New lawn seeding will work best if it is done in the spring or fall. If you live in eastern Iowa, you finally saw some rain last night. Though the amount of rain was an insignificant amount, it was still better than nothing. Since we have not seen much rain in the past several months, most of the un-irrigated grass around here is pretty burnt. If you have some bare areas in your lawn that you are wanting to seed, you might have to wait till fall. With the temperatures high and the lack of moisture, now is not a good time to start a new lawn seeding. If you have a new construction project, it is best to hold off seeding and sodding until fall.
New lawn seeding will require substantial watering to promote healthy growth. You will need to keep your soil moist so that the seed can properly germinate. If you try seeding during the summer months with high temperatures and lack of moisture, you will have to constantly water your new seed. If you stop watering your seed after it germinates, your seed will die do to the lack of moisture. New seed does not have the deep root system that established grass has. Established grass is able to pull moisture from deep in the soil to meet its needs.
Spring and fall new lawn seeding.
Spring and fall are the optimal times to seed your lawn. Cooler temperatures with occasional rain provides the perfect growing conditions for seed. In the spring depending on the temperature, we recommend seeding after mid April. Try to seed after all major frost chances are out of the forecast. It may be necessary to supplement your seed with some watering of your own if mother nature does not provide enough moisture. If you are seeding in the spring, be aware that applying pre-emergent weed control products to your lawn will effect the way your grass seed germinates or lack there of.