Okay, so I am probably thinking the same thing everyone else out there is thinking right now. What is the best cool season grass for heat and drought? That’s right. If you are reading this post, you most likely live in the “cooler” areas of the U.S. and are experiencing very stubborn and annoying heat. You are also probably looking at an ugly brown lawn.
I, for one, can’t stand it. I put so much work into this lawn for the past two years and have seen it wiped away this Summer. I’m sure it will look better in a few months, but not before all the dormant grass comes back and I get rid of the weeds. Yeah, lawns seem to have a funny way of going dormant in the Summer months, which opens the door for all sorts of weeds to grow like crazy…crabgrass being the worst one. I’m ready to throw my hands in the air and just mow crabgrass for the rest of my life. Uggg. At least it is thick and really needs no maintenance.
Crabgrass
Back to my question – What’s the best grass seed to buy that will deal with this heat and drought that undoubtedly come every year. In the middle of Winter, we don’t think of this, but in the middle of Summer, it’s hard not to.
I did a little research and came to the conclusion that Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass are the best to get. They are cool season grasses and can withstand heat and drought. Now, I know what you are thinking right now – “What? Kentucky bluegrass for heat?” Yup. I bought the Scotts Thermal Blue Kentucky Bluegrass last Summer and planted it around September 1. It’s just about the only thing that looks good in the front lawn right now. I am not sure about its claim that it spreads to fill in bare spots, but as far as staying green in dry soil, that seems to be holding up.
This is straight from the Scotts website:
“Scotts has developed an exclusive grass called Thermal Blue Kentucky Bluegrass that can survive heat and drought and spreads like ordinary Kentucky bluegrass. It can survive wherever tall fescue grows.”
So that’s what I am going to do come September. I am going to pick up some Pennington Tall Fescue Blend grass seed and some Scotts Thermal Blue Kentucky Bluegrass grass seed and plant it about October 1.
Oh, that reminds me – here are some tips on how to plant or overseed grass seed in the Autumn. This comes from personal experience. Plant on October 1, not early September like people recommend. September is still hot and dry and you will be driven mad by the amount you have to water. I have seen people in this area (Connecticut) plant in November and have great results come Spring. Also, aerate the lawn first. Aerate like it’s going out of style. You can count on all the grass seed that doesn’t fall in a little holes created by the aerator to not germinate. The grass that does make it in the holes grows nice and full with deep roots. You would be amazed at all the nice green “dots” we have on this lawn caused by the stripes from the aerator.
I think that’s it. Any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment.
Sources:
- Selecting a Cool Season Grass
- Thermal Blue for your Tall Fescue Lawn
- Pennington® Smart Seed™ Tall Fescue Blend
