Mow And Care For The New Grass
Continue watering up to three times per day to keep the soil moist until the new grass is ready to mow: about 4 inches tall, or as recommended on the seed packaging. Mow the grass to no less than 3 inches in height . Make sure the grass gets plenty of water until it has grown enough to need three mowings. From that point on, water the grass with the normal schedule for the area, the current weather, and the type of grass. Its also a good idea to pull new weeds as they emerge to prevent them from spreading.
How To Overseed Your Lawn
Your lawn care company may be able to perform lawn overseeding, which take the pressure off you as a homeowner. Your lawn care company know the best grass varieties for your region of the country and your specific lawn needs. If your lawn care company isnt able to overseed, you can do it yourself. Overseeding your lawn isnt a difficult process, but you need to follow all of the steps to ensure successful germination.
Leave The Area To Settle
This step isnt strictly necessary if youre laying a family or utility lawn. However, if you like to do a job well, its worth taking the extra time.
Water the area thoroughly and let the area settle for a least 48 hours.
If youre a perfectionist and not in a rush, leave the soil open to the elements and let it settle for a period of 2-4 weeks.
If you heel the soil and lay turf immediately, the soil underneath can settle slightly over time, creating undulations in the lawn. For a perfectionist will an ornamental lawn, this will not do.
After a few weeks, water the area again to see if or where the ground puddles.
Puddles form in low spots so these are the areas that need attention. Either add soil to those areas or flatten the high spots.
You can do this by using either a heavy roller or heeling again.
For normal family and utility lawns, this step isnt really necessary.
Also Check: When To Apply Weed And Feed In Iowa
How Long For Centipede Grass To Spread
The amount of time it takes for centipede grass to spread throughout your yard depends on the size of the space you want to fill in.
Its common not to see centipede grass sprouts until a month passes from seeding it in your soil. But once the first sprouts form, youll get to observe centipedes stolons as they move across your soil to start their spreading.
If you have a large yard, I recommend setting your mind on having to wait for one to two years before your centipede grass spreads the whole span of the space and grows into a thick, luscious lawn.
Why You Should Overseed Your Lawn
Overseeding has many substantial benefits for your lawn, with no downsides if you do it correctly.
Benefits of overseeding:
- Fills in thin and bare patches
- Makes grass grow thicker
- Makes the lawn hardier and more tolerant of drought, heat, diseases, pests, and other issues
- Helps turfgrass crowd out weeds
- Keeps your lawn green through winter
Read Also: Estimating Lawn Mowing
How To Overseed A Lawn: Common Mistakes To Avoid
Now, at this point you may be thinking, overseeding seems pretty easy, how can anyone mess it up? Here are the most common mistakes to avoid when looking to overseed your lawn:
Overseeding can seem like a daunting process. But, once you know how to do it and the things to avoid, overseeding can really help you create a beautiful, healthy lawn. This will have all your neighbors in envy.
What Do You Mean I Am Not Covered
Imagine this: You’re driving down the road towing your open trailer loaded with miscellaneous tools and equipment. While driving you notice a very large pothole in the road directly in your path.
Imagine this: You’re driving down the road towing your open trailer loaded with miscellaneous tools and equipment. While driving you notice a very large pothole in the road directly in your path. Knowing if you swerve you could overturn your trailer, you hit the brakes but still hit the pothole very hard. As you look in your rear view mirror you see your trailer bounce up and land hard. Just then you see a piece of equipment fly over the side of the trailer landing in the middle of the road. You slow down and pull over to the shoulder of the road. Thankful that there is no oncoming traffic, you run to the middle of the road hoping for the best. When you get there you see your brand new chain saw bent, twisted and broken in about five pieces. You gather up what is left, hop back in your truck and continue to the jobsite thinking all the way: “Thank goodness I have insurance.”
The next day, you call your agent and report the incident. After a long pause your agent says, “I’m sorry, but that new saw was not scheduled on your policy. You’re not covered.” That’s when you ask, “What do you mean I am not covered?”
If this story sounds at all familiar or like it could happen to you, then you need to ask the following questions:
You May Like: Rental Aerator Lowes
Correct Any Existing Issues
Assuming that you plan on overseeding your lawn to correct some dead spots, this section basically speaks for itself. With that being said, it’s really a good idea to correct those issues and then go back and overseed the entire lawn as a whole in order to ensure that you don’t have problems with thin spots in the future.
Preparing A Lawn For The Planting Of Grass Seed
Preparing a new lawn for grass seed is a bit of work, but its not that difficult to do successfully if you are armed with just a bit of basic information.
A few basics that you must get right
- The area has to be properly graded before you start.
- Its best if you have a few lawn installation tools to make the job easier.
- You use a good blend of grass seed.
- You pay close attention to what cover you use and why.
Pam and I recently built a new house, you know, all one floor, no steps.
I tell people that we built a convalescent home.
Wide hallways, grab bars in the bathroom.
The lot that we chose to build on is quite small, just enough room for the house really.
And a little bit of lawn.
We needed something easy to care for, we have plenty to do at Mikes Plant Farm.
And the new place is only about 2 minutes from the nursery which is really nice.
We hired contractors to do most of the construction but when it came the lawn and the landscape I just wasnt going to pay that kind of money to do something I could do myself.
I have a tractor so I was able to do most of the final grading myself and with a 3 point hitch tiller on the back of the tractor I was able to loosen the hard packed soil around the house, level it, then we still needed to hand rake the entire area.
Topsoil?
I first started installing lawns back in 1974 and back in the day we never trucked in topsoil to make a lawn.
We quite simply worked with whatever soil was there. And it worked!
Please note!
Don’t Miss: The Smallest Riding Lawn Mower
Planting A Lawn With Sod
Sodding can give you an instant lawn, though its costlier than seeding or plugging.
Start by clearing any debris from the site and leveling the soil. When your sod is delivered, check to see that its healthy and problem free. Lay your sod within twenty-four hours of delivery, and lightly irrigate the soil just before you begin. Fit the squares tightly against one another in a staggered fashion, cutting them if needed.
Proper watering is essential for your new lawns survival. Provide light but frequent waterings for the first two to three weeks, so that the soil stays moist but not overly wet. Once the sod is firmly rooted, you can taper off on watering.
Wait three to four weeks before you mow, and thirty to sixty days before you fertilize.
Dont Miss: Precise Fit Lawn Sweeper Hopper Bag
Best Grass Seed For Overseeding Buying Guide
Does the thought of finding a great Grass Seed For Overseeding stress you out? Has your mind been juggling between choices when it comes to buying Grass Seed For Overseeding in general, specifically regarding which model to choose? If thatâs the case, know that youâre not alone. Many people find it tough to buy the perfect Best Grass Seed For Overseeding for themselves. We understand the stress associated with the buying process! Since youâre here, you are obviously curious about Grass Seed For Overseeding Reviews. Youâve been bombarded with information, so you need to find a reputable source with credible options before you make any decisions on which product would be best for your needs. There are many sources thatâll provide you with that information- buying guides or ratings websites, word-of-mouth testimonials from friends or family members, online forums where users share their personal experiences, product reviews specifically found all over the internet and YouTube channels. Only thorough research will ensure that you get the right product. But thatâs not always easy, right? That’s why we’ve taken time to compile a list of the Best Grass Seed For Overseeding in today’s market, on your behalf, so that there will be no more worries for you. How did we come up with the list, you ask? How did we create this buying guide?
The products arenât chosen randomly. We consider several criteria before assembling a list. Some of the criteria are discussed below-
Recommended Reading: Husqvarna 725ex Reviews
Prepare Your Lawn For Reseeding
Create A Healthy Lawn By Starting Over
Lets get this straight right from the get-go: A healthy lawn doesnt get taken over by weeds. So if it looks like youre raising weeds instead of grass, thats a sign of a more serious problem. And that may mean killing off the grass and starting over. Its a big reseeding lawn project thatll take several weekends and may cost you up to 25¢ per sq. ft. for equipment rentals, soil conditioners and seed. If youre willing to spend more, you can lay sodinstead of planting seed, but dont skip the soil testing and remediation steps. Heres how to balance your soils pH level properly.
Are you ready for a fresh start? Just follow our guide for how to plant grass seed on an existing lawn and youll be the happiest gnomeowner on your block.
Don’t Miss: How To Make Lines When Cutting Grass
Fertilize The New Grass
Using the fertilizer spreader once again, spread a lawn starter fertilizer anywhere you just added seed. Starter fertilizers are especially formulated for new grass. They help the seedlings establish strong roots and sprout faster.
When choosing a fertilizer, avoid weed and feed combinations. The herbicides in weed and feed would keep the new grass from growing.
Note: If your seed mixture already contains fertilizer, skip this step.
Select A Quality Grass Seed Product
Better seed yields better lawns. Always use grasses recommended for your regional climate and choose top-quality grass seed you can depend on. Pennington Smart Seed products provide premium grass seed appropriate for sun, shade or high-traffic areas in lawns in northern or southern regions. Three-in-one Pennington Lawn Booster combines superior Smart Seed varieties with premium-grade fertilizer and soil enhancer.
Read Also: Selling Used Lawn Mowers
Grasses That Benefit From Overseeding
The practice of overseeding lawns is really nothing more than spreading grass seed over an existing lawn. The golf industry has been doing it since the sport began and is an important step in maintaining quality turf. Knowing how to do it correctly is the key. There is no need to invest in expensive equipment, just what is needed to do it correctly.
Not every grass type requires overseeding. The practice of overseeding lawns is primarily reserved for cool season bunch type grasses such as tall fescue, fine fescue, perennial and annual ryegrass and occasionally bluegrass. There are exceptions, but for most home lawns, grass types that spread by the production of “runners” are not generally overseeded unless it is damaged or diseased. This includes most warm season grass varieties. An exception is bermudagrass that is occasionally overseeded in the fall using a cool season variety.
Understanding Grass Growth
How To Prepare Your Lawn For Overseeding
Aeration + Overseeding for a Beautiful Lawn
Combine aeration with overseeding during your regions growing season for a beautiful, lush lawn.
To get started, make sure your lawn is watered, mowed short and then raked. Aerate your lawn to allow better water and nutrient absorption. Aeration is a process that allows the roots of your grass to breathe. Basically, youre perforating the soil with small, precise holes to allow penetration. Its essential on plots with compact soil.
Then, use the right lawn fertilizer for your area. Combination weed and feed products can prevent seed germination. Specialty starter fertilizers contain the right nutrients for new grass. The grass seed mix you choose will list the blend and overseeding rate for your yard. For more uniform results, apply half the seeds in one direction and the other half of your seed mix perpendicular to the first. Afterwards, rake with a leaf rake.
Watering is essential, before and after aerating and overseeding your lawn. When to aerate and overseed? When the weather is cooler in spring or fall is a smart time to undertake this project. Ideally, you should plant new grass seed over your entire lawn. But overseeding also is done to fill in thin patches on a lawn. Spot seeding is also effective when youre dealing with just a couple of dry or thin patches between growing seasons.
Recommended Reading: Hydroseeding Diy Kit
How To Overseed Your Lawn In Spring
Overseeding creates a thick, healthy lawn, which is the best defence against weeds. Keeping your lawn lush and thick provides natural protection from weeds and other annoyances, by allowing very little sunlight to permeate the grass, stopping growth underneath.
Step 1Step 1Cut and Rake
Before over-seeding your lawn, cut your grass at the lowest mower setting and bag the clippings. After mowing, rake the lawn to help loosen the top layer of soil and remove any dead grass and debris. This will give the grass seed easy access to the soil so the roots can easily take hold after beginning to sprout.
Step 2Step 2Enrich Soil
Add a quarter-inch layer of enriched soil over your lawn to protect and help settle the seed. Don’t put so much down that you kill your existing grass less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. Scotts® Turf Builder® LawnSoil works well for this purpose.
Step 3Step 3Add Grass Seed
Which type of grass seed you choose depends on your needs. Make sure to determine how much sun or shade your lawn gets before selecting your seed. Then just fill up your spreader, adjust the setting according to the label directions and apply.
Step 4Step 4Feed
To give your new grass seedlings the essential nutrients they need for fast growth, apply Scotts® Turf Builder®Starter® Food for New Grass after you’ve spread the grass seed.
Why Overseed Your Lawn
Overseeding is important because it can act as an easy way to fill in bare spots in your lawn.
These spots may have been left by a variety of factors, such as weather, stray toys, neighborhood dogs, etc.
Overseeding your lawn can also help to improve the density of your lawn grasses. This can prevent weeds from taking root.
It can also enhance the color and uniformity of your lawns appearance.
Overall, overseeding a lawn is important in maintaining a healthy lawn. While its much easier than tearing out your lawn and starting from scratch, it is super easy to overseed incorrectly. Making mistakes can damage your lawn instead of helping it. Also, grass seed is expensive. You want to make sure youre getting the most value from every seed you spread on your lawn.
Here are my best tips on how to overseed a lawn the right way.
Read Also: Rgs Lawn Care
