Can You Plant Grass Seed In July?

Sometimes summer sneaks up on you and you suddenly realize you've neglected important landscaping projects — like those bare patches in your lawn. You may be wondering if it's too hot now to do anything about them. Or perhaps over the summer you've moved into a new location with a less than attractive front yard and are ready to start work on tidying up your new outdoor space. Or you could be looking at naked soil that is waiting for you to xeriscape it with native grass seed. Whatever your reason for wanting to address your lawn in the middle of summer, know that, in most places, July is generally not considered the best time to sow grass seed. But there some instances where you may be able to pull it off.

Sowing at the wrong time is one of the biggest mistakes everyone makes when planting grass seed. Timing is so important when growing grass from seed, because different types are adapted to different climatic conditions. Your success at sowing grass seed in July will vary depending on what type you're hoping to grow. There are cool season grasses, like ryegrasses, creeping bentgrass, bluegrasses or fescues, and warm season options, such as bahiagrass, buffalograss, carpetgrass, St. Augustinegrass, or zoysiagrass. The best type to sow in mid-summer also depends on your location.

If you're hoping to grow a type of cool season grass, July isn't the best time for most locations. Conditions are generally too hot in mid-summer for planting cool-season grass seed. If you're set on filling your yard with this type, it would be best to wait until late summer or early fall — or the following spring. Instead, you can take advantage of July to test your soil or kill off old grass if you're switching to a different type.

Warm season grasses, on the other hand, won't suffer from the summer heat as much as cool season types. July may be a little late for planting these types of grasses, but they will survive as long as you're able to water regularly. However, the best time to plant grass seed in your yard depends on your region. In some locations, such as Illinois, seeding in the heat of summer is ill-advised due to competition from weeds. Meanwhile, in other locations, such as Northern Utah, even cool season grasses can be seeded in July.