Overseeding your lawn is a great way to improve the current density of your grass as well as improve the varieties of grass in your lawn. When overseeding is done right have a full lawn within a month or so depending on the variety of grass you choose.
This first thing to consider when overseeding is if it is appropriate for you and your lawn. If your lawn currently has at least 50% coverage of your desired grass type, then your lawn would be candidates for overseeding.
The second thing to determine is what type(s) of grass are currently growing in your lawn? When you’re working on creating a great looking lawn, it is important to try and maintain a consistent mixture for a more uniform look and a more consistent growth pattern.
Many lawns will have a mixture of various cool season grass such as Perennial Ryegrass (PRG), Turf Type Tall Fescue (TTTF), or Kentucky Bluegrass (KGB) and that’s okay. These varieties are common in cool season zones as well as the transition zone.
The best time to overseed cool season lawns is going to be in the early fall about 60-75 days before your traditional first date of frost and in the beginning of summer for warm season lawns.
– Lower the blades on your mower as low as you can without consistently hitting dirt. While you are mowing it is important to bag and catch your clippings to help remove as much debris and clippings as possible. -Repeat this process 2-3 three times in different directions.
-Ensure good seed to soil contact by “roughing up” the ground using a rake or mechanical dethatcher. By doing this the ground will be more acceptable for seeds and you will also remove any dead material from your lawn. – Next you should aerate you lawn. Aeration will also provide a good soil bed for seeds to germinate, similar to dethatching.
The amount of seed that you will use will depend on the type of seed you have picked. Seeding rates are based on 1,000 square feet intervals so it is important to know the size of your lawn.