FAQ about golf greens grass seed

When would be the best time to put down golf greens grass seed? I have been told it is in early fall, should I be seeding before or after first frost? - Jeremy in Winnipeg

Good question Jeremy. I have seen seeding done at all times, and it can be successful at any time but requiring more or less work. Usually golf greens grass seed is sown as soon as possible after construction of the green to try to prevent unnecessary erosion, however, while it will eventually work, the timing does not always provide the best germination. Basically there 4 general times you can seed in a cool climate such as Manitoba.

You can try to seed in the spring, however, the soil temperatures tend to be very cool resulting in very long germination periods. Bentgrass will not germinate until the soil temperatures are above 12 degrees Celsius consistently. While the air temperatures might be much higher, the nights tend to be still cool and the soil is full of water which prevents it from warming up quickly. Once it does, you tend to be nurturing young fragile plants in the heat of summer which can lead to more problems. If you don’t get the green construction finished until then, you will have to decide on whether to seed or sod .

The second period is in mid summer. Due to warm soil temperatures germination is fairly fast, 1 week or less for bentgrass. However, you need to be monitoring all the time to be sure they have enough water and don’t dry out; while making sure the golf green grass seed does not get too much water and risking diseases like melting out or pythium during warm humid spells.

The third time would be late summer, still a rapid germination time, but less disease pressure as temperatures are cooler. Also the cooler temperatures mean lower need for water and overall and easier time to successfully seed a green. This would in fact be the best time to seed your green.

The final period would be late fall after the first frosts start to set in. Frost in itself will not harm the plant, however the cooler temperature mean a long germination period because of the cooler soil, and sometimes no germination until spring (also known as dormant seeding). The risk here is the plants are still immature going into winter and more at risk in the harsh temperatures. Also because of the long period that any ungerminated seed remains in humid conditions under snow or ice, some of the golf green grass seed will rot before germinating in the spring. So, that means that the best time is in late summer to early fall. I think in your location it is probably around early to mid-August.

Good luck!

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