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How To Sow Grass Seed On Existing Lawn

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Planting Grass Seed In Fall

Planting Grass Seed- Over Existing Grass or New Lawn

In many climates, the best time to plant grass seed is in the autumn. The still-warm soil of late August, September, October, or November encourages optimum root growth, while the cooling air temperatures discourage excessive top growth. This is perfect for establishing lawn grasses and promoting extensive root growth. It also makes the turf more resistant to drought and better able to access nutrients in the soil. In addition, in most regions, fall also brings increased amounts of rainfall. This means you wont have to lug out the hose and sprinkler as often.

Its time to plant grass seed in the fall when nighttime temperatures drop down to about 60 degrees F. Keep an eye on the forecast. Opt for sowing grass seed when theres a day or two of rain predicted.

How To Seed A New Lawn

Now that youve got the right seeds, and your soil is ready for seeding, you can begin sowing.

Heres how to sow grass seed successfully.

  • Choose your seed spreading method. You can either use a lawn spreader device, or sow your grass seeds by hand. Remember, the goal is to spread the seed evenly, so that you dont add too many or too few seeds in a given area. The seed bag packaging should give an indication of how many seeds you should be sowing per square metre.
  • Spread the seeds onto the soil using your chosen sowing method.
  • Rake the ground to cover the seed in soil, allowing it to get better access to nutrients and moisture in the ground.
  • Water your garden, ensuring that the soil is nice and damp, but not completely soaked.
  • Congratulations, you have finished sowing your grass seeds! Now youll need to wait patiently for the turf to grow.

    In the meantime, you need to keep watering your lawn on a daily basis to ensure that the seeds are in constant contact with wet soil. After the seeds begin to germinate, you might also like to top dress the lawn with a small layer of fertiliser, to help feed your newly sown lawn.

    How Often Should Grass Seed Be Watered

    Normally a lawn should be watered deeply but infrequently, but when you are watering for new grass seed, you must water every day. Set automatic timers for about 5 to 10 minutes, early in the morning, and again at mid-day. Watering done by hand or hose-end sprinklers must be consistent and evenly applied.

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    Mowing The Grass For The First Time

    We need to ensure the grass is still quite long after the first cut so it will continue to grow rapidly and spread throughout the lawn. You can cut your grass when it is hitting heights of 5-7cm. You should first cut on the highest setting of our lawnmower, and for the for the second and third cuts you can lower the blades further to their recommended mowing height.

    Find out more about fertilising and watering here.

    Advantages Of The Overseeding

    How to Plant Grass Seed in an Existing Lawn

    Overseeding can do wonders for your garden. It only requires your attention and your garden will surprise everyone. So, lets figure out the advantages of the overseeding.

    • Overseeding gives robustness to your yard.
    • As a result of dethatching, the soil gets proper sunlight and air.
    • It helps in controlling pests and fungus.
    • It improves the drought tolerance of grass.
    • A healthy lawn gives you freshness.

    For your convenience, we have explained cool and warm-season grasses in detail. So, you can select the best one.

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    Get Your Seed Bed Prepared To Perfection

    We hate to sound like a school teacher, but it is true that if you fail to prepare – you should prepare to fail. Preparing your seedbed well goes a long way to ensuring successful germination and the future growth of your lawn. One of the first things you should consider is the quality of the soil you are working with – determining what soil type you have will greatly help this. In some instances, you may have extremely poor soil quality and it may be advisable to add top soil. Other soil types – sandy, clay and loam can all be worked with but will still need to be well prepared. The ideal seedbed should be:

  • Free from weeds, moss or other debris
  • Well-draining
  • Level
  • To find out more about how to achieve this – follow our How to prepare the perfect seedbed guide.

    How To Renovate Your Lawn By Overseeding

    When the weedkiller doesnt bite and the brown patches take over, its easy to start doubting if your garden will ever look the same. But theres hope. You can always start over with a lawn renovation.

    Before you start
    Seeding or turfing? Decide which type of renovation you should go for new seeds or new turf by checking how large the damaged part of the lawn is. If less than 40 per cent of it is dead, seeding is sufficient.Why renovate? Try to work out what has caused the lawn to fail. This matters when choosing new seeds and might affect other decisions during renovation.Estimate the effort. Before getting started, try to calculate how large a job youre facing. Do you need to rent an aerator? Would you like to use a spreader? Should you hire a professional for parts of the work?

    Theres a difference between renovating a lawn by adding new seeds and by starting from square one with new turf. If more than 40 per cent of the grass in your lawn is damaged, you should go with the latter, but if youre looking at less than 40 per cent of the lawn being damaged or covered with weeds, a good overseeding that is adding more seeds to your existing grass plants will be sufficient. In this article, we will focus on renovating your lawn by overseeding.

    How to do a soil test varies in different parts of the world, but commercial labs generally do it. The lab will provide you with a detailed mode of procedure that will be helpful when you move on with your renovation.

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    How To Add Grass Seed To Your Existing Lawn In 4 Steps

    1. Prepare Your Existing Lawn

    Before you start overseeding, you first need to prepare the area. Start with a good watering the day before, so any living grass will be nice and perky. Mow your lawn on a lower setting and use the bagger instead of the mulch option to keep the clippings from getting spread around.

    Next, rake your lawn to remove any debris like dead grass and leaves. Remember, your seeds will only grow if theyre actually in contact with the ground. This kind of debris can keep them from taking root.

    As a final step before you spread your seed, aerate the lawn. Use a gas machine or manual aerator that removes plugs between 0.5 and 0.75 inches in diameter, and 2 to 3 inches deep. This will loosen up the soil and make it easier for the young grass to grow.

    2. Spread Your Grass Seed

    Spread your grass seed at the rate recommended on the label. This will be different depending on the seed type, and whether its a single species or a mix. A broadcast spreader is best for covering your whole lawn since you can get the job done quickly. Hand spreading is fine for smaller patches.

    3. Fertilize

    Fresh grass requires good fertilizer to grow, particularly fertilizer that is rich in phosphorus. Keep in mind that some locations restrict the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, so you may only be able to use a nitrogen-based fertilizer instead.

    4. Water Your Seeds

    How To Plant Grass Seeds On The Existing Lawn In Spring

    How to overseed an existing lawn for the BEST RESULTS

    Well, are you planning to overseed your lawn in spring? If yes, follow are tips mentioned below.

    • Select the grass better suited to your garden and mating climate.
    • For spring, warm-season grasses like Bermuda, and Bahia grasses can be overseeded from March through September.
    • Simply prepare your existing lawn by watering mowing, bagging the clippings.
    • Dethatch the soil and properly aerate the lawn following our above-mentioned guidelines.
    • Fertilize the lawn using a phosphorus-rich fertilizer.
    • Spread the seeds using a spreader.
    • Water the seeds more often until the newly germinated seeds become 1 inch in height.
    • Make sure not to mow and apply pesticides after germination.
    • Once the grass has reached the height of existing plants, mow the garden as required.

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    Planting Grass Seed Over Existing Weeds

    You may have a few weeds. It happens to everyone. Will grass seed still be able to thrive and grow amidst a few weeds?

    Surprisingly, planting more grass is helpful to fend off the weeds! If those annoying weeds have less area to grow, they wont spring up as fast. You asked, and I answered. Find out everything you need to know about weeds and grass seed!

    How To Plant Grass Seed: A Simple Guide To Success

    by Jessica Walliser

    Lawns are everywhere. Some are highly tended others, not so much. My own lawn is a mixed planting of three types of turf grass , clover, violets, ground ivy, and various other weeds, which is exactly how I like it . Regardless of how perfectionistic you are about your lawn, at one point or another, youll find yourself needing to plant grass seed. Whether its to fill in a bare spot left behind by Fido or a wayward snowplow, or to install a brand-new lawn after a construction project, learning how to plant grass seed is a necessity for most homeowners. This article offers a simple guide to success, no matter the reason for your reseeding efforts.

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    When Should I Overseed

    Overseeding your lawn works best in mild yet wet conditions. So spring or autumn are perfect, these are the same times of year you should be seeding a brand new lawn too. If seeding in spring make sure the last frost has passed, the same goes for autumn but in reverse.

    You can also overseed in the summer but just check the forecast first. Dont go overseeding if we are expecting a long dry spell, I know, not much chance of that anyway!

    Preparing The Ground For Planting

    How To Plant Grass Seeds On An Existing Lawn

    After selecting and purchasing the seed, its time to prepare the soil for the planting process. This is a very important step in knowing how to plant grass seed successfully. The tender roots of young grass plants will not grow well in compacted soils so its essential that this step be done properly. Here are instructions for prepping the ground to overseed bare spots in an established lawn and instructions on how to prepare for planting grass seed in a large bare area.

    Preparation for seeding a bare spot in the lawn: Begin by using a cultivator to remove the dead grass. If its a small spot, use a hand cultivator. If its a larger spot, use a diamond hoe or warren hoe. Then, dig up the area down to a depth of two or three inches with a shovel or trowel. Loosen the soil and break up any clumps.

    Preparation for planting grass seed in a large bare area: If you want to know how to plant grass seed in larger areas successfully, begin by loosening the top three to five inches of soil. Use a rototiller for the job if its a very large lawn area. Use a shovel or hoe if its an area thats just a few square feet.

    Whether the area is small or large, after loosening the soil, its time to rake it smooth. Use a bow rake or a seeding rake to further break up any soil clods and rake the soil out into fine particles and a smooth finish. Use the tines of the rake to smash any large clumps of dirt if necessary.

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    How To Sow Grass Seed

    This article was co-authored by Katie Gohmann. Katherine Gohmann is a Professional Gardener in Texas. She has been a home gardener and professional gardener since 2008.There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 107,686 times.

    Grass is a great way to add life to your yard, it gives kids and pets a soft and comfortable place to play, and it can make your property look more tended and cared for. There are many ways to grow new grass in your yard, but growing it from seed is one of the most cost-effective methods out there. The major steps involved with sowing grass seed include picking the right type of grass, tilling and preparing the soil, planting the seeds, and covering the newly sown seeds with mulch.

    Will Grass Seed Grow If Not Watered

    Not only do you need your soil to be the right temperature for germination, the most critical component of germination is appropriate moisture. To sprout, the seed needs to be moist and warm. Without enough water, grass seed is unlikely to sprout, and without some sort of mulch or top-dressing, most seed will dry out.

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    When To Overseed A Lawn

    First of all, you should avoid overseeding during the hottest and coldest months of the year, so that excludes summers and winters. The best time to overseed in the UK would be spring March, April and early May, or early autumn late August to September. During these months, the weather is not too hot, not too cold, there is a high chance of rain and, as we mentioned a few times already, seeds need moisture in order to germinate. If you live outside of the UK, you should consider the climate conditions in your area and plan the reseeding process accordingly.

    Determine The Reason For Lawn Failure

    How to – Plant lawn seed to repair a thin lawn

    If you work out why your lawn has deteriorated, you can use that knowledge to make the right decisions during your renovation. For example, if the lawn has thinned out due to growing trees that shade the lawn and compete for water and nutrients, you should select shade-tolerant grass varieties. You might also want to prune some of the tree limbs, opening up for more sunlight and rainfall.

    You can get some information by just looking at the lawn, but I definitely recommend to do a proper soil test, says Karlsson.

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    Pro Tips For Overseeding

    • Select the best seeds for your lawn. The quality and type of seed you choose are crucial for the overseeding process. You can buy the same type of seed as your current lawn, or choose a couple of different options that go together nicely.
    • If your lawn has not been fed for some time, use pre-seeding fertilizer up to a few days before overseeding. This will contribute to the overall result.
    • Apply topdressing this is not a must-do. However, topdressing along with the overseeding will provide your lawn with much-needed nutrients for the new grass, so we highly recommend this. You simply need to apply a very thin layer of dressing to your existing lawn and use a rake to spread it around evenly. In case of doubts, you can review this article for more details.
    • Aerating essentially this is the process of perforating the soil with small holes by forking the lawn or removing small plugs of thatch. Aerating will help reduce soil compaction and allow vital resources to go deep into the roots, ultimately improving the quality of the soil.
    • Make sure you dont overdo it. Apply only the needed amount of seed. We already mentioned a few times that if youre not certain how much to use, you can follow the instructions on the seed packaging.
    • Minimise the traffic on the newly overseeded lawn for about 7 to 21 days.

    Implement A Care Routine

    You have to keep a close eye on the germinating grass seeds and attend to their needs or all your hard work will go to waste. Seeds only have one chance to germinate. Therefore, everything you do at this point is crucial. Even if youve done all the previous steps perfectly, success is not guaranteed.

    This means you have to water the fledging seeds appropriately. Ensure that the soils top layer stays moist. If the seeds dry out, they die. Some people compare this stage of lawn-growing to taking care of a newborn, as both young lawns and babies need constant attention.

    Youll probably have to deal with some variables. Some sections of your garden may be sloped, have more aerated soil, or be shadier. Therefore, you have to balance your watering appropriately.

    Ensure that your soil is moist, but too much water is just as bad as inadequate water. If you overwater the lawn, the seeds will wash away or drown. Therefore, ensure the soil is damp but not mushy. Fit your hose with a misting attachment to reduce the pressure you use.

    Water the seedlings at least twice a day, preferably in the morning and mid-afternoon. Water the lawn again if the sun is too hot and the soil dries out, though this is an unlikely outcome in the UK climate. Its more likely youll get some rain, so if this is the case, treat this as if it was one of your waterings for the day.

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    How Do You Overseed An Existing Lawn

    Do you know that overseeding can refill the bare patches of your garden? Have you any idea what is overseeding? Lets explain how to plant a new lawn over an old lawn.

    If the grass in your garden is thinning, it needs the sowing of new seeds over the existing lawn. This process is named overseeding. In fact, the grass in your garden is exposed to sunlight, extremely high and low temperatures, rain, and snowfall. Even if you are watering, fertilizing, and mowing regularly, the thinning of grass is natural because of exposure to weather elements.

    To fill any bare patches, overseeding is an easy and quick way. It not only enhances the overall look of your lawn but also gives luster and strength to the grass. It takes nearly eight weeks to establish a graceful lawn.

    But before we go towards the procedure, it is critical to consider the type of grass that is better suited for your lawn concerning the climate. After reading, you will decide if your lawn needs renovation or only overseeding will solve the problem. Plus, this info will also be helpful if you are planting new grass seeds in your garden for the first time.

    So, here we go!

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