Selecting the Right Grass Seed for Your Lawn

Winter can take its toll on your lawn. As your grass begins to break dormancy, you may notice brown spots or bare patches. This damage can be caused by a number of factors, including winter kill, dog urine, disease and insect activity.

April is generally a good time to repair and rebuild your lawn and a simple, cost effective way to do this is to apply grass seed.  Whether you're spot seeding or re-seeding the whole lawn, there are two important factors to consider. First, you need to know the type of grass you have, so you can select the right seed. Second, you need to know when’s the best time to apply your grass seed.

Turf grasses are generally divided into two categories: cool season grasses and warm season grasses. Cool season grasses include Kentucky Blue Grass, Perennial Rye Grass and Turf Type Tall Fescue.  Cool season grass seed should be planted as soon as the soil temperature reaches 50° F. As of April 4, 2018 at 0730, the soil temperature is in the low to mid 40°s. While Kentucky Blue grass is the predominate turf grass in our area, many lawns are combinations of Blue grass, Perennial Rye grass and Turf Type Fescue grass.

Warm season grasses include Buffalo grass and Blue Grama. Warm season grasses should be planted when the soil temperature reaches 60° F, generally in May. 

Buffalo grass is a short, dense, sod-forming grass. It generally grows from 4” to 6” high.

Buffalo grass can be sown directly into the ground once the soil temperature has warmed sufficiently. You can also start seeds in trays and then transplant the plugs to the area you’re trying to get started. Buffalo grass does not perform well in higher elevations (above 6,500 feet). If you need a grass that does well at our altitude and up to 9,00', plant Blue Grama. Blue Grama is a drought tolerant native grass. You can direct sow Blue Grama with good success, once the soil temperature is 60° or higher. Blue Grama is the state grass of Colorado.

Choosing the right grass seed is the first step to getting your lawn in shape for the coming season. We carry a wide variety of turf grass seed.  We can help you select the right seed for your particular lawn situation and because we carry grass seed in bulk, you can buy the exact amount of seed you'll need.