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Proper grass for 4a - northern New York

3 years ago

What kind of grass is recommended for zone 4a - the Champlain Valley in northern NY. Most Big Box stores seem to use the regular Scott's rye grass mixture, but one seems to stock mostly Fescue. What's best? Soil is sandy loam. Full SW sun exposure and cold winters.

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Comments (7)

User
3 years ago
All of the Big Three...Fescue, Rye, and Kentucky Bluegrass--are good to go for you. A nice, sandy loam with full sun will support any of those, and as to which you choose...I might go with a mix and let whoever wins the argument take the field.

Each have their advantages. Well-fed, all will do well.

Bluegrasses will self-repair, which the others won't, and don't need reseeding if you care for the lawn.

Ryes tend to feature the best winter performance...but that's not really going to be a factor for you as your winters are simply too cold for grasses to stay awake the way they will for me in Zone 7A.

Fescues stand in the middle with nothing in particular to recommend them in terms of interesting biological characteristics. They're really nice grasses, though, and very attractive.

The proper time to seed is when the weather just starts to turn from summer to fall, when evenings just begin to fall off summer highs. For me, that's August 15th or so--for you, it could be August 1st. Or, earlier than most people think. You want germination to happen during warm days, and the first growth when the sun is warm and bright--plus, bluegrasses can take up to 30 days to fully germinate and sprout (fescue and rye, 14 days).
mishmosh
3 years ago
Up north, Kentucky Bluegrass is king. Fine fescues are. also good for shadier areas. I would recommend no more than 10% perennial ryegrass to serve as a nurse grass. Modern turf type tall fescues are just as dark as bluegrass and fairly narrow bladed so blend well in a mix with KBG. Bottom line, I'd avoid any mix that wasn't predominantly KBG.
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Water would be the only thing I'd add now. I don't see your location, so I can't see the grass type, but don't feed. You did the right thing six weeks ago, but right now, the grass doesn't want dinner. It already had a nice lunch and dinner is some time away yet. Spring seedings on northern lawns are very difficult and it looks like you did the best job possible. Unfortunately, that hot week did damage. Right now, water. Water. Water. If it doesn't rain, water every other day or every third day...ridiculous under any other circumstance, but in this case, required. And do it in the morning so the grass' blades are dry by nightfall. You want the soil damp but not soaking wet at any time, so that schedule may need to change depending on your sprinkler and the circumstances and location in the lawn--it's just a guideline and I'm also not specifying a time period of watering for that reason. The goal, ultimately, would be about an inch of water a week regardless of how you put it down. For reference, a tuna can is just about an inch deep. If anything is going to bring it back, that will. And unfortunately, once back, you're going to have to keep up the watering until the weather cools off. Now that was for northern grass. If you have a southern grass like Bermuda, please let us know and I'll delete what I just said because it's not as proper as it should be. :-)
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danielj_2009
3 years ago
www.seedsuperstore.com One of the regulars here, Joe, used this place and is happy with his results. You can enter your zip code and they recommend a seed blend. I'm considering a redo and I am hoping to use them or similar place along with morpheus' guidance (fingers crossed) to make the best decision.
mtvhike
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Well, i missed the date for spring seeding; should I wait for August or do it now (and again in August, if need be)? Its been in the 80s and 90s this week, but its going down to the 30s this weekend and lows in the 40s for the rest of next week, after some rain. A friend recommended I get some chopped straw to put over the seed and I purchased some. They were out of the plain straw but they had some with a water-initiated binder mixed in (Lucerne Farms "mainly mulch", heat treated hay and straw mixture). I'm thinking about taking it back, or should I use it anyway?
mishmosh
3 years ago
I think it's too late to seed and be successful. Early August is definitely better.
danielj_2009
3 years ago
Straw is unnecessary and can introduce weeds, even thought it is just listed as straw. As long as you can water frequently the straw doesn't do anything.
User
3 years ago
That. Peat moss, on the other hand, can be quite helpful. No weeds (it's ancient stuff even if it's "recent"), quite light, and will work into the soil on its own after the seeding is done.

Or use nothing and simply water regularly--two to three times a day--in August when you seed.

But definitely skip seeding right now. It'll sprout, but die in July.

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