I live in Northern Ontario, where evenings below freezing start in October, and snow begins as early as November. I'm looking to aerate and seed my lawn. I've read that Spring and Fall are the best times to do that.
Being in Northern Ontario, is Fall too late in the year to effectively aerate and seed a lawn? I would imagine that for seeding to be effective, the seeds should have time to germinate before frost. Should "Fall" really be "End of Summer"? Would Spring be a better time?
Grass seed takes longer to establish than sod. I have seen sod laid in November in Ottawa that takes. The ground is still warm and cool temperatures prevent it from drying out.
For seed, it needs time to germinate and root. My guesstimate is that you need at least four to six weeks of air temperatures over ten degrees celsius to establish grass seed. This is also dependent on soil, moisture and light levels.
I think you would have more success to lay sod in September or grass seed in May.
