Overseed a lawn for a lush
The lawn is yellow, has developed ugly brown spots, has burned in places over the summer, or looks like a carpet of stains after the winter? Then it’s time to take care of a lush green again with reseeding.
In this article, we describe in three simple steps how you can repair unsightly areas in the grass and close swards with reseeding. We have collected useful tips and tricks for gardening and answered the most frequently asked questions.
What you should know about reseeding your lawn
If unsightly yellow or brown spots have formed in your lawn or holes have appeared, it is high time to maintain and resee the lawn. Basic questions about reseeding your lawn are answered in this section.
When should you reseed the lawn?
The best time to reseed lawns is either right away in spring or after summer in September. There are very simple reasons for this.
In spring, nature sprouts, everything awakens from hibernation and temperatures rise again. As soon as the ground is no longer frozen, young plants also have a good chance to sprout. In addition, it is not yet so hot and it rains a lot. Especially good conditions for a young lawn.
Similar conditions prevail in September. It is best to wait until the mid-summer temperatures subside, otherwise, the lawn will burn. In September, the young lawn still has time to grow and sprout. Until the onset of natural winter, there is still enough time to grow, so that the young grass can survive the winter.
Should you reseed or fertilize your lawn?
In most cases, to have an even, beautiful green in your yard, you should both fertilize and reseed. Especially in the spring, when the lawn is still weakened from the winter, fertilizing is a real boon to the grass.
If there are gaps or patches without grass, they should be reseeded. Fertilize the soil before sowing is indispensable to ensure rapid growth.
Which lawn should you reseed after scarifying?
In principle, any lawn seed is suitable for reseeding after scarifying. However, it should be noted that there are special reseeding mixtures for different requirements. You should therefore make sure that you recognize these requirements in advance in order to be able to avoid a second or third reseeding.
Basically, there are different lawn sections or demands and the appropriate lawn seed for them. Thus, there are seeds for:
- Shady garden
- Sunny garden
- Hard-wearing garden (for children and playgrounds)
- Golf lawn
In addition, there are other refinements within these lawn reseeds. Experts here can quickly recommend the right seed mixture.
What kind of lawn should I reseed?
The right variety to reseed is essential. While there is an abundance of reseeding available in stores, identifying the right one from them is not exactly easy. Keep in mind that if you choose the wrong grass, the young blades of grass may not grow properly.
It is advisable to know what type of grass is already in your yard if you want to reseed.
Many amateur gardeners also complain about a noticeable difference between reseeding and the original lawn. Although the freshly seeded lawn grows, it has a difference in color or is less or more dense. Thus, the beautifully maintained lawn quickly resembles a carpet of spots. If you have no idea, it is best to visit a hardware store and get advice there. Otherwise, we have created a great overview of lawn seeds in this article. Here you can find out everything you need to know on our site.
What to do to reseed the lawn: three steps to renewed greenery
If you are ready to sow your new lawn, the only question that remains is how to do it. But don’t worry, in this section, we’ll explain in three simple steps what you need to consider and how to proceed. Follow these three steps and follow the tips and hints for sowing, then nothing will stand in the way of your desired lawn.
How to prepare the soil?
Before you start reseeding, you should prepare the soil well. Because everything you do before, you will not have to do later with double or triple the time.
First, mow the entire lawn. Choose the shortest cut setting on your lawnmower. This way you can easily identify small areas that need repair. Meticulously remove all root debris and plants. You should also remove moss while you’re at it.
Now you can start scarifying the lawn. You can scarify the entire lawn if you wish.
If you don’t have any experience with scarifying lawns, there are a few things you should keep in mind. After all, when you’re cutting the ground, things can go wrong sometimes.
If you have scarified the lawn, you should now apply the starter fertilizer. The best way to do this is to fill the fertilizer into a spreader. A spreader is particularly suitable for large areas. This ensures that the fertilizer is well distributed over the area. Pay attention to the quantities on the package, but about 25 grams per 10 ft² should be sufficient.
How to apply the overseeding on the soil?
Once the soil is prepared, the reseeding can be spread. Since the grass seeds should be spread very evenly, a spreader is also suitable for this purpose. Make sure that there is no wind. Grass seeds are very small and light and quickly evaporate. Once the lawn seeds are distributed on the ground, there are two different approaches to how you can proceed.
Option one suggests you firm up to reseed a bit, otherwise, it will blow away the next day. You can either use a lawn roller, which you can borrow from a hardware store for a small amount of money, or you can use treads. Some amateur gardeners also just tread them down carefully if the areas are small.
Other gardeners suggest working to reseed into the soil with a rake. This also prevents the seeds from flying away. Which of the two you choose has long been a debate that has yet to produce a proven result.
How do you best prepare the reseed for growing?
Lawns in general need a lot of water in the first period. If you have already laid sod or sown your lawn yourself, you probably remember this. So water to reseed daily for 4 to 6 weeks. On hot summer days, you can also water it in the morning and in the evening. It is important to avoid burning in the initial period.
Some gardeners also swear by peat on the reseeding. The peat is supposed to protect the grass seeds from flying away in the wind, as well as cover the reseed so that it cannot be eaten by birds. Peat protects against drying out and also against excessive rain. Because, especially at the beginning, heavy rain can simply wash away the reseed.
Trivia: What else you should know about reseeding lawns
When can the lawn be walked on after reseeding?
Lawns are still very fragile shortly after seeding and need resting time. The first shoots are very tender and should not be damaged by stepping on them. Therefore, wait long enough before stepping on the lawn.
After about 2 to 4 weeks you can carefully walk on the lawn.
You can walk on the lawn when it is about 2″ long. From 4″ you can mow the lawn. However, the first time you mow the lawn, you should not cut it shorter than 3″. From the second mowing, cutting to 2″ is okay. In fact, the lawn is only fully loadable after a whole year.
What do you need to pay special attention to when reseeding your lawn?
To reseed your lawn, you don’t have to completely redo everything. Often, spots recover well and it’s easier and more enjoyable than reseeding the entire area. Plus, you can still walk on the rest of the lawn, which is a big advantage. Because this also makes watering much easier.
But so you don’t have to fret any further, we’ve put together what you should definitely look out for when reseeding lawns.
| Material | Description |
| Reseeding | Use high-quality reseeding. Because if you work accurately from the beginning, you will have a longer success from it. |
| Nutrient supply | Be sure to provide a good supply of nutrients to the newly germinating lawn grasses. That means regular watering and a good starting fertilizer. Otherwise, you’ll have to do the same thing again. |
| Work steps | Follow the working steps for reseeding. There is no point in only half-heartedly sowing the reseeding because the effort is high. |
Does frost have an impact on the lawn seed?
Frost is a fierce enemy of anything plant. But seeds are surprisingly resistant to over frost.
Until the Ice Saints in May, local ground frost is quite possible in Germany. But if you want to repair your lawn in spring, the question is whether the lawn seed will survive at all.
Lawn seed is very frost-resistant.
However, the not-so-good news is that the lawn seeds need a constant soil temperature of at least 10° Celsius. Because only in this way can the young shoots germinate properly. As always, it is very important that the shoots have enough moisture. Frost can hardly do anything to the reseeding in this sense, but frost dries out the soil. For this reason, make sure that the soil is kept moist even during early frosts.
Is heat bad for reseeding lawns?
Young lawns are delicate. Spreading reseeding in high heat is not a particularly good idea. Often, even the mature lawn, where the roots are already fully and firmly established in the ground, has real difficulty surviving.
This is because grass does not have particularly deep roots, unlike bushes, trees, or flowers, which are all taller plants. In high heat, the soil dries out from top to bottom. So while grass can be left high and dry after just one hot day, plants with deeper roots have a better chance of escaping unscathed.
Young grass shoots have even worse chances of survival in the heat. That’s because they have to get their roots in the ground first. If the soil dries out quickly, the plants can’t even germinate. Lawn soil can work wonders here. However, it is very important to make sure that you reseed your lawn at moderate temperatures.
How To Plant Grass Seed – Video
FAQ - Reseeding the lawn
❓ Can you put grass seed on top of an existing lawn?
By applying grass seed over an existing lawn, you can help fill in bare spots and reinvigorate your lawn.
❓ What fertilizer makes grass dark green?
After turfgrass selection, fertilization is the most important factor in growing a dark-green lawn. To encourage green growth, choose a lawn fertilizer with a high percentage of nitrogen and a low percentage of phosphorous.
❓ How long does it take for grass to green up after fertilizing?
How long does it take to see results from using lawn fertilizer? You’ll start to see results anywhere from 1 to 5 days afterward, depending upon the type of fertilizer you use.
