Cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass are the best grass seeds for Connecticut lawns. They tolerate cold winters and establish well in fall, creating a thick and healthy lawn with proper care.
But which grass seed is best for your lawn? Should you pick any of these grasses randomly, or is there a particular type that’s best for your yard? In the spirit of having a thriving lawn that can withstand the sometimes brutal winters and hot, dry summers in Connecticut, let’s break down what you need to know about these options.
1. Kentucky bluegrass
Kentucky bluegrass is a staple in most Connecticut lawns because it can withstand the state’s cooler climate. The downside? Kentucky bluegrass is slow to germinate, taking between 10 to 30 days, which is why it’s often paired with fast-germinating grasses like perennial ryegrass or fine fescues in new home lawns.
However, to maintain its healthy look throughout varying weather conditions in Connecticut, Kentucky bluegrass requires more attention and larger fertilizer applications than some other grass types.
Classification: Cool-season grass
Spreads by: Rhizomes
Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: Moderate
Foot traffic tolerance: Moderate
Maintenance needs: Moderate mowing frequency and high fertilization needs.
Mowing height: Set mowing height between 2.5 and 3.5 inches.
Potential for disease: Moderate to high; prone to several diseases, such as dollar spot, leaf spot, necrotic ring spot, summer patch, and stripe smut.
Soil pH: 6-7.5
Soil type: Performs best in well-drained, heavy soils with high fertility.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
2. Perennial ryegrass
With a five to 10 day germination period, perennial ryegrass establishes quickly and is a common addition to grass seed mixes for Connecticut lawns. Despite being a cool-season grass, it tolerates heat relatively well, which makes it suitable for Connecticut’s warmer summer periods.
In extreme conditions, perennial ryegrass may experience difficulties enduring a bitter winter if it’s subjected to an extended ice cover or flooding. But, with its rapid growth rate, it’s still a great choice for a quick cover-up when fixing bald patches on your lawn.
Classification: Cool-season grass
Spreads by: Has a bunch-type growth habit
Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: Low
Foot traffic tolerance: High
Maintenance needs: Moderate mowing and fertilization requirements. Thatch is not significant.
Mowing height: Set mowing height to 1.5 to 2.5 inches
Potential for disease: High. Common diseases include gray leaf spot, red thread, and leaf spot/melting-out.
Soil pH: Can grow in soils with a pH between 5 and 8, but prefers between 6 and 7.
Soil type: Prefers good drainage and fertility, but can tolerate some poor drainage.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
3. Fine fescues
This group comprises several cultivars, such as creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. These are all well adapted to Connecticut’s cool climate and shade-filled areas. They’re less needy when it comes to fertilization, requiring only 2 pounds or less per 1,000 square feet per year.
Just like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescues mix well with other grass types to improve drought and shade tolerance. If you want to tweak the appearance or bolster a weaker lawn, you can combine it with Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass.
Classification: Cool-season grass
Spreads by: Creeping red fescue spreads by rhizomes, while other fine fescues are bunch-type grasses, such as Chewings, hard, and sheep fescues.
Shade tolerance: Moderate to High, depending on species
Drought tolerance: Moderate to High, depending on species
Foot traffic tolerance: Low to Moderate, depending on species
Maintenance needs: Low fertilizer and mowing needs
Mowing height: Set mowing height between 2.5 and 4 inches, depending on species.
Potential for disease: Moderate. Common diseases include red thread, leaf spot, dollar spot, summer patch, and powdery mildew.
Soil pH: 6-6.5
Soil type: Will not perform well in wet soil conditions. Prefers drier soils and tolerates a wide range of soil types and fertility.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed (choose your size)
– Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed (25 lbs.)
4. Tall fescue
Tall fescue is often used in Connecticut lawns due to its superior resilience against drought, which makes it a good choice for yards exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day or houses with water usage restrictions.
Along with this drought resistance, compared to other grass types, tall fescue also has fewer problems with the insects and diseases that thrive in Connecticut’s climate. But it can still be susceptible to some diseases like brown patch if it’s overwatered or overfertilized.
The good thing about tall fescue is that it doesn’t develop thatch as quickly as Kentucky bluegrass might.
Classification: Cool-season grass
Spreads by: Produces short rhizomes but has a bunch-type growth habit
Shade tolerance: Moderate
Drought tolerance: Moderate to High
Foot traffic tolerance: Moderate
Maintenance needs: Frequent mowing. Does not produce significant thatch.
Mowing height: Set mowing height to 2 inches when grass reaches 3 inches tall.
Potential for disease: Tolerant of most diseases when properly maintained.
Soil pH: 5.5-6.5
Soil type: Adapted to a wide range of soil conditions, but prefers fertile clay soils with good drainage.
Grass Seed Options:
– Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend (5000 sq ft)
– Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (choose your size)
– Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix (7 lb.)
Best grass for overseeding in Connecticut
What’s the best grass for overseeding in Connecticut? Well, it depends. Cool-season grass types like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass are all good options, but each has its strengths and weaknesses.
Let’s take a look at the best grass seed for overseeding in Connecticut, depending on your specific situation:
- For full-sun areas: Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass are good choices for overseeding sunny areas. Kentucky bluegrass gives a thick coverage, tall fescue is low-maintenance, and just like perennial ryegrass, it germinates and fills in quickly.
- For shaded areas: Fine fescues should be used for overseeding shaded areas of the lawn. Their shade tolerance allows them to fill in where other grasses struggle.
- For high-traffic areas: To thicken up high-traffic zones, use a mix containing perennial ryegrass and tall fescue. Research at Cornell has shown that perennial ryegrass can maintain nearly 90% density and tall fescue 70-80% density in high-traffic conditions when overseeded weekly.
- For poor soil: If you’re overseeding areas with poor, compacted, or acidic soil, use a high percentage of fine fescues in the mix. Their tolerance of poor soil conditions helps them establish.
Mid-August to mid-September is the best time to overseed your lawn. It’s also the best time to plant grass seed in Connecticut. During this period, the summer heat is ending, and the upcoming light autumn rains can help new grass seedlings grow without the soil drying out too quickly.
How to choose the best grass seed for your Connecticut lawn
If you’re struggling to choose the right seed for your lawn, here are some things that can influence which grass type might be an ideal choice for you:
1. Sunlight exposure
Depending on whether your yard is in full sun, part shade, or full shade, different grass types will be more or less suitable:
- For full-sun areas: Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue are excellent choices. Improved perennial ryegrasses can also tolerate full sun conditions and work well in grass mixes.
- For shady areas: Fine fescues like creeping red and hard fescue are ideal as they can thrive in as little as 4 hours of direct sun per day.
- For partial shade conditions: You can go with a blend of tall fescues or a shade-tolerant Kentucky bluegrass cultivar and fine fescues.
2. Soil type
Soil condition plays an important role in determining the overall growth and health of your lawn. While each grass type has its preferred soil pH level, they all generally perform best in well-drained, loamy soils. You can take a soil test to determine exactly what type of soil you have before you buy grass seeds.
Here are some recommendations on which specific grass types are best suited for the most common soil types in Connecticut:
- Well-drained, loamy soils: Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass thrive in fertile, well-drained, loamy soils with a pH between 6.0-7.0.
- Sandy/infertile soils: Fine fescues like creeping red fescue perform best in low-fertility, sandy, or excessively drained soil conditions.
- Acidic soils: Fine fescues and tall fescue can better tolerate acidic soil conditions compared to other cool-season grasses. This makes them a good option for lawns across the state, except in northwestern Connecticut, where the soil tends to be more alkaline.
- Clay/compacted soils: Tall fescue has better tolerance for the heavy clay or compacted glacial till soils found in the Connecticut Valley region than bluegrass or ryegrass. Its deep root system helps it thrive in these conditions.
3. Maintenance level
How much time do you plan to spend on lawn care? Your lifestyle can dictate what kind of lawn would suit you best. Just think about how often you mow, water, and fertilize. Here are the maintenance levels of the grass types:
Low maintenance:
- Fine fescues have very low maintenance requirements once established. They need infrequent mowing and minimal fertilization.
- Tall fescue also has relatively low nutrient and water needs compared to other cool-season grasses.
Moderate maintenance:
- Kentucky bluegrass requires more maintenance than fescues with regular mowing, fertilization, and irrigation needed to be healthy. It needs to be mowed every five to seven days and fertilized two to four times per year depending on soil fertility.
- Perennial ryegrass has similar moderate maintenance needs to Kentucky bluegrass.
High maintenance:
- No cool-season grasses require a high maintenance level in Connecticut’s climate. However, lawns with high percentages of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass will need more frequent mowing, fertilization, and watering compared to fescue lawns.
Note: For a detailed maintenance guide, you can check out our Month-by-Month Connecticut Lawn Care Schedule.
4. Foot traffic
How much wear and tear will your lawn endure? Do you have children or pets that will use the lawn for playing and exercising? Here are some things to consider:
Children’s play areas:
If you have kids who will be running around the lawn playing games or sports, you’ll want a very durable, wear-resistant grass seed. For these high-traffic areas:
- Tall fescue blends are an excellent choice for their tolerance to heavy foot traffic.
- Perennial ryegrass is also very wear-tolerant and recovers quickly from damage.
- A mix of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass can provide a dense, durable lawn that can handle lots of activity.
Pets:
For lawns that need to withstand dogs running, digging, and higher soil compaction:
- Tall fescue ranks among the best grasses for dogs thanks to its dense growth and deep root system.
- Kentucky bluegrass has moderate pet traffic tolerance once established.
- Fine fescues may get damaged from excessive digging or traffic by large dog breeds.
- Perennial ryegrass is one of the most urine-resistant grasses, and it’s able to withstand dog pee spots and nitrogen burn better than fescues or Kentucky bluegrass.
Pathways:
If you’ll have consistent foot traffic along the same pathways, you can:
- Overseed the pathways with tall fescue for maximum wear tolerance.
- Use permeable pavers or mulch to reduce soil compaction along the path.
Call a lawn care pro
Still struggling to pick a suitable grass seed? Don’t worry, there are lots of things to consider. As much fun as DIYing may be, sometimes you need a helping hand from a pro.
We can connect you with a local lawn care professional who can guide you in finding the best cool-season grass for your needs and location.
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Main Image Credit: Joe Mabel | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0
