. After I saw the dried up grass, I realized that we did have a stretch of good weather. I am going to baby it a bit and hopefully it will come back.

Thanks to all of you for your responses!!

They should have a big brother/big sister program for first time home buyers. You know, experienced homeowner/inexperienced homeowner program

This is coming from someone who already suggested that they match up young first time home buyers with elderly people going into condos and nursing homes to sell their yard tools at a discount. I cannot believe how much money we spent on rakes, shovels, etc.....