What Is the Best Time of Year to Plant Grass Seeds in North Carolina?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 24, 2020

The best time of year to plant grass seeds in North Carolina depends upon whether the grass is a warm- or cool-season grass. Cool-season grass seeds grow best if planted from mid-August to mid-October, while warm-season grass seeds are best planted from March through July.

Planting cool-season grass seeds in late summer gives the seeds a chance to take root before their prime growing season. Cool-season grasses grow during the spring and fall, going dormant in the summer and winter. These grasses include tall fescue, bluegrass, turf type fescue and perennial ryegrass.

Warm-season grass seeds must have time to become established before hot weather. Common and hybrid bermuda, centipede, zoysia and St. Augustine are all warm-season grasses.