Should You Seed During Drought?
NOT IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR POCKETBOOK!
Though the Middle Park Conservation District sells seed and the sale of seed is our biggest revenue generator, we are also conservationists and our mission is to provide you the best and wisest advice we can. Thus,
If you are asking yourself if you should plant seed right now (during the middle of the summer in one of the driest years on record), we advise against it.
Even in wet years, we do not advise people to seed in the middle of the summer. Occassionally, there is a monsoonal flow toward the end of July, but that moisture is so unpredictable that it is not worth making any bets on it.
It is best to wait until late fall (after October 15th) to lay any seed down. By waiting until then, you can do an dormant seeding in which the seed will just sit all winter long and then pop in the spring when Mother Nature says it's time.
Though we agree that planting seeds of desirable species is best for soil erosion and noxious weed control, there are good times and not-so-good times to seed. Seeding during a not-so-good time won't cause environmental harm, but it is less likely to be successful. Thus, you may end up spending twice as much of seed. Instead, focus of noxious weed management until the next proper seeding window comes around.
Read Keys to Successful Seeding and Why Did My Grass Not Grow? for more information.