How Does Grass Seed Germinate?

Hi, this is Yolanda Vanveen. And in this segment we're going to talk about how does grass germinate. Now, grass grows from a seed, so it just needs a seed to grow, but there are certain factors that have to be present for that grass to germinate. So grass just needs a few things to germinate. First, it needs a sunny spot. It needs warm weather, and it needs lots of water. So, if you don't have any of those factors, it will not germinate. So that's why in nature grass grows on its own, so the best time to sew any grass, or to start your grass is in the Spring or the Fall because that's when all those factors are present. If you try to start your lawn in the middle of winter and it's really cold out, the seeds will never germinate. If you try to start your seeds in the middle of summer, a lot of times they won't germinate. So, grass seed is just a seed, and inside that seed there is the wall. So it's the seed wall, and inside that is an embryo. And an embryo is just like a baby, and it's protected. So in order for that embryo to hatch, to grow, it needs to heat up with water and it needs a lot of moisture. So that embryo needs to grow out of that shell. So the only time that I can get grass to grow well in my yard, is if I start the seeds in the Spring when the nights start to get warmer. When the nights are still cold, they're not going to do anything. Or, start it in the Fall, which is actually the best time because then they've got all winter to get established with lots of water from the rain. And even in the Fall, if you wait too late to when the nights are really cold and you're starting to get freezes, a lot of times they'll never germinate because the seeds will never get warm enough. So start your seeds in the Spring and the Fall and you'll find that they germinate really well.