Three: Spread Seed Across Your Yard
Now is the fun partâ scattering the seeds! Check the seed package to determine the reseeding rate. Be careful not to mix up the seeding and reseeding rates. Drop and broadcast spreaders can cover large areas quickly while handheld spreaders work fine for small lawns. Spreaders ensure that your garden is covered evenly scattering by hand isnât recommended unless the area is minimal. After the dispersion, water the area to wash the seeds off the top of the grass and into the ground.
If itâs windy outside, put a pause on the reseeding and wait for conditions to die down. Wind can blow the seeds away, creating uneven distribution leading to more patchy grass.
The Best Time To Plant Grass In Virginia
You might be wondering when is the best time to plant grass in Virginia if its not the spring. Ideally, seeding should always be performed in the fall. Not only does this allow you to get through the spring season utilizing the professional weed control products that your lawn will need to look its best, but weather conditions in the fall are ideal for new seedling growth.
The weather is cool, the ground is moist, and the soil is still warm. In these conditions, your lawn will develop a healthy root system that will allow it to become established in plenty of time before the summer stress sets in.
When it comes to broadleaf weed control, you can apply a late summer or early fall application of this material and then wait approximately a week and seed your lawn. This allows for getting rid of most of the weeds in the lawn prior to seeding and then not having to worry about them for the rest of the fall.
Of course, you might also be wondering specifically when to plant grass seed in fall? The optimal time is anywhere between late August through the end of October or possibly even early November. Its not so much the exact time as it is the weather conditions.
Spring Grass Seeding May Fill In Bare Areas
Normally, spring is not considered the ideal time to overseed a cool season bluegrass or fescue lawn because of the shorter establishment period before summer and the increased issues with weeds. However, if done properly and with attention to maintenance, spring might be a viable option.
Best tme to attempt spring grass seedingThe best time to seed in the spring is mid-March through early April. Like fall seeding, the soil must first be prepared. The recommended method is verticutting. A verticut slices grooves in the soil that allows for the necessary seed and soil contact for germination. Simply scattering the seed on the ground usually results in a poor stand and a waste of time and money. Very small patches can be roughed up with a garden rake.
Once the soil is prepared the seed can be broadcast. Then the fun of overseeding begins as the soil surface must be kept moist through germination and into early establishment. This means light, frequent water applications applied as needed, based on weather patterns. The good news is that in the spring temperatures are cooler and more overcast, and rainy days are likely to reduce the watering demands typically found during hot September days.
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What Month Is Good For Reseeding A Yard
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Reseeding a yard is a complex task that involves learning a number of different elements of lawn care. While not a difficult job, it does depend on a number of factors: your climate, your existing type of grass, your altitude, the local weather forecast for temperatures and rain, when your lawn was last treated with chemicals, and the traffic patterns of your lawn. It also requires you to set aside a few days to devote to the job. Once all the stars are aligned, only then should you start spreading the seeds to ensure a lush, green lawn.
No Matter Where You Live In The Us Learn The Best Time To Reseed Your Lawn And How To Do It
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Left alone, grass has no problem providing its own seed and replenishing itself. A manicured lawn often cant because repeated mowing chops off most, if not all, of the seeds before they mature. Thats why its important to reseed your lawn from time to time, especially if it gets a lot of wear and tear.
Heres more information on how long it takes for grass seed to grow.
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Give It Plenty Of Water
Your new grass seeds need some attention to grow into a beautiful lawn. In general, you should plan on keeping the soil slightly moist for the first couple of weeks after seeding. That can be a challenge if you experience very hot or dry weather. Make the effort, though, or your seeds will not be able to establish themselves and grow into healthy grass plants.
How To Properly Take Care Of It
You can follow up on your fall planting with some new seeds the following spring. This will help fill in any spots that need more grass. After you have planted the seed, youll want to make sure it gets adequate water. Youll want your seed to be moist but not saturated, which usually requires a few waterings every day.
Once the grass reaches about 2 inches in height, reduce the watering frequency but increase the duration of each watering. This will help establish the roots. Make sure you wait to mow it until it is established and about 4 inches tall and set your mower on a higher setting.
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How Do You Best Prepare The Reseed For Growing
Lawns in general need a lot of water in the first period. If you have already laid sod or sown your lawn yourself, you probably remember this. So water to reseed daily for 4 to 6 weeks. On hot summer days, you can also water it in the morning and in the evening. It is important to avoid burning in the initial period.Some gardeners also swear by peat on the reseeding. The peat is supposed to protect the grass seeds from flying away in the wind, as well as cover the reseed so that it cannot be eaten by birds. Peat protects against drying out and also against excessive rain. Because, especially at the beginning, heavy rain can simply wash away the reseed.
Why And When To Overseed The Lawn
Overseeding is as simple as it sounds. You plant new grass seed in your lawns troubled spots. But its benefits go much deeper. You should consider overseeding because:
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How To Plant Grass Seed
If youre going to be planting grass seed and reseed your lawn, follow these simple directions:
One of the most important things to consider is that you dont overwater. Overwatering is the number 1 reason new grass dies off.
You Cant Put Down Some Lawn Care Materials
If youve seeded in the spring, then you cant put down crabgrass preventer for approximately 3 months afterward, and at that time, it will be too late to prevent crabgrass.
The material being applied will not know the difference between a desired turfgrass seed and a crabgrass seed, and will ultimately prevent both from growing.
Sometimes people ask us about just skipping crabgrass control but in our opinion, this is risky. Skipping crabgrass control can become a potentially serious concern because of how quickly the pesky weeds can spread. Crabgrass also grows most freely in the thinner areas of your lawn, such as the ones you may have seeded, which makes seeding a bad idea.
Likewise, broadleaf weed control cannot be applied until your new grass seed begins to grow and has matured enough to mow it a couple times. Again, that time frame will end up being very late in the spring to early summer and at that time, your lawn will have also developed quite a crop of weeds along the way.
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Spread The Grass Seed
Its seeding time! Just fill up your Scotts® spreader with grass seed, adjust the spreader settings according to the label directionsuse the New Lawn coverage rateand apply. The Scotts® Whirl Hand-Powered Spreader is an extremely easy-to-use choice for small lawns , while the Scotts® Turf Builder® Edgeguard® DLX Broadcast Spreader brings exceptional precision when youre applying seed to larger lawns . For really big lawns , the Scotts® Elite Spreader, with its 6-foot spread pattern, will help you get the job done quickly.
When To Overseed A Lawn
The best time for overseeding your lawn is determined by the type of seed. For most species, spring is the best time to overseed the turf.
When you are overseeding for winter coverage, you may put down seed in early fall, but it requires quite a bit more management and irrigation to get the seed to take off.
Most grasses need a germination temperature of 59 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit . Do not seed when heavy freezes or snow are expected.
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Exceptions To My Seeding Recommendation
As with any rule or recommendation, there are always exceptions. For example, you may want to seed in the Spring if you had extensive drought or grub damage during the previous summer or fall. Pre-emergent works best on a thick stand of turf, but it does not work well in areas where there is exposed soil and not much grass. In cases like this, you have to compare the pros and cons. If you have a lot of bare spots, and you wait until Fall to seed, you may end up with a lot more weeds in those bare spots throughout the season. If you skip the pre-emergent and seed the bare areas in the Spring, you will prevent a lot of weeds in those bare areas, but you might experience some crabgrass or other weeds throughout the lawn.
Kill Existing Grass And Weeds
The easiest and fastest way to do this is to use a weed killer such as Ortho® GroundClear® Super Weed & Grass Killer, making sure to follow all package instructions carefully. Put on protective clothing, apply it on a dry, wind-free day, and wait the recommended amount of time before planting new seed.
Got time to spare? If so, another option is to harness the power of the summer sun. Mow the grass as low as you can, soak it with a sprinkler, then cover it completely with clear plastic sheeting. Overlap the edges so grass cant grow up in between the rows. Hold the plastic down with bricks or heavy stones, then sit back and let the sun do its work. The heat and moisture will destroy your existing lawn in about 6 to 8 weeks, leaving the soil ready for reseeding.
You can avoid all the plastic by covering your lawn with 7 to 10 layers of overlapping newspaper, instead. Wet it down, then cover that with 5 to 7 inches of mulch, grass clippings, or compost. Without access to sunlight, the grass and weeds will wither and die, and in about 6 to 8 weeks, your soil will be ready for its makeover. Bonus: As the newspaper and other materials decompose, theyll add valuable nutrients to the soil.
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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.
Best Time To Aerate And Overseed Your Lawn
Theres nothing better than a lush lawn that lets you spend time with your family in the back yard, laughing and having fun. But, to keep grass healthy, techniques such as overseeding and aeration are important. This leads us to the question, when is the best time to aerate and overseed your lawn?
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Spreading And Nurturing The Seed
When To Overseed Your Lawn
The best time to overseed your lawn depends on where you live. In the cooler northern climates, the best time to overseed is in late summer to early fall. In fall the soil is warm enough to support germination, but the temperatures arent too extreme for the tender new grass to develop before winter sets in. Soil moisture needed for germination is more favorable as well. Spring is an alternate time if not completed in fall, but do as early as possible to allow seedlings enough time to establish before summer heat begins.
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Take Care Of Your New Seed
Fertilizing your new seed is essential for its growth. Fertilizer delivers essential nutrients that help it to germinate and grow into the healthy lawn that you want.
All-natural fertilizer is the best option for fertilizing your new seed, as phosphorous supports rapid root growth however, there are restrictions on certain types of fertilizer, so be sure to check restrictions in your area.
My go-to method is to broadcast a thin layer of compost over my lawn after spreading the new seed.
Not only will this ensure good contact with your new lawn seed, it feeds your established grasses. Its pretty cheap to order a delivery and spread it with a wheelbarrow and shovel.
The Best Time To Overseed Grass
Overseeding means planting new grass to fill in any bare orworn patches. This is helpful for having a gorgeous lawn that looks thick andhealthy all year long. The best time to overseed depends on two factors: whereyou live and what kind of grass you prefer.
Many homeowners in northern states choose cool-seasongrasses, and southern areas often select warm-season grasses. Each type ofgrass has distinctive growth patterns and needs, so make sure to speak with ourlawn professionals if youre not sure what variety to choose. Here are theoptimal overseeding times for several locations and grass types:
- PacificNorthwest : Plant new grasses about six weeks beforethe first projected snowfall. These are generally cool-season grasses.
- SouthwestU.S. : Early spring is the best time foroverseeding in these areas.
- Southernstates : April, May and June are good times tooverseed in this huge area. The best time may vary each year depending on soiltemperatures. You want warm-season grass to have a cozy environment togerminate in.
- Northeaststates : Due to the cold temperatures prevalent in theseareas, its best to start planting grass seeds in August or September to givethem some time to grow before winter hits.
- MidwestU.S. : Weather conditions vary quite abit depending on how far north you live, but a safe bet is to overseed lawns bythe end of August or early September at the latest.
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