# Dormant seeding. Pros/Cons



## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

I have an area that would like to seed. I think I missed the window and have heard about this. My buddy told me to throw grass on the snow. I was like huh? lol


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## JERSEY (Sep 9, 2018)

I tried that.
did not work at all

might as well wait for warmer temps then throw seed....and I LOVE throwing seed. But its a waste in the winter.....too many animals will eat it, just sitting there.....nah.......


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

My only thought was no preventive. Usually get some rains in September, but almost at 2/3 of it is gone forecast wise. No real rain.


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## Bean4Me (May 13, 2020)

I thought dormant seeding wasn't throwing seed on top of the snow but throwing down seed right before the snow comes so you rely on the weight of the snow to push it down. I'm going to try to put some down if I remember just to backup my overseeding which went down a little late. So I'm not sure it's going to survive the winter.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

Yes it is. But there is a thing called winter seeding. That's on the snow.


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

It definitely works for bare spots. You can throw on top of the snow here in NJ or right before it snows. Idea is the same. Ground will be hard/frozen and then when the snow melts it will be carried into the soil when it thaws. Thing is in NJ the snow is usually gone within a few days. If you live in a place where the snow stays around for weeks or months, you might want to do it right before a snow. YMMV based on how the spring goes, but I have had a lot more success with dormant seeding than seeding in the spring.

Here is some quasi empirical evidence.
https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/lawn-garden/agent-articles/lawns/dormant-seeding-lawns.html


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## gm560 (Feb 22, 2018)

Matthew_73 said:


> Yes it is. But there is a thing called winter seeding. That's on the snow.


They are the same thing.


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## The_Urban_Griot (Aug 29, 2020)

I tried dormant seeding where you throw it down before a significant snow. The results were insane. In the spring my lawn was extremely thick. The only mistake I made is that I used PRG which doesn't last in my area once it gets warm. I was a lawn newbie who didn't know better lol. That said its worth a shot. I am actually overseeding now and plan to dormant seed in mid February since we are anticipating a foot of snow.


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## ABC123 (Jul 14, 2017)

I had a local park seed very late two years ago and it did just fine. I think if you threw it down asap it has a chance.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

I will try this for sure...


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

The_Urban_Griot said:


> I tried dormant seeding where you throw it down before a significant snow. The results were insane. In the spring my lawn was extremely thick. The only mistake I made is that I used PRG which doesn't last in my area once it gets warm. I was a lawn newbie who didn't know better lol. That said its worth a shot. I am actually overseeding now and plan to dormant seed in mid February since we are anticipating a foot of snow.


I will try this for sure...


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Matthew_73 said:


> I have an area that would like to seed. I think I missed the window and have heard about this. My buddy told me to throw grass on the snow. I was like huh? lol


You need to put the seed down before the snow. The weight of the snow will push the seed down into the ground when it thaws.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

Matthew_73 said:


> I will try this for sure...


You can still overseed now if you use some of the quicker TTTF cultivars. It is only too late for KBG.


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## mobiledynamics (Aug 9, 2020)

You gotta BABY it all summer IMO. I dormant seeded and it was insanely lush in the spring. You gotta keep it --- well--- irrigated though for it to make it through summer.


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## ThePowerTool (Dec 15, 2019)

You probably can dormant seed on top of snow, but you really have no control over where it would end up. It's best to lay the seed before the snow so that the snow works the seed down into the ground in the desired location. If you can't get it down before the snow arrives, you can also spread the seed in the very early spring after the snow has melted but before the ground has thawed. I did that this past year and it worked really well.

In general, though, dormant seeding can be dangerous because if you get a late Spring frost after the grass germinates, it can kill it.


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## samzone7a (Jul 14, 2020)

Or try priming the seed now and get it to the ground in a few days.
I'm thinking of priming some seed to fix some of the washed out areas on my overseed reno


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## craigdt (Apr 21, 2018)

I have done this, and Honeycomb seeding.

Both have worked for me.


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## Jackson (Sep 18, 2019)

mobiledynamics said:


> You gotta BABY it all summer IMO. I dormant seeded and it was insanely lush in the spring. You gotta keep it --- well--- irrigated though for it to make it through summer.


Not true. I have a big 20x40 area from utility work last fall. I let it go dormant over the summer. It looked bad (much much worse than established grass) dry and brittle - dead looking. As soon as the rain came and the weather cooled it thickened right up. You can't even tell the difference between it and the established grass anymore.

I also had an area that I could never get grass to establish and thicken. Dormant seeded and it was like magic. Hasnt been a problem since.


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## dwaugh (Aug 25, 2020)

@Powhatan has used this method.

I found this article on a seed companies website. I can't vouch for the content, but it goes over some of the things that can go wrong: https://www.oligerseed.com/promotions/


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

Not sure if you plan on using TTTF or KBG but if its TTTF i would do sees now vs waiting until winter. I've never had much luck with dormant seeding. I think you would have a much better success rate if you just throw seed down now


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Matthew_73 said:


> I have an area that would like to seed. I think I missed the window and have heard about this. My buddy told me to throw grass on the snow. I was like huh? lol


Are you sure you missed the window for fall seeding? What zone are you in? I'm in Zone 6A and this is the best time to seed here. But as others have said, fescues and ryegrass are your best bet to sow now. KBG will take too long to develop before hard frost.


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## j4c11 (Apr 30, 2017)

There are really no pros to dormant seeding, you throw down seed and pray. Some of it will germinate eventually, but you lose control over the process. When is it safe to apply pre-emergent next spring? Fertilizer? Herbicide? When do you apply fungicide to protect the seedlings? Who knows, it's going to come out when it wants to. I could see doing it on a pasture, but for a residential lawn, you best bet is to wait and seed when conditions are right in the spring, when you can maintain control over the germination and establishment process.


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## ksturfguy (Sep 25, 2018)

As long as your south of Springfield, IL or close to it then I think your good to go now. You appear to be in the sae zone as me in NE Kansas. I've planted KBG as late as Sept 20th and it didn't feel all in by winter but by next Spring it was good to go. TTTF I've planted in late Sept or early OCT and it was pretty mature by winter. Don't be afraid to go now but you need to get to work sooner than later.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

ksturfguy said:


> As long as your south of Springfield, IL or close to it then I think your good to go now. You appear to be in the sae zone as me in NE Kansas. I've planted KBG as late as Sept 20th and it didn't feel all in by winter but by next Spring it was good to go. TTTF I've planted in late Sept or early OCT and it was pretty mature by winter. Don't be afraid to go now but you need to get to work sooner than later.


 I'm in Springfield. Well adjacent. I'll see what the weather looks like in early October. I just am busy with work and two other Reno's going. I was hoping the first seeding worked. But no. So. 🤷‍♂️


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

dwaugh said:


> @Powhatan has used this method.


It's not the preferred method to establish grass, but It has worked for me in my situation. It's another tool in the toolbox for those that don't always follow the crowd.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

Dormant seeding works as an overseed if you have low expectations. I think there is whole univ research around it. I think it was best to drop seeds in early February for the Midwest. I think you can even cover them with a grow blanket. I would not do a dormant on bare soil.


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## jtuber (Sep 15, 2020)

2 years ago we had our new lawn put in for our new build. The grading was done in late October and seeds were down when the weather already turned cold. The yard was covered with straw blankets. No germination there. The next spring as the snow melted the seeds germinated. Not a perfect lawn right from the start but it was expected. So my point is you could wait until the weather turns cold 45F and throw the seeds down. Just make sure dont throw it down when germination can still happen. When spring comes you will be fine.


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## Matthew_73 (Jul 9, 2019)

g-man said:


> Dormant seeding works as an overseed if you have low expectations. I think there is whole univ research around it. I think it was best to drop seeds in early February for the Midwest. I think you can even cover them with a grow blanket. I would not do a dormant on bare soil.


This is over a glyphosate area. Not really bare. But has some ground cover.


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## jestersdead13 (Feb 3, 2020)

you want to put the seed down before the snow comes, and in the time after the ground temp hits 55 degrees. Usually I tell people that in Minneapolis that would be mid november. But seems like mother nature has been throwing screwballs this year. Watch the weather, throw down, and hope for the best. Do not put fert or seed on frozen ground.


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## Factor (Oct 10, 2019)

Matthew_73 said:


> I have an area that would like to seed. I think I missed the window and have heard about this. My buddy told me to throw grass on the snow. I was like huh? lol


https://web.extension.illinois.edu/lawnfaqs/winterprep.cfm

https://extension.umn.edu/lawncare/dormant-seeding


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## sam (Mar 10, 2018)

To OP, In transition zone I would say it probably won't survive the next summer, but where you are I don't know. I still sometimes do dormant winter or spring seeding anyway if I have a bare patch, but on the understanding that it will probably just be an annual - groundcover tiding over until I do the real seeding in fall. Personally, if I was going to do it where I am, I would throw it down in LATE winter, because I don't see much benefit to doing it early ( birds would disagree). But maybe if you get snow pack lasting through the winter then there's some benefit there.


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