Does your lawn have brownish dying grass patches and it’s no longer green and stunning as it used to be? Don’t worry we have a great solution for this common problem. Generally, as your lawn grass ages, it begins to thin out and it start dying in patches. The best strategy that you can use to restore its nice appearance and fill those empty patches is by overseeding. In this post, we are going to discuss what is overseeding, why it’s important and how to overseed your lawn.
Table of Contents
What Is Overseeding?
Overseeding refers to the act of adding grass seeds on top of an existing lawn without turning the soil. You just apply new grass seeds on top of the existing lawn grass without digging holes.
How To Overseed Your Lawn
Once you have prepared your lawn, here is a step-by-step guide on how to overseed your lawn.
Step 1; Amend The Soil
It’s advisable to add ¼ thin layer of enriched soil on top of the existing grass and spread it gently using a rake. The amended soil helps in providing a conducive environment for the grass seeds to settle and germinate.
Step 2; Spread Your Preferred Grass Type Seeds
There are different types of lawn grass and you need to select the one which does well in your area. After selecting the right grass seed type, use a seed spreader to spread the seed in your entire lawn.
If you have a small lawn, you can use a hand-held lawn spreader or bigger broadcast spreader if you are overseeding a larger lawn. Before you spread, ensure that you have adjusted the settings to the recommended levels.
Also, avoid spreading when there is wind as the direction of seed spread may change and you will end up with uneven spread.Step 3; Apply Fertilizer To Feed The Grass
Once your new grass germinates, it’s now time to give it a boost by applying appropriate lawn fertilizer which has both phosphorous and nitrogen. Phosphorous element helps in boosting root development for your new grass while nitrogen helps in boosting faster healthy growth and greening.
Step 4; Water the lawn frequently
Your new grass require watering for it to grow faster and healthy. When it’s still young, water once or twice a day so that it can easily establish a deep and healthy root system.
You can reduce the frequency of watering as your new grass grows and establishes. Do not mow your lawn until your new grass grows to reach the same height at your existing grass.
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Why Overseed Your Lawn?
I know you must be asking yourself, why is overseeding important?
Overseeding helps in creating a thicker green grass by replacing the dead and empty patches with new and vibrant grass varieties. Empty or brownish patches can appear in your lawn as a result of harsh weather condition, dog urine, aged lawn grass.
As your lawn grass continues to age, it reduces the production rate of new grass and overseeding helps in replenishing those depleted grass.
If empty patches and brownish spots are left unattended, lawn weed such as crabgrass and dandelion may get a clear chance to invade your lawn.
Overseeding also helps in enhancing color and uniformity something which restores the lost glory of your lawn attractiveness.
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Related; How to get rid of Crabgrass in your lawn
When Is The Best Time To Overseed Your Lawn?
Different grass seed types require different overseeding times. Proper timing is very important as it will determine whether your grass seeds will germinate as expected or not.
During the late summer and early fall, it’s the best time to overseed cold-season lawn grasses.
On the other hand, if you are overseeding warm season grass, the best time to overseed is during the late fall or early winter.
For better results ensure that you have overseed your lawn at least 45 days before the first frost.
During the spring season, it’s not recommended to overseed your lawn because the hot weather will put a lot of stress on your young grasses and they might not thrive as expected.
How To Prepare Your Lawn For Overseeding
Before you start overseeding your lawn, you need to prepare it first. You can do this by;
- Mowing your grass at a shorter height as you would usually do. This will help increase the percentage of grass seeds contact with soil for faster germination.
- Bag all the grass clippings
- Rake your lawn to remove any other clippings and debris on your lawn
- Relax your lawn grass with a rake. Loose soil facilitates faster seed germination and water absorption.
After overseeding, you need to take some time before you can begin mowing again. Doing so will ensure that you don’t destroy the young new grass which is starting to develop. Under the normal circumstances, you should more at 1/3 of the grass length.
However, when overseeding, you can increase that to 2/3 of the grass length in order to enable grass seeds easily reach the soil surface.
If you follow the above steps keenly, you will establish a strong, green and vibrant lawn again which you will be proud of. Regular lawn maintenance practices are critical and you should always continue practicing them even in future for you to maintain a healthy, green and lush lawn.
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Last update on 2023-01-04 at 10:22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Here is a YouTube video on how to overseed your lawn.
What Are The Common Mistakes To Avoid When Overseeding Your Lawn?
Now that you have understood how to overseed a lawn, I want to bring to your attention common mistakes to avoid when overseeding if indeed you want to get the best results. They include;
- Not Selecting The Right Type Of Lawn Seed
Always ensure that the lawn grass seed type that you are selecting is the one recommended in your area. Avoid low quality and cheap seeds since they don’t deliver to your expectations.
- Not Adhering To The Recommended Seed Rate
When you use less seed rate than the recommended amount, you will not have a thick lawn and you will leave empty patches for lawn weeds like crabgrass to grow.
- Overseeding At The Wrong Time
Always adhere to the right overseeding schedule and season. Although you might feel the need to fill in those patches after a hot season, have patience and always overseed at the right time.
- Improper Application Of Herbicides and Fertilizer
Whether you are applying pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicides, always ensure that you apply them according to the specifications provided.
If you use these weed treatment chemicals immediately after overseeding, they might damage your grass seeds and you will have less germination rate.
If possible, ensure you use selective herbicides and natural fertilizer in your yard for a healthy and lush lawn.
Use the above overseeding tips and guide to fix your dying lawn and give it a new attractive look that you will always be proud of.