if i plant my lawn now will it come up in the spring? (maine)?

Question

i live in maine, and its pretty cold out

Answer 1

Seeding now is known as dormant season seeding. Cool season grasses can be sown late in the fall while soil temps are below 55 degrees F and outside temps are low as they are now in Maine. Grass seed sown at this time of the year will not germinate until next spring. Dormant season seeding does have risks. Consistent snow cover through the winter helps to ensure that grass seed will still be present come next spring (it helps to prevent predation by birds or wind erosion during winter). Also, consistent snow cover insulates the seed from mid-winter warm-ups that could trigger premature germination and winter kill should cold temps return (this latter issue is probably more of an issue further south than in Maine). The advantage of dormant season seeding is that is can be done at a time when little else is going on in the landscape and the seed is in place for spring regardless of the weather this coming spring (sometimes spring is so wet that its difficult to get the equipment into the yard to seed).

Answer 2

Some of it would probably come up next spring, Hon, but I don't know that I'd risk it, especially if you get heavy rains next spring that will wash a good deal of your seed away.
I'm in Ag Zone 5; I'm guessing that you're in Zone 4. The optimum time for planting grass seed in our chillier zones is September, when the days are warm and sunny and the nights are cool, with dew forming in the early hours.
You probably don't want to go all next summer without a lawn though. I've had reasonably good success planting grass in late spring (May/June), after the heaviest spring rains and before it gets suffocatingly hot.
There's a variety too that I recommend above all others, if you can find it---it's called Kentucky Fescue 31, and it's the BEST. It germinates readily, fills in unbelieveably quickly, and stays green even in drought conditions.

Answer 3

No.. The seed will not survive the cold nights in Maine that you experience now. You will have to wait til after the last freeze in the spring or a little before that if you cover the seed with straw or the garden soil tarps.

Answer 4

Grasses used in Maine are often seeded in late summer. Late summer (August 15 to September 15) seeding allows turf grass seeds to germinate rapidly in the warm soil. The warm days and cool nights are ideal for seedling growth. In addition, there is less weed competition in late summer than in early spring. If weeds are not a concern on your site, late spring (May) seeding can result in an excellent lawn. Summer seeding can also yield a high-quality turf, but you must irrigate frequently to prevent the seed from drying out. Cool-season grasses such as the following are used in Maine:

Answer 5

I agree with the person above. Some of it may come up next spring but you would have much better results to just wait until then to put the seed down. There certainly is no advantage to putting it down now.

Answer 6

You will get lot's do and don't answers.
My suggestion is; Do contact
University of Maine Extention for advice.
http://www.umext.maine.edu/
We have a poor soul that gives a longer resume' than an answer and I'm not sure if they are accurate.
Accuracy will however come by using you local extention services. Not all answers are the same for all states.

Find Your County Office
Gardening & Horticulture
Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine
Scroll down to contact
http://www.umext.maine.edu/

http://www.umext.maine.edu/

Answer 7

lol wow dosn't grass grow in the spring??