Unhappy With Your Lawn
Do you feel like youve tried everything when it comes to keeping your lawn nice and you just cant win?
Overseeding can give your lawn the extra boost it may need.
Sometimes, even the most well-cared for and maintained lawn will experience a failure to thrive. The weather, our families, and even our pets can eventually begin to take its toll on our grass. As a result, many home and business owners occasionally find that, even with a full fertilization and weeding program, their grass and gardens still look brown, dry, limp, and even bald in some areas. If that sounds like the current state of your lawn, your property may be ready for an overseeding treatment.
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.
Tips On Overseeding Your Lawn
Overseeding is an essential part of growing and maintaining a lush lawn. Not only does overseeding fill in bare, damaged spots on your existing turf, but it bolsters your entire lawn area with better quality grass seed and new growth. When you know how to overseed a lawn, your lawn will thrive and will soon become the most envied on the block.
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Using The Aeration Machine Incorrectly
Even if you choose the correct aeration machine, you may still not be able to operate it properly.
Your whole aeration and overseeding adventure will be over rather quickly unless you get familiar with the equipment you want to use.
The most common type of aeration machine is a walk-behind, which may seem simple enough. However, because they are heavy to push you could end up missing some parts of the turf, or ripping apart your lawn when turning the machine.
Pay attention when picking up the equipment and ask questions of the pro youre renting it from. Watch some online videos beforehand, and take the first pass with the machine over a part of your lawn that is the least visible from the street in case you make a mistake.
S Used For Overseeding Lawns And Soil Preparation
Any method you choose to evenly distribute seed will work. The task of overseeding lawns doesn’t require expensive equipment. Smaller areas can be done by using your hands if you do not have access to a fertilizer spreader. If overseeding lawns by hand, you should first divide the amount of seed you want to spread in half. Then carefully spread half of the seed by broadcasting it over the entire area. Choose a single direction to walk while spreading the seed. Then spread the other half of the seed at a right angle to the first direction you walked in. By broadcasting the seed in two different directions you have a greater chance of getting complete coverage.
Small hand-held rotary spreaders can also be used for small areas. They are generally inexpensive and are more precise than spreading by hand.
For larger areas, it is better to use a drop or rotary spreader. This is the same type of spreader that is used to spread lawn fertilizer. Drop spreaders, like the name sounds, drop seed directly below the spreader. The width of drop will never be wider than the spreader itself. Drop spreaders are more accurate when working around flower gardens or ponds, etc, but are not well suited for very large areas. Care must be taken to ensure you are walking in straight lines. Any swerve may result in a missed area. Overseeding lawns with a drop spreader is more work if the area is large.
Preparing the Grass and Soil for Overseeding
Core Aeration
Dethathing
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Seed And Fertiliser Spreader
Spreading grass seed and fertiliser is pretty easy to do by hand if you only have a small lawn.
That said, its much more accurate with a spreader and if you have a big lawn, its really the only way to do it.
You can buy small, handheld spreaders for small areas or wheeled, broadcast spreaders for larger lawns.
Overseeding Your Tired Grass Can Give It A Much
Summer can take a lot out of your lawn. Hot, dry conditions and heavy shade cause the most grass damage. Outbreaks of disease and insect activity can make matters worse. And if you have kids or pets, your lawn may be worn to shreds, exposing the soil beneath. Not good!
General yard maintenance helps. But like other home assets, such as your exterior walls and kitchen appliances, the amount of TLC you give your lawn can go a long way. Overseeding after a summers worth of stress and abuse will pay dividends, keeping your lawn looking and performing its best once the snow melts next spring.
Your lawn cant dodge general wear and tear caused by Mother Nature. And the way you and your family use your lawn can add to your maintenance woes. By seasons end, your lawn is tired and showing signs of stress.
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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.
Overseeding A Lawn In Spring
If your lawn is not performing up to your expectations, you can re-establish a healthier, better-looking lawn by overseeding it. The best time to overseed an existing lawn is from late summer to early fall, but it can still be a success when done in spring.
Jonathan Green supplies genetically superior cool-season grass seed, soil enhancers, fertilizer, and organic lawn and garden products to professional customers, including sod growers and independent home and garden retailers across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern, and now the Western United States.
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Should You Overseed Your Lawn In The Spring
Although Fall is always the perfect time to overseed, you can still have a lush and beautiful lawn by overseeding in the Spring. While your lawn may look bad to harsh weather conditions, aging, or pest infestations, overseeding can bring it back to life.
Overseeding is a technique that allows you to grow new grass seed on existing turfgrass or lawn without having to tear up the soil/turf.
It is one of the best ways to easily fill up sparse spots and restore your lawn to a beautiful verdant field.
In this article, Ill be guiding you on how to go about this in the beautiful season of Spring.
S To Overseed Your Lawn
Mowing the Lawn and Raking It
The objective of overseeding the lawn is to ensure that the seed comes in contact with the soil properly and for that to happen, you must mow the lawn. Mowing the grass shorter than normal will ensure that the seed has a better chance of reaching the soil.
Bag the grass clippings and rake the lawn to remove all the debris like dead grass, sticks, rocks, etc. This helps to loosen the soil and also remove all the barriers between the soil and the grass seed, allowing proper seeding and germination.
Amending the Soil
Not the same as fertilizers, soil amendments have specific chemical compositions and nutrients for specific types of soil. For instance, wood ash, poultry manure and lime help to increase the pH level of acidic soil, making it suitable for certain types of grasses and plants.
On the other hand, sulfur amendments help to add acidity to the alkaline soil. By adding compost to sandy soil and peat moss to clayey soil, you can enhance the nutrient profile of the soil and improve your lawn.
If your lawn is not growing as it should, then a soil test can help to determine its type and pH and what type of amendments are required to be added to the soil, which will help the growth of a healthy lawn. However, if your soil is fertile and its pH is neutral, then there is no need to add any amendments to it.
Adding the Grass Seeds
Applying Fertilizer
Watering the Lawn
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Mow The Lawn On The Lowest Setting
Set your mower to the lowest setting possible in order to scalp the lawn you want to overseed. Scalping your lawn;helps improve the seed-to-soil contact that in turn improves the rate of seed germination. Set your lawn mowers deck as low as possible though any setting between 1.5 and 2 inches would be a good option to consider if the lawn does not have too many weeds.
- If your lawn is level, you can set the mowing deck as low as 1 inch from the ground.
- If your lawn is bumpy, set the blades a little higher up to 2 inches to prevent damaging the blades.
Pro tip: Always bag clippings if your lawn has weeds;that have gone to seed to prevent spreading weed seeds all over your yard and worsening the problem.
It is also a good idea, in my experience, to mow right before the rainy week to keep the lawn moist. It makes my mowing job a lot easier as the grass is soft and the thatch easy to remove right before overseeding weedy lawns.
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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When To Cut Grass After Overseeding
A beautiful and well-groomed territory on a personal plot will decorate any private property.;It is important not only to plant the grass but also to provide the necessary care on time.;Then the lawn will delight you with thick bright green grass for more than one year.;For the grass to be always green after overseeding, well-groomed and spread on the ground with an even dense carpet, it is necessary to start cutting in time.
The first mowing of the grass is an essential part of the future decorative appearance of the green covering.;It is crucial to figure out when to cut for the first time after overseeding so that the grass does not have time to outgrow and lie down.
Provides A Fast And Efficient Way Of Revitalizing Your Lawn
Overseeding during the early spring period will cause you to have healthy and verdant fields. Early overseeding during Spring will restore worn out, and sparse looking grasses, so they look natural and attractive.
Overseeding will ensure that the existing turf isnt disturbed or damaged while at the same time cause an increase in the growth of a healthier crop of grass. In thin grassy areas the extra grass blades will help shade the soil and keep it from getting too hot so even if the grass dies off the established grass will be healthier throughout the season.
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How To Overseed Fescue Lawns
The amount you should overseed your fescue lawn will be as directed on the label by the manufacturer. The rate will also depend on the current thickness of your lawn. If youre overseeding year to year, the amount will become less each year.
As a general rule, 2-4 lbs. per 1000 square feet is required if your lawn is already thick, but for open dirt areas you will need 4-8 lbs. per 1000 square feet. If youre doing a complete lawn renovation, you may need as much as 8-12 lbs. per 1000 square feet.
If you follow good irrigation techniques with your overseeding, your lawn could be looking it thickest and fullest within a couple years. Be careful not to apply too much seed in an attempt to get a thick lawn immediately. This could cause overcrowding as the grass matures and youll have to start all over again.
Resources found on our website are provided as general guidelines, and Reddi Industries does not assume any liability resulting from the provided information.
What Order Should You Follow
Lawn owners spread seeds and fertilizer in different ways; some do the one first, and the other next, and some in the reverse direction. However, you can apply both the items separately, if seeds immediately, following the fertilizer next. It does not matter which order you follow to spread seeds first or next.
Two methods you can follow for the better results.
Method-1: You can apply fertilizer first. But, you have to ensure overseeding your lawn at least 6-8 week after spreading fertilizer.
Method-2: You can also plan to apply fertilizer after a certain time later from the overseeding on your lawn. You need to give attention to the seedgermination and their growth so that you can apply starter fertilizer according to the grass type you like to grow.
But make sure that, before overseeding, you have to aerate your ground carefully.
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How To Overseed An Existing Thin Lawn
When the existing turf is thin or bare, applying new seed within the proper growing windows can make a big difference in the turf’s appearance. You’ll want to seed when several weeks of good growing conditions will follow. For cool-season lawns such as Tall Fescue, September through October is ideal, and early to mid-spring is also acceptable.Follow These 7 Steps When Overseeding a Thin Lawn:1. Aerate the turf before overseeding. 2. Mow the grass lower than usual, but DO NOT SCALP IT. You are only trying to open up the turf canopy. 3. Remove clippings to help the seed reach the soil. 4. Add new topsoil to low-lying bare spots or over visible tree roots. 5. Broadcast the seed or work it into the soil. 6. New seeds need Phosphorus to promote root growth and establishment. Apply a fertilizer high in Phosphorus like TurfGro 6-20-10 ProStarter Fertilizer. 7. Lightly cover seed with 1/81/4 inch of fine mulch or seed topper to maintain moisture and warmth, and protect the seed from birds.
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
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The Importance Of Cutting Grass After Overseeding
Without proper care, the grass loses all its decorative effect, becomes yellow, dull, and rough. Also, some of the leaves from old shoots fall off, leaving only bare and unattractive stems on the sites surface. Lack of cutting grass after overseeding can negate all the labour results for sowing lawn grass and laying sod.
Shortening the young blades of grass almost immediately after overseeding positively affects the growth rate and the overall decorative appearance of the entire green coating. Therefore, as soon as there is a suitable time for this, it is worthwhile to complete the task immediately.
