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Why April is the best month to sow grass seed
It’s safe to say that April is the best month to sow grass seed. It kicks off the beginning of the warmer months, bringing brighter days and less chilly nights, which encourages your grass to grow! After the long, cold, dark winter months, your lawn will look a bit under the weather, but by sowing some fresh grass seed, you will give it the spring makeover it’s been longing for!
Why are the growing conditions so perfect for sowing grass seed in April?
- Grass seed grows best when soil is warmer; April is the start of the better weather.
- Grass needs moisture to keep it hydrated, and we all know rainfall is no stranger to the start of spring!
- The weather in April is not too cold or hot; temperatures are perfect for sowing grass seed in April!
April marks the start of the growing year!
April is when your garden bursts back into life after lying dormant all winter. With spring well underway, the days are longer, and there is more sunshine and healthy sprinkles of rainfall, so there’s no point in leaving your lawn feeling sorry for itself! That’s why April is the best time to sow grass seed to repair any bare spots, thicken your grass and give it a new lease of life for the coming year.
Sowing grass seed during the busiest gardening month of the year
All this gardening excitement probably has you itching to get out into your garden and start spreading your grass seed over the soil. However, preparation is key, and there are a few things to check before you start sowing your beautiful new lawn!
April lawn seed sowing tips
Grass seed needs consistent ground (soil) temperatures around 8°C to grow, which means the air temperature in your local area will be around 10°C. We often will see these temperatures as early as March in the UK during the day, but grass seed requires these temperatures day and night for at least two weeks to germinate and grow successfully. Once you have checked your local weather forecast and got the all-clear on the coming weather, you’re ready to start sowing!
See our guide on How to sow grass seed for a more detailed breakdown of all that’s required, but for your convenience, we’ve included the key points below:
How to sow a new lawn:
- Remove weeds
- Create a fine level seedbed using a rake
- Then allow the freshly raked soil to sit for a week or so to encourage any weeds to come to the surface, which can then be removed by hand
- Add top soil if you need to level your lawn
- Remember to press down top soil if you’re adding it
- Sow the seed at our recommended rate of 50g per m2, by using a seed spreader or your hand
- Rake the seed in gently after sowing or softly walk over it to get the seed sitting amongst the soil
- Water the just-sown seed well
Correctly sowing a new lawn goes a long way in ensuring you achieve the vibrant lawn you’ve been hoping for, so we decided that an easy-to-follow video guide was the answer! This six-step video guide shows you what tools you need and how to use them for the best results. It also makes sure you get the necessary prep work done and then sow your grass seed in the right weather conditions.
How to overseed an existing lawn:
- Remove any dead grass, weeds or moss by scarifying or raking the area
- Rake the area will loosen the soil and get it ready for fresh grass seed
- Leaving the freshly raked seed for a week or so will encourage any weeds to come to the surface, which can then be removed by hand
- Sow the seed at our recommended rate of 35g per m2, by using a seed spreader or your hand
- Rake the seed in gently after sowing or softly walk over it to get the seed sitting amongst the soil
- Water the just-sown seed well
Overseeding is a great way to get your garden lawn looking in tip-top shape again. Although similar to sowing a new lawn, overseeding an existing lawn involves some different tools for scarifying to remove dead grass. But once this task is completed, you can scatter your new grass seed to fill out your lawn and bring back its stunning looks!
How to get the best out of your lawn this April!
You might find after winter that your lawn needs a bit more TLC before sowing new grass seed, like the intrusion of weeds or moss, or maybe it just needs some lawn food to give it a boost of nutrients to make it green again.
This time of year, the usual suspects are that weeds can still be an issue and will need to be dealt with before sowing grass seed, or your existing grass might look a bit worse for wear after winter. Whatever the situation is on your lawn, we have a helpful guide on how to remove weeds in your lawn.
If you feel your grass is looking weak after the cold winter months, then looking at our guide on how to fertilise your lawn will make your garden look perfect again in no time.
We have other helpful resources for further reading if you would like more information on how to enhance your garden lawn!
