When Should You Think About Reseeding Your Lawn?

Is your lawn looking thin with brown spots? Grass seed plays an important role in ensuring you have a nice, thick green lawn. To achieve the thick, lush yard you’ve always wanted, you need to start thinking about reseeding your lawn. You’ll notice that putting down a layer of seed on your lawn in the spring or fall will help improve all the thin areas and help your grass start to grow.

When to Reseed Lawn

There’s a secret to achieving the lawn of your dreams. Turf care companies know what it is, but many homeowners do not. Lawn overseeding, as part of a comprehensive program, keeps lawns looking healthy. Whether you’re reseeding grass for the first time or have years of experience and already know when to reseed lawn, overseeding can improve your results.

What is Lawn Overseeding?

Overseeding is simply spreading grass seed over existing lawn. When done correctly, it’s a straightforward process that gets the most out of your seed and labor. The fact is, as grass matures, thinning is normal, especially if you use your lawn often. Reseeding grass keeps your lawn young and healthy, so you don’t have to start over from scratch.

Basic Steps for Lawn Overseeding

Have a goal.
If you’re like most homeowners, you consider reseeding your lawn when you notice thinning or browning, but professionals overseed to prevent these issues. For instance, if your goal is to keep your lawn green through the winter, addressing the cold season during warm weather is key. Talk with a professional who knows about reseeding grass, and discuss what you’re looking to achieve.

Think about timing.
The best time for placing grass seed over existing lawn for cold-season grass in northern regions is late summer to early fall, with spring being a close second. Warmer-season weeds, like crabgrass, are less active in the fall because the warmth encourages germination. The cooler air stimulates growth, and moisture in the soil fluctuates less. A lawn overseeding professional can help you understand the specifics of timing it right to keep your lawn at its best.

Prepare.
When you’ve decided you will be reseeding your lawn, be sure to mow it super short and remove clippings. This will help new seed penetrate the soil and expose the area to sunlight and water. If a professional isn’t doing it for you, set your mower at two inches or less when reseeding grass.

Address issues.
When thinking about when to reseed lawn, if normal thinning isn’t your only problem, test your soil and make corrections before lawn overseeding. There are plenty of products out there that combine premium seed with a stabilized-release fertilizer and wood mulch to simplify the process.

Choose a quality reseeding grass product.
Better seed grows better lawns. A lawn care professional can recommend high-quality seed to address your individual needs whether it’s high-shade or sunny areas, or high-traffic areas.

Keep it wet.
Newly overseeded lawns require consistent moisture. To encourage deep, healthy roots, keep seed and soil moist with light waterings twice a day for the first four days. Water more heavily every other day for the next five days. After that, water as needed to prevent wilting.

Return to maintenance.
Regular maintenance will help your revived lawn looking its best. Your comprehensive program after putting grass seed over existing lawn should include watering, mowing and proactive lawn overseeding.

For the lawn of your dreams, don’t wait until your lawn looks unhealthy to overseed. Do yourself a favor – when considering reseeding your lawn, leave it to the professionals. With their knowledge, and the highest-quality grass seed and lawn reseeding grass products, they’ll help keep your lawn at its peak.