Overseeding is an overlooked activity in American home lawn care. Yardeners assume, incorrectly, that fertilizer is all that is needed to keep a turf thick and free of weeds. Grass gets tired. It needs to be revitalized every few years. As this file shows, overseeding is not difficult and the benefits support investing the modest amount of time it takes to make it happen.
Overseeding Keeps Lawn Thick And
Weed-Free
Overseeding is one of the most important lawn care tasks, yet few homeowners
ever do it. So, you ask, if I fertilize my lawn properly, why do I need to add
new seed, especially if my grass looks pretty good right now? The answer is
grass is not immortal. After five or six years, grass plants will slow down
their reproduction rates; they get tired just like we do as we age. Thin grass
invites weeds.
Overseeding compensates for that natural slow down of the turf's reproduction.
There are two major benefits to overseeding every three or four years. First,
you insure your lawn stays thick and dense, or if it has thinned, you will make
it thick again. Thick grass has few if any weeds if it is mowed over 2 inches
tall.
The second benefit is disease resistance. The new varieties of seed you sow this
year will have better disease resistance than those varieties already in your
lawn.
Early September is the best time to
overseed.
Our first step is to dethatch or core aerate if necessary. Next, we mow
the overseeding area with the mower adjusted to its lowest setting, even if it
is scraping soil sometimes. Then we power sweep the overseeding area
thoroughly leaving just stubble and bare soil with no debris. The reason for
this step is that grass seed will not germinate if it is not in direct contact
with the soil. If it is sitting on thatch, grass clippings, or on any other
debris, it is nothing but bird food.
This short grass stubble makes a great seed bed, once the debris is removed.
Unlike when starting a lawn from scratch on bare soil, the stubble protects the
seed from washing away in heavy rains.
The key to successful overseeding is watering, and most of us fall down on the
watering job. Once grass seed is spread and moistened from that first watering,
it should never be allowed to dry out; it must always be kept moist until you
get full germination. That means watering new seed at least twice a day for at
least two weeks. If you miss a day or two and the seed dries you may lose up to
30 percent germination.
We mow the overseeded lawn when the old grass reaches three inches in height.
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