The Best Way Of Overseeding & Reseeding a Lawn
Revive Your Lawn By Overseeding
Is your lawn looking thin and brown? Well, Scotts can help you get back to the thick, lush, green lawn you've always wanted and all you need to do is overseed. If you put down a layer of seed over your lawn in the spring or fall, the thin areas will thicken up, and your lawn will start to look terrific again. (This is different from reseeding, which is when you start over and plant a completely new lawn.)
When to Overseed
In the North, the best time to overseed your lawn is in the fall, when the soil is still warm but the air is cooler, and there are fewer weeds for new grass to compete against. Since your trees are starting to shed their leaves, there's plenty of sunlight. Also, diseases that attack seedlings are less active. If you live in the North and are unable to overseed in the fall, your next best time is the spring. If you live in the South, the best time to overseed is late spring through mid-summer, since warm-season grasses need warmer soil temperatures to germinate.
Why Overseed?
Over time, grass gets old and needs to be replaced. Worn-out lawns invite weeds. Overseeding is a fast, inexpensive way to help bring your lawn back to its lush, green self without tearing everything out and starting over.
Thicken Your Lawn By Overseeding
Mow low. Before overseeding, you'll want to cut your grass shorter than normal and bag the clippings. After mowing, rake the lawn to help loosen the top layer of soil and remove any dead grass and debris. This will give the grass seed easy access to the soil so it can root more easily after germinating.
Choose the right seeding product. Which type of grass seed you choose depends on your existing grass type. If your lawn consists of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, or perennial ryegrass, choose a product specially designed for overseeding thin lawns, like Scotts® Turf Builder® Quick + Thick™ Grass Seed Sun - Shade, which combines grass seed, fertilizer, and a soil improver into an easy-to-use product you apply with a spreader. If you have a different grass type or are unsure of the best grass for your area, the people at your neighborhood garden center can help you choose the right Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed All Purpose Mix for your lawn.
Amend the soil. If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of an overseeding product like Scotts® Turf Builder® Quick + Thick™ Grass Seed Sun - Shade 12-0-0, it's a good idea to rake in a thin layer of enriched soil over your lawn to help the seed settle in. Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. Scotts® Enriched LawnSoilTM works well for this purpose.
Spread the seed. You've cut the lawn short, raked it, and removed any debris. Now comes the easy part. Just fill up your spreader, adjust the setting according to the label directions, and apply.
Feed and water. To give your new grass seedlings the essential nutrients they need for fast growth, apply
Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Lawn Food For New Grass after you've spread the grass seed. (No need to do this with Scotts® Turf Builder® Quick + Thick™ Grass Seed Sun - Shade, as it already contains a fertilizer.) Afterwards, no matter which product you used to overseed, be sure to keep the soil consistently moist by lightly watering once or twice a day until the seedlings have reached the height of the rest of your lawn.