How Late Can I Plant Grasses?
Hoffman Nursery, Inc.
Hoffman Nursery specializes in ornamental and native grass liners for the wholesale trade.
How late in Fall can I plant grasses in the landscape?
We get this question often, and the short answer, like many other grass-related questions is – ‘it depends.’ The long answer is more nuanced, and since we are in Central North Carolina and have experience with fall planting in our region; please adjust any recommendations to your climate zone, region, elevation, and specific location. We tend to err on the side of caution for late fall planting because losses can be incurred, and while we are in the business of selling plants, we want to cultivate positive, long-lasting relationships with our customers.
Generally, we recommend having grass plugs installed four weeks prior to your first fall frost date. That period will give the plugs time to establish root growth so the grass can access moisture and nutrients that will help carry the plug through winter dormancy and provide resources to recover if there is an early frost.
In Central North Carolina, our first frost is typically around October 15, so installing grass plugs in August through mid-September is a proven strategy. Fall planted grass plugs that establish before the first frost, go dormant for winter, and wake up in spring have a more robust demeanor and will have a head start versus early spring plantings.
There are warm and cool season grasses that can be successfully installed past October 15, but specific factors including genus and species selection, weather, slope, aspect, and micro-climate of the site will dictate success or failure. Practices including well applied mulch, and covering grass plugs with frost blankets or row covers can also help minimize losses for late fall installations.
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Warm Season Grasses our customers have had success planting past October 15:
Cool Season Grasses our customers have had success planting past October 15:
We have a great selection of warm and cool season grasses available now for fall planting, check out our most?current availability.
Have different experiences with late fall planting or questions for our sales team??Please reach out!