Why You Shouldn’t Let Your Lawn Go to Seed

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If you’ve discovered one or more bare patches of grass in your lawn, you might assume that letting your lawn go to seed will fill the bare patch or patches.

Grass is a plant, and like most plants, they reproduce by developing and releasing seeds. By intentionally neglecting your lawn, your grass will develop new seeds to fill bare patches – a process known as “going to seed.”

While letting your lawn go to seed may sound harmless, it’s typically a bad idea for several reasons.

Weeds

You can expect more weeds in your lawn if you let it go to seed.

Mowing your lawn doesn’t just cut the grass; it cuts the weeds. When you let your lawn go to seed, though, you won’t be able to mow it, resulting in more weeds.

During the spring and summer months, weeds can quickly take over your lawn if you rarely or never mow it.

A good rule of thumb is to mow your lawn weekly during the spring and summer. But it can take over a month for grass to produce new seeds.

Therefore, allowing your lawn to go to seed will pave the way for weeds.

Thinning

Your lawn may become thinner if you let it go to seed. Grass consumes more energy when it’s producing seeds.

Rather than using nutrients from the soil to fill bare patches, it will use nutrients to produce new seeds.

As a result, allowing your lawn to go to seed won’t fill bare patches. It actually has the opposite effect by promoting a thinner lawn with a greater number of bare patches.

Ineffective

Native grass typically produces seeds that, when germinated, will grow into new blades of grass.

The problem with residential lawn grasses, however, is that many consist of hybrid varieties that don’t germinate.

Your grass may still produce new seeds – assuming you don’t mow it regularly – but the seeds won’t sprout into new grass blades.

Pests

Another reason you shouldn’t let your lawn go to seed is the potential for pests.

Many insects feast on the seeds produced by grass. And because many residential grasses produce non-germinating seeds, these seeds will blanket your lawn while providing insects with a readily available source of food.

If you’re struggling to control insects around your home, you should mow your lawn regularly rather than allowing it to go to seed.

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