When is the best time to plant cool season grass?

Question

I live in eastern Virginia and currently have Bremuda Grass (with a little of this and that mixed in) and I want to plant a grass that is nice and dark green all season long. Hybrid Fescue turfgrass (I think, please correct me if I am wrong). I know that I SHOULD have dethached and pulled up as much as possible in the fall and reseeded then. Well, I missed it. Am I SOL until next Fall?

Answer 1

You can successfully plant in the spring and fall. If you plant in the spring though you can't apply a pre-emergent crabgrass control, this will prevent the grass seed from germinating. If you are looking into tall fescue make sure it is labeled "turf type" tall fescue. The other variaties are very wide bladed and resemble crabgrass.

Answer 2

Brian is right. Wait until August and kill all the Bermuda while it is nice and green. Hit it with Roundup, wait two weeks, and hit all the areas that are still green again. In September rent a dethatcher and dethatch the dead Bermda Grass. Next scalp it low with your mower set on the lowest or next up from the lowest setting. Then fertilize with Starter Fertilizer, apply lime, and apply your Fescue seed. And last, go back over it in the opposite direction with the dethatching machine. Do not bother to wheat-straw it, you just planted the seed at the perfect depth with the dethatching blades. Wheat straw will just add wheat grass seed that you will need to destroy latter.
Your new Fescue lawn will come up like carpet. The following August (2009), some of the Bermuda will have come back. Spot-treat it with Ornamec, which is selective for Bermuda, and doesn't bother the Fescue much. Then overseed in September again.

Answer 3

I would wait until next fall. If you plant it in the spring and it is a hot dry summer, you will have to water A LOT or your newly planted grass will die. On the other hand, your Bermuda will be green this summer, so you won't be missing out on anything by waiting.

Plus, I have heard eliminating Bermuda is a painful process. You will need to use lots of grass killer and that will only work while the grass is actively growing. At this point I don't think there is anyway for you to sow your fescue this spring and not have it overrun with Bermuda by August.