Lawn Care Blog

If you missed the window of opportunity for seeding your lawn (fall), don't worry, something can still be done: winter dormant seeding.  This type of seeding can be done from December to March in Maryland.  If done right, it can yield excellent results.  In fact, we seeded all of our turfgrass areas around our shop in the winter months and as you can see from the photos, the turf turned out great! The grass variety of choice here is Tall Fesque.  It seems to do particularly well when seeded in winter. This is the the variety we typically use in our aeration/seeding service, though we can special order most seed varieties if needed. Some people prefer fine fesque or perrenial ryegrass for aesthetic reasons.  We recommend fesque for durability and pest resistance characteristics.  It also requires less fertilizer which is environmentally better. 

So if your lawn is still looking thin and weak, or its mostly brown from the dead crabgrass and weeds. Give HillSide Lawn Service a call and lets talk winter dormant seeding, it may be your best option.

  

When preparing to seed your lawn this fall, which is the best time, you're probably wondering what type of seed is best for your lawn. For the mid-Atlantic region, we recommend Turf-Type Tall Fesque grass seed for most applications. This is a full sun grass variety that is drought and heat tolerant. Once it gets established, it will be durable and hold up to traffic stress better than other varieties.  There are other varieties available:

• Perennial Ryegrass
• Fine Fesque
• Kentucky Bluegrass

While these turf varieties look good, they aren't as tolerant of stress factors as Turf-Type Tall Fesque. We can seed your lawn with these grasses but it costs extra and in some cases there may be a wait for us to order the seed. If your lawn is thin or has a lot of bare areas, call us for a free estimate to have it seeded before the fall window of opportunity is gone.

 

 

Why do you think this photo of a local farm pasture is so green and healthy in a July heat wave?  Most home lawns are currently showing signs of heat/drought stress with brown and dormant areas throughout.  Heres why:  a pasture is mowed at 8-12" and can grow higher than that in between mowings.  The tall grass blades shade the soil line preventing the soil profile from drying out (and new weeds germinating).  This allows the grass plants to remain vibrant and green.  Also, pasture grass varieties tend to be drought resistant.  That's why we recomend mowing your grass at 4" and using Turf-Type Tall Fesque for seeding.  Your Maryland lawn may not be as green as this pasture all summer, but following these basic tips will help with the heat/drought stress issues.     Picture taken July 7, 2011.