The perfect time to add new varieties of turf grass to the law is right after the soil has been aerated. At Lawn Dawg we spread grass seed at about the rate of four or five pounds per one thousand square feet over the entire lawn. The seed falls into the holes left behind by the core aerator and germinates. This process allows for the lawn to thicken up and for bare spots to fill in over the course of time.

Grass seed in the Northeast United States blended for use on home lawns contains three different species: Kentucky Bluegrass, Fine Leaf Fescue and Perennial Ryegrass.

The ryegrass will germinate first and provide satisfactory cover on bare soil preventing erosion. The better cultivars of rye are a handsome, dark green with a shiny appearance. Contrary to their name, Perennial Ryegrasses aren't all that perennial. Lawns established for a few years have little of the original ryegrass remaining in them. That isn't problematic, that's what's supposed to happen. They did their job and retired.

The Fine Leaf Fescues will predominate in areas of low sunlight and low maintenance. That's not to say you won't find them in full sun, my front lawn is almost exclusively fescue, but since the ryes and blues cannot compete with the fescues in the shade, they predominate.

Kentucky Bluegrass is the turf with which we are most familiar. It is the grass of which sod is composed. It will do best in full sun with moderate to high maintenance. There are great differences in the characteristics of the various cultivars available to us. Some have excellent, deep green color, but have poor resistance to disease. Some cultivars are exactly the opposite - the color is not pleasing to the eye but they are otherwise rather resistant to disease.