The Best Grass Seed For Connecticut
Which Connecticut Grass Seed is Best for Your Home?
Starting a new lawn on your Connecticut property needs some planning and forethought. At the root of a lush lawn is feeding and seeding. However, you also need to plant at the right time, prepare your seedbed, and choose the right grass seed.
Without these essential steps, the grass truly will be green on the other side — which is to say that your neighbor’s lawn may be more inviting than your own. According to the Hartford Courant, too many property owners’ lawns suffer because they don’t know about these essentials.
In this article, you’ll learn which Connecticut grass seed is best for your property and how to care for germinating seeds once you’ve planted them.
How is Connecticut’s Climate?
Connecticut has a variety of climates, but most areas see cold winters and hot summers.
January’s average temperature is about 26 degrees Fahrenheit, with an average snowfall of 35 to 45 inches throughout the winter season for much of Connecticut. In contrast, northwest regions can experience annual snowfalls as high as 75 inches, on average, each year.
The bottom line is that the climate is typical of the Northeastern United States: winters are long and harsh while summers are bright, hot, and shorter. Even if you live in zones &z and 6b, where temperatures are relatively milder, the overall climate calls for cold-season grasses.
Best Lawn Grass Seeds for Connecticut
Cool-season grasses are perfect for planting in the northern regions of Connecticut. When temperatures hit 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s the right time to plant your grass seeds. This usually occurs twice a year during the fall or spring seasons.
A cool-season grass type thrives in these temperatures because they are highly cold-tolerant, but they can handle hot summer afternoons.
While Connecticut’s climate primarily supports cool-season grasses, you can still opt for a few warm-season grasses due to slight changes in the hardiness zone.
Warm-season grasses are plants that need warm weather and grow best in Connecticut during the summer. Properties in zone 6 could potentially support these types of plants.
If you intend to grow a green lawn in the summertime in Connecticut, the best time to plant warm-season grasses is during late April or early May. At this point, the danger of frost is all but gone, and soil temperatures reach between 55°F-65°F.
Establishing your lawn with some warm-season grasses eliminates competition from weeds like crabgrass. These invasive species are typically stronger during the warmer months when soil temperature can reach up to 90°F, so, again, timing is everything.
Below are four grass types that grow best in Connecticut:
1) Fine Fescues
Fine fescues are divided into Chewing, Hard, Red, and Sheep varieties. Their appearance can range from greenish-brown to light green, which can depend on where they are grown.
They’re all grouped as bunching cool-season grasses with a fine leaf texture that offers good shade and cold tolerance. However, fine fescue varieties are also adaptable to poor soil conditions and fertility levels.
There are a few drawbacks for all its good points: this grass variety generally has poor wear tolerance and recuperative abilities.
2) Kentucky Bluegrass
This type of grass grows well in cold climates. It has a nice texture, and it grows thick and vigorously once established. However, Kentucky bluegrass takes a little longer to become green when spring comes around. It’s why many property owners may choose to plant this variety with other types of grasses.
Like fine fescues, Kentucky bluegrass also demonstrates poor wear tolerance. To keep it lush, you’ll need to spend more time maintaining it. Certain blends can also be very insect-prone, so you need to be proactive about pest control.
3) Perennial Ryegrass
Perennial ryegrass is a green, fast-growing type of grass that tolerates some shade and does not form any kind of thatch. It has good disease and insect resistance, but its freezing tolerance isn’t the best if it’s flooded or exposed to wind.
Ryegrasses require total exposure to the sun to bring out their signature dark green color with fine texture. They also make an excellent choice when blended with Kentucky Bluegrass or Fine Fescue.
3) Tall Fescue
Tall fescue has good heat tolerance due to its deep root system and can retain its green color under prolonged exposure to direct sunlight.
The other problem with tall fescue is it easily contracts grey leaf spot disease, which is a fungal issue that some varieties are prone to. Otherwise, you’d be hard-pressed to find a grass that’s as resilient, has excellent salt tolerance and can withstand extreme temperatures and brutal wear and tear as this one.
4) Zoysia grass
This grass type is the only warm-season grass on this list, but Zoysia is also one of the best options for your lawn.
This turfgrass has a deep root system that can tolerate drought, saltwater intrusion, or foot traffic better than other types. The only drawback of Zoysia grass is that it can become invasive and spread to areas you don’t necessarily want growth.
Connecticut Grass Care
Once your seeds are set in your soil, there are few things you can do to encourage natural growth:
- Water your grass in the morning before the sun’s heat can evaporate necessary moisture as well as nutrients. Furthermore, watering at night could trigger fungal diseases because the roots stay wet and cold for a longer time.
- Don’t fertilize when temperatures are too high or during a drought. The excess nitrogen from the fertilizer will hurt your lawn rather than help.
- Cut less than 1/3 of your grass using the highest setting on your lawnmower. This ensures that you’ll be able to get all of the blades cut off without burning down anything.
- Finally, leave the clippings to return the nitrogen into the soil and shade the soil.