How to Overseed a Lawn
A patchy, thin-looking lawn can ruin the overall appearance of your garden. Lawn overseeding will give you a thicker, greener lawn. This means it not only looks better, but is in a much healthier condition. You might ask, why is my lawn patchy?
A patchy lawn can be caused by many things. Poor soil conditions and drainage, shaded areas, excess thatch and moss and also, cutting your grass on a low blade! If you have a female dog that has a certain ‘spot’ to go to the toilet, this can also cause patchy, yellow areas. All of these may warrant the need for overseeding your lawn.
Read on to learn all you need to know about lawn overseeding.
How to Overseed a Lawn
Overseeding a lawn is trickier than just sprinkling on some lawn seed and hoping for the best. Here at My Lawn, we follow a set of steps to get the best results, every time.
The first thing to do, is prepare your lawn:
- Clear the lawn of any furniture, ornaments or large stones.
- Weed the lawn – if there aren’t too many weeds then you could hand weed, alternatively you could use a weed killer. You can get an organic weed killer which is better for the environment or try a homemade treatment.
- It may be necessary to scarify your lawn, this is an intensive process to get rid of moss and thatch from your grass. Learn more about scarification.
- Aerate your lawn. If your lawn is looking a little dull and new grass is struggling to grow we would suggest aeration. This makes small holes in the soil, allowing it to better absorb nutrients and improve drainage. It creates a good foundation for overseeding, giving grass seed a better chance of germinating.
We would recommend doing this process a couple of weeks prior to overseeding to give any weed treatments time to work, and for your soil to settle after scarification or aeration.
Overseeding Your Lawn
Once your lawn has been prepared, it’s time to oversee.
- Cut your grass to a suitable length. You should be able to see any patchy areas easily.
- Give your lawn a quick water – don’t saturate it, but ensure it has even moisture.
- Evenly scatter your grass seed. If there are areas that are particularly patchy, put a little more seed on them. Typically it is around 35g per square metre, 50g for more sparse areas. Check the instructions on your selected seed packet if doing it by hand.
- Gently water your seeds. You want to use a gentle sprinkle setting if using a hose pipe, so you don’t wash your seeds away.
Keep traffic off your lawn if possible to give the seed the best chance of getting established.
When Should I Overseed My Lawn?
The best time for lawn overseeding is spring and early autumn. This is because the soil is warm enough for the seeds to germinate and grow. Winter months would be too cold for germination to occur, and summer would generally be too hot and dry.
How Often Should I Overseed My Lawn?
Your lawn may need overseeding once or twice a year. It purely depends on how much you use your lawn and whether the soil is able to drain well.
It’s best to judge this from your lawn appearance, look for:
- Patchy areas
- Thinning grass
- Brown patches
The Benefits of Lawn Overseeding
Lawn overseeding has benefits other than a lush, green lawn. It helps to:
- Improve soil condition
- Thicker, healthier grass
- Reduces the amount of weeds
- Helps the overall condition over the seasons
Lawn Overseeding by My Lawn
Here at My Lawn we are experts in lawn care and are local to Cheshire, Stockport, the Wirral and parts of North Wales. If you need your lawn overseeding we can help. Get in touch with us today to discuss your lawn and we’ll provide a free consultation.
FAQs
Will Birds Eat Lawn Seed?
Yes. Birds, especially pigeons, are partial to pecking on lawn seed. To keep this at a minimum you could cover your lawn with netting. For larger lawns putting a fine layer of good quality topsoil down will help protect the seeds while not covering them entirely.
How Long Does It Take Grass Seed to Grow?
It takes grass seed around two weeks to germinate. You should expect your lawn to be established after around 6 to 8 weeks.
Should I Mix Grass Seed With Topsoil When Overseeding?
It is not advisable to mix the two before overseeding. If putting a layer of topsoil down this should be done first. Grass seeds need light to germinate so are best scattered on top of soil. A small sprinkle of soil can be used to try and deter birds from eating your seeds but should not cover them entirely.