Sowing lawn in November or other months with frost does not occur to every garden owner. When the garden is dormant in the winter, the gardener also wants to take a step back.
As a landscaper, I know that there are, of course, smaller gardening jobs to be done during the winter months. And why not take care of the lawn, which perhaps playing children maltreated in the summer.
In some places, the lush green has become delicate gaps that should be closed. Now this raises the question:
Contents
- 1 Can lawns be sown in winter when it is frosty?
- 2 How to sow the lawn in winter – 5 tips.
- 3 Tip 1: Prepare the soil properly
- 4 Tip 2: Level the lawn
- 5 Tip 3: Allow a resting period
- 6 Tip 4: Sowing correctly
- 7 Tip 5: Water sufficiently, but not too much.
- 8 What happens after sowing the lawn in winter?
- 9 What are the advantages of seeding in the winter?
- 10 What are the disadvantages of sowing in winter?
- 11 FAQ
- 12 Can a lawn freeze in winter?
- 13 Should snow be cleared from the lawn in winter?
- 14 What lawn care is useful in winter?
- 15 When can be mowed after sowing in winter?
- 16 Author
Can lawns be sown in winter when it is frosty?
Late sowing even in frost is basically not a problem. This is because lawn seeds, like the plants they produce, are hardy. In theory and practice, for example, the lawn can be sown in November. There are also hardy varieties for sowing in winter.
The seeds do not mind sowing in winter. With germination, they just wait until the temperature rises to about ten degrees. However, in long and frosty winters, the seed may dry out. Then it must be sown again, because a dried out seed will not germinate.
How to sow the lawn in winter – 5 tips.
Sowing lawn in frost in winter is possible in principle. However, it should be limited to when brown spots or gaps need to be reseeded. If a complete lawn is to be reseeded, it is advisable to do so only in the spring.
Tip 1: Prepare the soil properly
Frozen soil is naturally difficult to work with. Warm water can be used to thaw frozen areas. These are now loosened up. A garden claw or hand hoe is then used to clear the subsoil of unwanted plants.
Tip 2: Level the lawn
In frosty conditions, there is a risk of plants tearing and leaving parts of their roots in the ground. The cleaned area is now best leveled cleanly with a wooden rake. This should not create any unevenness in which water can collect later.
Tip 3: Allow a resting period
The prepared soil may now rest for a few days. Only when it is completely dry can the seed be sown. This is because moist soil clumps easily and deprives the lawn seeds of their basis for growth.
Tip 4: Sowing correctly
Sowing is done on a sunny and windless day, so that the light seeds are not carried away by the wind or only gather in one place. For the amount of seed, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on the type of lawn, different amounts of grams of seed are applied per square meter of soil.
Tip 5: Water sufficiently, but not too much.
Late sowings also require sufficient moisture. When seeding lawns in November or other winter months, for example, it is usually wetter than in the summer. Nevertheless, the gardener now has to be careful. On the one hand, the freshly sown seed must not dry out, and on the other hand, waterlogging must not be allowed to form.
If the seed dries out, it is ruined because it can no longer germinate. In case of waterlogging the seed rots. He also does not find this amusing and does not sprout.
What happens after sowing the lawn in winter?
After sowing, the first thing is to wait and water regularly. When there is no more frost and the air temperature reaches ten degrees, the lawn seed begins to germinate. This takes between a week and three weeks, depending on the variety.
Even if the soil has been cleared of weeds before sowing, there is always a possibility of daisies, clover or dandelions establishing themselves in the first few weeks. The young plants can be easily removed.
If the lawn has grown sufficiently and is kept at a constant length of four centimeters by a robotic mower, for example, the uninvited guests will not be able to spread.
When the first cut is made depends on how quickly the freshly sown lawn sprouts. At low temperatures below ten degrees and isolated after frosts, the lawn takes more time. How quickly the lawn grows, in turn, has to do with the variety or the lawn seed mixture.
After the first cut the lawn may be fertilized. After the first cut, you can also immediately see if there are any small gaps that need to be reseeded.
If the new beautiful lawn is then mowed regularly, i.e. every day or every other day, it no longer needs to be fertilized or mulched. The short cuttings simply remain lying. As it rots, it returns the nutrients to the soil.
What are the advantages of seeding in the winter?
Late seeding has the great advantage that there is little other work to be done in the garden and the gardener has more time.
Since the sun shines in at a shallower angle during the winter months, there is less radiation. As a result, the freshly sown lawn needs to be watered less often. Also, it is usually wetter in the winter months than in the summer anyway.
Late seeding is equally advantageous in that the lawn has more time to form a good root system and grow by spring. For the same reason, for example, shrubs, hedges or trees like to be used in the fall.
What are the disadvantages of sowing in winter?
When sowing lawn in November, in mild winters you may be lucky that the ground is not yet frozen. Otherwise, it will be difficult to prepare the soil, work in the lawn seeds and level the ground.
If the seeds lie open on the ground, the birds will be more pleased than the gardener. After all, especially in the cold season, birds are happy to have any food.
If the lawn seed has germinated, the next frost could catch it cold. Because once the young blades have gone through a frost, they can no longer absorb water and dry up. There even watering does not bring salvation.
FAQ
Can a lawn freeze in winter?
Those who sow their lawns usually use the seed mixtures offered in stores. These consist of sweet grasses that are winter-hardy or frost-hardy.
If it is cold and dry for a long time in the winter months, the lawn can turn brown. In this case, the grasses simply lack water. So they dry up and do not freeze.
Therefore, it is advisable to water the lawn, as well as evergreen plants in winter, provided that the ground is not frozen.
Should snow be cleared from the lawn in winter?
Snow has a protective function. It protects the lawn from frost and from drying out. Therefore, the garden owner can save himself the work of clearing the snow from the lawn.
What lawn care is useful in winter?
At temperatures below ten degrees, the lawn goes into vegetation dormancy. During this winter dormancy, it does not grow, so it does not require human care – that is, it does not want to be fertilized.
During the winter break, the blades are happy to rest. Only occasionally they want a little water, should it not have rained for a long time during a frost-free period.
When can be mowed after sowing in winter?
Depending on the outdoor temperature Between the end of March and the beginning of April, the lawn can be mowed for the first time in the year. Already from six degrees Celsius the blades begin to grow slowly. And from ten degrees, the growth phase of the lawn begins.
A practical helper here is a robotic mower, where the mowing times and cutting height can be programmed or adjusted.
