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Autumn grass seed sowing guide
As our nights begin to grow darker you may start to think that sowing season has ended. However, where temperatures are still 8-10 degrees and above – autumn presents an excellent opportunity for grass seed sowing.
A guide for sowing grass seed in autumn
The best times of year to sow grass seed are spring and autumn, not only for quick growth but for your own forward planning. Seeding or overseeding your lawn in spring enables you to enjoy your new green grass for all of the summer, and sowing grass seed in autumn for new lawns or overseeding before winter sets in means when spring rolls around, most of your work is done!
Most grass seed species will germinate at temperatures of 8-10 degrees and above. The seed requires the temperatures forecasted in your area to hit these consistently for two weeks. There will also need to be no frost or adverse weather conditions forecast (heavy rain, etc.).Some more specialist species, such as Poa Supina, require warmer temperatures of 15 degrees and above to germinate, so if you have chosen a mix such as our STEADFAST: Shade or STEADFAST: Ultra Shade, you should consider this.
Making your autumn seed sowing a success
With your prep work complete and the forecast looking perfect, you can ensure you're hard work doesn’t go to waste. A great way to speed this up is by fertilising your lawn. If sowing a new lawn from scratch, you should aim to use our QUICK RELEASE: Pre-Seed before sowing, and if overseeding, a SLOW RELEASE: Autumn / Winter fertiliser will help to protect all your hard work.
Alternatively, you can use our Make it Strong liquid fertiliser, which is a fast-acting autumn/winter lawn feed solution that strengthens your grass with nutrients to enhance its resilience against cold winter weather and common lawn diseases.
Tips for autumn sowing:
- Whilst your new grass is establishing itself, it is important to keep leaves off it. This extra unnecessary moisture on top of your new grass can cause disease – remove leaves when you see them gathering.
- Autumn is a great time for sowing seed as there is typically more rainfall forecast, requiring less watering! During the first six weeks, you should aim to keep your new seedlings moist. If there is prolonged rainfall, avoid watering your seedlings.
- As always, your lawn should be ready for its first mow at the 6-week mark when blades hit 5-7cm long. Cut your lawn on the highest setting for its first mow. You can read more in our guide, The last grass cut of the season.
Sowing grass seed in autumn
For further reading, we have guides suited to solving a wide range of common lawn problems we often hear from other gardeners and lawn enthusiasts:
- We have advice on grass seed for different soil types.
- Our guide on what grass seed do I need will help if you’re not quite sure what grass seed mix you need.
- We also have instructions for sowing a new lawn or for overseeding your existing lawn.