After a scorching summer heatwave and drought left my lawn bare and patchy, I knew it needed serious fall maintenance. I’ve already reseeded the damage, but with winter fast approaching, the big question is whether the grass seed and tender new growth can survive the first frost.
As temperatures drop, you can’t ignore the inevitable; it won’t be that long until you draw back your curtains to find a white, frosty lawn. The exact date of the first freeze depends on your location, but getting your reseeding done early if crucial if you want your new seed to survive.
Can grass seed handle frost?
Whether your newly seeded lawn can survive a frost depends on two things. If the seed has not germinated the frost won’t kill it. Instead it will go dormant in the soil, and it should survive, then germinate once the temperatures warm up.
But it’s another issue if the seed has already germinated and started to sprout. At this point it doesn’t have the strength and root system to store energy to help it survive a cold blast.
What is the ideal time to plant grass seed?
If you’re sowing grass seed this fall, give it at least six weeks before the first frost so the roots have time to establish. If you don’t already know the first frost date in your area, you can enter your ZIP code in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Frost Calculator. This should tell you whether you’ve left it too late to sow grass seed, or if you still have a 6-week window to get your seed sown.
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Can you protect your grass seed from frost?
The best scenario is to sow your seed in good time before the first frost is expected in your area, or if you’ve missed this window, wait until the weather gets warmer in the spring.
However, if you’ve already sown your lawn seed and you expect a frost before it’s had time to establish and have the strength to fight the frost, there are ways you can protect it.
1. Lay light polythene sheeting or garden fleece over the seeded area. This will trap in ground heat and stop the freezing air from penetrating. But, you'll need to weigh down the edges to stop it blowing away in the wind.
2. Give your lawn a deep watering late at night before a cold snap will also help the soil retain heat, more so than if the soil is dry.
3. Avoid treading on your reseeded lawn once the frost hits. The blades are brittle and can snap, killing the plant.
4. Add a thin layer of topsoil can help insulate the seed and give it a better chance of survival.
Over to you
Let me know if you have any questions about reseeding your lawn in fall; you can pop them in the comments section below.