With the spring 2014 sowing window set to open up in as little as 12 weeks from now, it’s important to be ready for your call to action, as soon as the weather permits.
Let’s look at what we are waiting for, how do we know when we can start sowing our seed? Well, unfortunately, the main factors are weather related. Firstly the soil temperature needs to be warm enough for the seeds to germinate. 8-9 degrees Celsius is a good starting point. It’s important to stress though that soil temperature isn’t the same as air temperature. As a general rule of thumb, the soil temperature hovers 2 degrees below the average air temperature. Seeds also need adequate moisture to germinate. Usually in the spring this isn’t a problem, but be aware of any long dry spells, and avoid sowing seed then.
So just when is the best sowing time? Usually, the end of February is warm enough for some ryegrass based mixtures to germinate. March and April tend to be best though, as the temperature is more reliable, and frost troubles are less likely.
If you’re going to use a pre-seeding fertiliser, you should apply this several days before planting seed. Fork it well into the soil. (Read more about that here).
Finally, you need to choose the grass seed mixture to use. View our guide on that here. Remember that ryegrass containing mixtures can be planted slightly earlier than finer, fescue based mixtures.
Don’t forget all our orders are available to be delivered next day, so you can count on us to deliver when you need the seed.
