Water Fertilize And General Care
For effective overseeding, you need to ensure that the new seeds germinate properly. Proper water, fertilization and lawn care will create an environment conducive to growth.
Prior to overseeding your lawn, youll want to prepare the area by cutting the existing grass short. Set your mower at two inches or less, preferably the lowest setting available. After mowing, remove the clippings and rake your lawn. Clearing the area this way loosens the top layer of soil and provides good seed to soil contact to help with germination. Applying a starter fertilizer will provide your yard with the essential nutrients it needs to encourage new growth.
Proper watering is essential for successful overseeding. The soil needs to be moist to trigger germination and encourage healthy root growth. Immediately after spreading the seed, youll need to water heavily, about an inch of water. Switch to a lighter daily watering until the seeds germinate, then less frequent but heavier watering is appropriate. Heavy watering every two to three days encourages long, healthy roots. Once the new grass is the same length as the existing lawn, water it based on the instructions for that type of grass.
After overseeding, youll want to avoid mowing your lawn until the new grass is at least two inches long. After this point, the new grass is well established and you can consider the overseeding process complete. Resume your normal lawn maintenance routine.
How Much Does It Cost To Overseed A Lawn
Hiring a professional lawn care service to overseed your lawn costs about $1,000 on average for materials and labor .
If you overseed your own lawn, youll spend between 1 cent and 15 cents per square foot of lawn for the grass seed itself, depending on the grass type and the brand of seed. Remember to factor fertilizer, topsoil, and other necessary supplies into your total DIY cost.
Caring For Your Lawn After Overseeding
Once youve distributed your grass seed, youll need to provide fertilizer to encourage the seeds to grow. Fertilizer provides the roots with essential nutrients that will help them to germinate and grow healthy.
There are many different kinds of fertilizers on the market, such as Milorganite so youll need to consider your budget, the amount of fertilizer required, and the impact on the environment when choosing a fertilizer.
Fertilizers are either made using natural, organic formula or chemicals. All-natural fertilizer is generally considered to be the best option for fertilizing new grass seeds. Choose a fertilizer that contains phosphorous as this helps to encourage rapid root growth.
Top Tip: If you have bald patches on your lawn, you may like to cover them with a thin layer of compost after sprinkling the seeds.
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Final Words About Overseeding
And what about weeds. So when our grasses coming in, we have just to let it be as it is. Now there might be some existing weeds that come in. Dont worry about these too much at this time because our whole goal is that by adding this new seed by mowing properly by doing all these things, were going to choke out those weeds naturally. And once your lawn gets thick enough, it will actually choke out those weeds, and they will not be able to grow. So dont worry about it too much at these initial stages.
After youve mowed probably three to four times, usually most bottles will say at least three to four times, then you can come in and kind of target some of those weeds that might have come up. So keep that in mind for three to four mows. After youve done that, you can come in and spray a little bit. I usually use a regular wed be gone product, something over the counter, and target the weeds Im finding in my yard. That is the process of overseeing a lawn, and it might sound a little bit daunting at first. But I promise you if you follow these steps, you will have a much-improved yard this fall and coming into the next seasons as well.
What You Will Need
While overseeding isnt an overly complex task, it can be time consuming to do manually without the right tools. This is especially true if you have a large yard that will require a lot of seed and fertilizer spreading, or if you plan to do the entire lawn instead of just spot-treating with overseeding.
To successfully overseed your lawn, you should have:
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Best Time For Overseeding In New York
Early fall is the best time to introduce new seed into an existing lawn of cool-season grasses in New York. By early September to mid-October, most weed growth has tapered off, the daytime temperatures are cooler , the soil is still warm and moist all optimal factors for seed germination and growth. This will give the seeds a month or so to become established before the first frost.
Preparation For Overseeding A Lawn
Before overseeding, youll need to prepare your lawn. To do this, you can cut your grass using a lawnmower to a shorter length than you usually would. This will help the seed to get in contact with the soil and will give you greater success when overseeding. It will also mean that you can leave your lawn longer before it needs to be mowed again, which will give the grass seeds a chance to grow.
You can then rake up all the grass clippings and loosen the turf with your rake. Also, remove any debris from your lawn. Raking your lawn with a metal rake will help loosen the soil, which will help the seeds to grow.
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Labor And Installation Time
Labor charges differ from about 3 cents on the low side to 7 cents per square foot at most, or $.03 to $.07.
That works out to $325 to $750 per quarter acre for the labor.
Cost factors related to labor include:
- Lawn Prep When leaves and other debris must be removed prior to overseeding, cost is higher.
- Aerating This might be a separate cost or included in the estimate. Though aerating first is optional, most turf pros recommend it.
- Travel Costs If you choose a company to reseed your lawn that is distant from you, cost will increase.
Overseeding a lawn is quick work. For a quarter acre, the schedule might look something like this:
- Up to 1 Hour | Rake or blow leaves, if necessary
- Up to 30 minutes |Aerate, if thats part of the job
- Up to 30 Minutes | Water the lawn until well soaked (on large lawns, one crew member will work ahead of the person doing the reseeding, especially in warm/sunny weather, to ensure the ground is wet when the seed is spread
- Up to 15 Minutes | Spread the grass seed
Overseeding A Lawn: How And When To Repair Your Lawn
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During the warm months, its only natural to spend more time outside. And when you have a garden, what better place to catch some sunshine, play with your dog or make barbecue? But sometimes, after winter or a long and hot summer , you might notice your lawn doesnt look too appealing.
Bald patches taking up more space than the greenery is not only unappealing, but they make room for moss to grow in the lawn, along with different weeds. Without addressing this problem quickly, with time, it gets harder to repair. So consider overseeding your lawn timely and rejuvenate it for good. Heres how.
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Don’t Forget To Water
According to Mayer, “watering is one of the most important aspects of successful overseeding.” After applying seed, a heavy watering is in order, after which a daily watering should be performed until seeds germinate, which can take up to two weeks. Once germination has occurred, continue to water thoroughly every few days. “It’s important to keep the soil bed moist during the germination process or seed failure could be the end result,” says Mayer, adding that it’s also important to avoid heavy activity, such as mowing, on the delicate area.
The Wrong Type Of Seed
Many people make the mistake of purchasing an incorrect grass seed. It would help if you chose a grass seed thats compatible with your lawn and will grow in your climate. Please dont make the mistake of buying cheaper seeds as this means youre getting older seeds that are past their best and may not grow as well.
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Three: Watering And Maintenance
Watering is one of the most important aspects of successful overseeding. You need to water the seeds into your lawn immediately after spreading, and continue to water daily until the seeds germinate, which can take up to two weeks. The first watering should be a heavy watering . After that, your watering can be lighter. Once the grass has germinated, be sure to water every few days giving the grass a good deep soaking. When the grass is fully established and the same height as the existing lawn, water it according to the instructions for that type of grass. While the new grass is getting established, try to limit activity on the lawn and avoid mowing as long as possible. Once the grass is the same height as the existing lawn, you can continue to mow as you normally would.
When Should You Overseed Your Maryland Lawn
At a minimum, you should overseed your lawn at least once every three to four years. However, annual overseeding will provide better results. Overseeding every year will give you a lush, thick lawn free of patches and resistant to weeds and diseases. If the grass on your property is thin, patchy or requires more and more water and fertilizer to maintain each year, its time to consider overseeding.
The best time of year to overseed your yard depends on where you live. In cooler northeastern climates like Maryland, the best time to overseed is late summer or early fall. Ideally, the grass should have around 45 days to sprout before the first frost of the season. Fall weather creates the ideal condition for young grass seeds to develop. The daytime temperatures are warm enough to encourage growth and the cooler nights give the plants time to recover from the heat.
Even if you missed the ideal overseeding window, you could still see positive results from overseeding in late September or early October. Theres little competition from weeds during these months, and heavy rainstorms that would wash away freshly laid seeds are rare.
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Choosing A Professional Lawn Aeration And Overseeding Service
Now that you have an idea how to get better results when overseeding a lawn, you might be looking for a professional lawn aeration service. Weve written a blog article on DIY aeration and why its not the best idea. Most homeowners are disappointed with the subpar results they receive when attempting to aerate on their own.Thats why choosing a pro is the best choice.At Master Lawn, we believe that aeration is one of the most important things that you can be doing for your lawn for the reasons that weve explained. Its included in our Platinum program and can be added to our Gold or Silver lawn care programs as an add-on service.When you choose professional aeration followed by overseeding with high-quality seed, you can get on your way to the amazing results youve been wishing for.Ready to have a lawn that you love at your Memphis area home? Talk to a lawn care expert, choose from 3 program options, and become the master of your lawn.
The Best Times To Over Seed
Spring through to autumn are the best times to overseed.
We recommend that it is done after heavy scarificationoraeration, either in the Spring or autumn as generally it is warm and wet.
If it has been a dry summer and the grass has been adversely affected or worn or looks tired caused by drought conditions. September in an ideal month to overseed and fix the lawn as the conditions are usually warm and wet.
Factors needed to grow grass seed
To grow grass seed there are two main factors soil temperature and moisture.
Grass seed needs soil temperatures to be at least 6-8 degrees Celsius , and frequent rainfall is important to ensure the seed germinates, if there is no rain present we strongly recommend watering your lawn if you have over seeded it recently. For more information on how to water your lawn seehere
If your lawn has been over seeded in the late Spring or Summer you may need to keep the lawn watered with a sprinkler system to provide adequate soil moisture level to achieve a good rate of germination.
It is possible to over seed in winter There are specialist seeds that will germinate in the winter, however it is recommended that for the average lawn it is better to wait until the soil and ambient temperatures heat up. The specialist seeds are best kept for large landscaping projects or sports applications such as football or rugby pitches.
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How Cold Is Too Cold For Grass Seed
The Short Answer. Generally speaking, if the daytime temperature is cooler than 60°F, that means that your soil temperature will be lower than 50°F. In this case, its probably too cold for you to plant grass seed. If there is still the possibility of frost outside, then its definitely too cold to plant grass seed.
Overseeding An Existing Lawn
You can overseed at other times of the year. Spring , is also a favourite time for overseeding. Just remember grass seed germination relies on two main factors soil temperature, and moisture. Grass seed needs soil temperatures to be at least 7-8 degrees celsius, and frequent rainfall is important to ensure the seed germinates. See also: How long does seed take to grow.
The area to be over-sown should ideally be closely mown and then scarified or in some way prepared in order that the seeds can be carefully incorporated into the surface mineral soil bypassing any thatch or organic matter present at the surface.
Select a suitable mixture of grass seed using the Lawn UK lawn wizard.
Ideally, sow the seed after the ground has been thoroughly wetted by a good fall of rain.
Mix the seed in a bucket with equal proportions of a suitable carrier such as general purpose compost and sand a light garden soil could be used but would need to be sterilised in order to eliminate the numerous weed seeds liable to be present.
For best results, the mixture needs to be moist and spread evenly over the target areas.
The use of a compound fertiliser such as a proprietary lawn feed which is low in nitrogen is also likely to be necessary and would be instrumental in hastening seedling establishment and recovery of the existing lawn.
Keep off the newly over-seeded area if possible until new seedlings are firmly anchored.
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Dethatch And Aerate The Lawn
For new grass to grow, the seeds have to be able to reach the soil. Dethatching and aerating your lawn before spreading the seed can help with that. This step isnt absolutely necessary, but it will lead to more successful seed germination.
First, dethatch the lawn if the layer of thatch in your yard is thick enough that you cant see the soil through it. After dethatching, aerate the lawn by poking holes in the soil with a core aerator machine. You only need to aerate now if you havent done so in the past year.
Choosing A Grass Seed
Youll need to choose the correct grass seed for your climate and one that will grow around your existing grass. Choose a good quality grass seed that will grow year-round. Its also a good idea to think about how much sunlight is needed for the seeds to grow. Dont buy a grass seed that needs to be planted in a sunny location if you plan to plant it in a shaded area.
The best grass seeds for overseeding spread via Rhizomes. This type of grass will send both shoots and roots out horizontally and will quickly fill in the bare spots on your lawn. Youll end up with a very thick and dense lawn.
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When To Overseed Cool
Cool-season grasses grow in the northern part of the United States. Their most active growth periods are spring and fall, and they dont usually grow much in summer. Some of the most common cool-season grasses are Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fescues.
Plant cool-season grass seeds in late summer or early fall, at least 45 days before the first expected frost in your area. The soil temperature should be between 50 and 65 degrees when you overseed. Check soil temperature with a soil thermometer.
You can overseed cool-season grasses in spring instead, since they also grow actively in spring, but fall is better because there are fewer weeds for the new grass to compete with for water and soil nutrients.
With Overseeding Timing Is Everything
Overseeding, like most things in lawn care, requires proper timing. If you do it at the wrong time of year, youll be wasting your time and money and youll be disappointed with the results.
Here are some great general timing considerations for different types of grass:
- Cool-season grasses the best time to overseed this type of grass is in the late summer or early fall. Overseeding for this type of grass happens the most successfully when the grass is already thriving and growing vigorously. The warm soil from the summer months will encourage germination, and the cool air in the fall will help to stimulate growth.
- Warm-season grasses The best time to overseed this type of grass is in late fall or early winter. For tougher grasses, it is recommended to overseed at least 45 days before the first frost, or if you live in warmer climates, 45 days before it hits the coldest time of the year.
Many people want to overseed in the spring, because this is the time of year when their lawn is top-of-mind.
While you can have success overseeding in the springtime, I dont recommend it, because the hot summer months inevitably put stress on your young grasses, and you wont have the same return on your investment when overseeding in the spring.
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