Experts derive, a lush lawn can improve the resale value of a home by as much as 15%, and not many homeowners always have this in mind.
One of the easiest ways can be laying turf, yet keen gardeners may wish to take the cost-effective option and sow new grass seed. This leaves gardeners wondering, how long does it take for grass seed to grow?
Going down this path doesn’t offer short-term gratification, yet with favorable weather conditions, you can see your lush lawn in around two months.
Although there is more to it than that, and you can find all that here.
How Fast Does Cool-Season Grass Grow?
Cool-season grass grows the fastest from seed in comparison to warm-season grass variants. It would help if you were sure the soil temperatures are ideal for them.
The temperature of the soil you want will be from 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. With this, you will have air temperatures of 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
When you plant cool-season grasses in these conditions, you can find your grass grows from seed in as little as 30-days to your new lawn.
Here are the more commonly grown cool grass types you can find and the time it takes for their germination process.
| Tall Fescue | 7 to 12 days to germinate |
| Annual and Perennial Ryegrass | 5 to 10 days to germinate |
| Kentucky Bluegrass | 7 to 10 days to germinate |
Warm Season: How Long for Grass Seed to Germinate?
Because of longer germination time, and the extended time it takes for the grass seeds root development in warm-season grass. You find grass growth much slower than cool season grasses.
From their name, you can sense they like their soil temperature higher, and cool weather can delay their germination phase. Worse than this, it can kill any young grass seedlings if too cold.
When planting grass seed for the warm type of grass, you need to be sure the temperatures are right to enable fast germination.
Warm-season grasses require temperatures in the soil to be 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The ambient temperatures outside to deliver this will be over 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
When planting grass of these kinds, you can mow inside of two months from seeding, although for the full establishment of a perfect lawn, it can take around 1-year.
| Centipede Grass | 14 to 21 days to germinate |
| Bermuda Grass | 10 to 30 days to germinate |
| Buffalo Grass | 14 to 30 days to germinate |
| Zoysia Grass | 14 to 21 days to germinate |
Even after you answer the question of, how long does grass seed take to germinate? There is still much to understand because germination is much different from growing.
You will begin asking at this stage, how long does it take grass seed to grow to a decent length?
Again, many contributing factors determine the amount of time, to answer the how long does it take for grass to grow question. (Read 5 Best Vegetables to Grow for Your Garden)
Growing Conditions for Good Grass Growth
How long does it take grass to grow, is answered in this section as you will find all things, which make the perfect growing conditions?
Here are the things to know, and the steps to take to deliver a great-looking lawn.
Lots of Sun
Full sun is the best for grass to grow to its full potential. If your germinated seeds are subject to the ideal light, they become thick and fast. On the other side, if your lawn falls in shaded areas, it will grow slower and can appear patchy.
Any area where you sow your grass seed, you need to be sure it can receive six hours of good sun as a minimum. If this isn’t possible, you can find shade seed that may be more appropriate.
Times of Year for Sowing Grass Seeds
You can’t just sow any seed at any time of the year, and you do need to match your grass to the best time of year for them to grow.
Cool-season grass needs sowing as the temperatures are on the cool side. Besides this, it should remain at these temperatures for a month or two. Doing this allows your lawn to establish itself before temperatures rise.
You can find in most cases; this will be either summer or early autumn/ fall. Although it can be later into winter, and in some regions, you may find spring is also ideal.
Warm-season grass types require planting in the late spring after frosts, or early summer. At the very latest, you may get away with the end of summer if you know there won’t be cold spells arriving unexpectedly.
Soil Preparation
Figuring out how long does grass needs before it delivers a lawn, can appear slow. However, once you begin preparing your soil and garden, the time will go by faster.
There is plenty of work, and it varies depending on if you are growing a newer lawn, or seeding onto an existing lawn.
Weed control needs to be part of your lawn care, and be careful when using weed killers, as these have waiting times before sowing seeds.
You do need an area for your seedlings to get a foothold, and the ideal way is adding a one to two-inch layer of compost across the top of the soil and tilling it into the surface for new areas of lawn.
Go across with your garden rake and remove debris or rocks. Sow your seeds, and then you can cover this with a fine mulch layer to let it rest until the first mowing.
On existing lawns, you need to make sure your seeds can reach the soil.
Watering
Keeping your grass seeds moist is key for fast growth. From the day you sow, you have to water daily until your seeds germinate.
After germination, keep the top-most soil surface moist, yet don’t let it accumulate standing water. It can mean several times per day, yet for shorter periods.
You will then increase the length of watering while reducing the frequency as your grass grows.
- Day 1 to 14: Water for fifteen minutes up to 4 times per day
- Day 15 to 21: Only water for 30 minutes once per day
- Day 22 to 28: Water for 40 minutes every other day
- Day 29 and over: Water for 45 minutes three times weekly to moisten 1.5 inches of soil
Begin moving once your grass reaches four inches in height.
