How To Overseed A Lawn In Right Way For Lush Green

Last Updated on August 9, 2021 by woodcutter

A healthy lawn is green and lush and doesn’t have any unsightly dead or bare patches. However, regardless of how long you spend in your yard, your grass can start to look thin and brown as it grows older, and the only way to restore its beauty is overseeding. If you are pondering about what is overseeding lawn, your question is answered in this post.

Lawn care is a significant part of the exterior home maintenance, and a clean, vibrant lawn adds beauty and value to any house. Are you looking forward to an overseed new lawn? Learn how and when to overseed your lawn from this article. Don’t let your yard and home look get ruined by dead grass patches. This guide will help you in supervising your lawn.

Importance of overseeding

Overseeding is essential because it can serve as an easy way to fill in your lawn’s bare spots. These spots may have been left by various factors, including heavy foot traffic, drought, and weed and insect infection. Overseeding your lawn also helps in improving the density of your lawn grasses.

This will avoid weeds from taking root. And it can also enhance the color and evenness of the appearance of your lawn. Additionally, the newer lawn varieties can better resist damage from drought, diseases, and lawn damaging insects. Ultimately, it is important to overseed your lawn to maintain a healthy lawn.

Steps were taken when overseeding

For you to start overseeding your lawn, you will require the following items:

• Rake
• Lawnmower
• Lawn seed
• Enriched soil
• Seed spreader
• Sprinkler

Below are the necessary steps highlighted on how to overseed a lawn:

Step 1: Mow and Rake

The overseeding process begins by mowing your lawn, using the lowest setting on your mower, cutting the grass short. Then, rake the lawn to clear any loose grass or debris, further exposing the soil to fit the new seed.

Step 2: Enrich the Soil

Apply a thin layer of one-quarter of an inch or less of enriched soil over the existing lawn and carefully rake it in to provide new seeds with a healthy environment.

Step 3: Sowing the Seeds

Fill the seed spreader with seeds, change the settings according to the labeled instructions, and apply it over the entire area, refilling when there is a need. You might want to use a hand spreader for smaller fields, whereas a drop or broadcast spreader is more suitable for more extensive lawns.

Step 4: Apply Fertilizer

Choose and apply a starter fertilizer high in phosphorous suitable for new grass, such as a multipurpose 16-16-8 fertilizer, to support root growth and nitrogen for enhanced top growth and greening.

Step 5: Water the Lawn

Ensure that the seeds and soil remain regularly moist, watering once or twice a day until the new lawn has reached the old grass’s height—water your lawn as necessary to avoid wilting to establish a robust and stable root system. Desist from mowing the grass until the lawn is filled in, and the blades are at least one-inch high.

Timing for how to overseed a lawn

●      Overseed in late summer and early fall

The best time to overseed lawns is in late summer and early fall. Soil and environmental temperatures are most favorable for optimal germination and growth of the seed. The new seedlings must be well established with sufficient moisture, fertilizer, and sunshine, before colder fall weather sets in. The competition of weed is also less of a factor, giving the grass seedlings a better atmosphere for growth and development.

●      Why overseeding in spring not recommended

Overseeding in Spring risks the possibility of weather-related problems that is heavy spring rains, excessively high temperatures, and weed competition. Spring seeding may also interfere with the application of pre-emergent broadleaf weed killers.

The use of seed and herbicides at the same time is generally not recommended because the herbicides may cause poor seedling formation. After new lawn seed germinates, it is best to postpone herbicide treatment 4-6 weeks. Be sure to follow correct seeding and treatment procedures if you want to overseed in Spring.

●      Impact of Midsummer overseeding

Midsummer overseeding faces higher chances of disease, stress from heat and drought, and competition between the lawn and weeds. Proper control of weeds and sufficient irrigation are a must if overseeding is pursued in midsummer.

●      Dormant overseeding

Dormant overseeding consists of seeding in late fall or early winter, when soil temperatures are low enough to hinder the grass’s seed germination. Success usually requires good winter snow cover during the winter, preventing wind or water erosion and ensuring that germination does not start too early. This method is often preferred over spring seeding, especially in northern areas, since you don’t have to wait for soil conditions or moisture to improve before overseeding.

Like other aspects of lawn maintenance, overseeding includes proper timing. When you do it at the wrong time of the year, your time and money will be wasted, and you’ll be disappointed with the outcome.

Here are some high general timing considerations regarding different types of grass:

Cool-season grasses – the late summer or early fall is the best time to oversee this type of grass. Overseeding for this type of grass occurs most effectively when the grass is already thriving and growing intensely. The summer months warm soil will promote germination, and the cool air in the fall will help to boost growth.

Warm-season grasses – Late fall or early winter is the best time to overseed this type of grass. It is advised for tough greens to be overseed at least 45 days before the first frost, or if you live in colder climates, 45 days before it reaches the coldest time of the year.

Most people want to oversee in the spring because it is the time when their lawn is top of mind. While you may have a successful overseeding in the springtime, I don’t advise it, because the hot summer months will eventually put stress on your young grasses. You won’t attain the same return on your investment when overseeding in the spring.

Common Mistakes to Avoid: How to Overseed a Lawn

●      Using the wrong seed type

You must select a seed that is compatible with your lawn, environment, and sun patterns. Likewise, choosing a cheaper seed means getting older seeds, which are past their planting age, and potentially packed with more weeds.

●      Ignoring recommended seeding rates

The seeding rates are not just mere recommendations. Through the proper amount of seed for your project, you are increasing your chances of success. Bear in mind how to oversee a new lawn will take twice as much seed as attempting to fill in a thinning area. Using too much seed can damage your grass by leading to excess competition for the necessary resources for proper growth.

●      Ignoring proper timing.

Although it might be tempting to overseed the grass the moment it starts to thin, proper overseeding only happens with the right type of grass at the right time of the year. For both warm and cold seasoned kinds of grass, we recommend following the above season recommendations.

●      Using weed treatments directly after overseeding.

If weed treatments can be tempting to keep your new lawn safe, it is best to avoid using them. These products cannot distinguish between the brand new baby grass and brand new baby weed. Therefore, using an all-natural fertilizer is safest.

FAQs

1.How to choose the best grass?

If you want the best grass feel, make sure to use a turf-type blend. The turf blends are the varieties developed for appearance and deep green color and quality disease resistance. When you choose a pasture grass, like Kentucky 31, you are missing out on all the scientific and genetic advances that will give you a much better-looking lawn.

2.How often should I overseed?

It depends on what type of lawn you like and the effort you would like to put in. If your dream is having ideal grass: entirely green, no weeds, no dead spots, then overseed twice a year, yearly.

Final Verdict

Overseeding is easier and faster when compared to completely digging up the soil. Further, it leaves some cover to protect against wind or water erosion of the soil surface. Overseeding can sound like an overwhelming process. But the moment you know how to do it and the stuff to avoid, overseeding will also help you maintain a beautiful, healthy lawn.  All your neighbors will be in envy. Before you put to practice how to overseed your new lawn, consider its overall condition. There may be things causing the grass to deteriorate that won’t be corrected by overseeding, for example, poor soil conditions. If you reseed, the grass may appear healthy at first, but it will quickly deteriorate unless the drainage or compaction issues are resolved. If you have been questioning what overseeding is, I believe this guide “How To Overseed A Lawn The Right Way For Lush Green” is useful for you.