Pennington Grass Seed - Ask Extension
Hi.... bought a bag of Pennington grass seed at Menards and read the instructions on when to plant. I am using this to patch three areas of my lawn th...
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Pennington Grass Seed #826874
Asked April 24, 2023, 7:40 AM EDT
Hi.... bought a bag of Pennington grass seed at Menards and read the instructions on when to plant. I am using this to patch three areas of my lawn that didn't do well with last years attempt at seeding. The directions say to plant in "early spring" and this year, "early spring" is a mystery. If I have it right, the ground temperature has to be 55 degrees for the seed to germinate? So I suspect right now is too early? Traditionally, farmers and gardeners wait until after May 10th to plant. Is that probably a better date to also plant grass seed?
And one final question. power raked my yard to dethatch it and took out a mountain of dead grass. Then I applied some Menards brand pre-emergent herbicide/fertilizer. It has rained/snowed on this several times since I did this a few weeks ago. Is it safe to put down the grass seed soon and my thinking is that the pre-emergent might affect the seeds...... or am I OK on this?
Your help is greatly appreciated... and thanks so much!!!
Dennis
Ramsey County Minnesota
Expert Response
Dennis, Thanks for the questions regarding grass seed. The best time to seed is in late August/early September because seed germinates well then and because there are far fewer weeds germinating at that time. Early spring is the next best time to seed. So now is fine!
However, your second question changes that! A pre-emergent herbicide, as you have applied, prevents seeds , including grass seeds, from germinating. It should say how long it is effective on the package. If you treated those areas in which you want to seed grass, unfortunately, you will need to hold off until the pre-emergent is no longer effective before laying down the grass seed.
Paul
Thank you!
