Overseeding Your Lawn: When, Why & How?

Even with meticulous lawn care, bare patches can emerge. Weeds, diseases, and heavy usage can diminish the beauty of your lawn. Fortunately, there’s something like overseeding your lawn!

Whether you call it overseeding or reseeding, the principle remains the same: you simply replenish those bare spots in your existing lawn with fresh grass seed. It’s akin to a rejuvenating treatment for your grass, preserving its youthful vibrancy. Discover how to tackle this, and restore the green splendour of your lawn.

Why is it important to overseed your lawn ?

There are various reasons to undertake overseeding. It could be that you’ve recently sown a new lawn, and not all the grass seeds have germinated. Perhaps bare patches have emerged due to weeds, pests like chafer grubs, leatherjackets, or moles, lawn diseases, or simply the weather. Additionally, over time, every lawn naturally becomes thinner.

This often occurs gradually, and you might only notice it when it’s too late. Once your lawn dries out, clover and moss take over. Even though your lawn might initially appear healthy, it eventually transforms into a felt-like carpet that chokes the remaining grass blades. Overseeding is the preventative solution!

By overseeding in a timely manner, new grass blades sprout, replacing the old ones and preventing weeds from taking hold. Young lawns are also more resilient against diseases and weeds. Overseeding brings rejuvenation to the lawn.

When is the right time to overseed my lawn?

When is the optimal time to overseed your lawn? Except for winter, you can do this in any season. However, each season comes with its own set of challenges. Below, you’ll find details on each.

Overseeding during spring

In spring, the lawn awakens from its winter slumber. With rising temperatures, the first growth phase of the year begins. It’s an excellent moment to fill in bare patches that emerged during winter with fresh grass seed.

If you’ve fertilised your lawn in late autumn, there are still enough nutrients in the soil in spring to nourish the newly seeded grass. If your lawn isn’t in top condition, remove any emerged weeds and provide a spring fertilisation before starting overseeding.

Give your new grass a boost before summer begins with an additional round of fertilisation. By then, the lawn should form a healthy and dense turf, better equipped to withstand the hot summer months.

Overseeding in the summer

Overseeding in the height of summer is not advisable, but in late summer, it can work well under the right conditions. During summer, your lawn faces challenges like heat, drought, foot traffic, and possibly garden furniture and a pool. The grass undergoes stress and requires time to recover. Strengthen the roots and densify the turf with fertilization and proper care. Once temperatures drop, and the soil temperature falls below 25°C, late summer is a suitable time for overseeding.

Remember: watering is crucial in this season!

Overseeding in autumn

Autumn is an excellent season for overseeding. Around mid-October, during the last growth spurt, the grass provides protection against the cold and the threat of moss and diseases in the upcoming winter months. Until that moment, the soil remains warm enough for grass seed to germinate. With some luck, autumn rains will provide natural irrigation for your lawn. Combined with autumn fertilisation, the young shoots will grow quickly and be ready for winter.

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Which grass seed to use for overseeding?

Choosing the right grass seed for overseeding depends on the type of lawn you have or want to create. The most common grass seed blends are suitable for sports and fun lawns, shade lawns, and ornamental lawns. Let’s delve into these three types.

Sports & Fun

Opt for this grass seed if you desire a robust lawn that can withstand heavy use. It’s the ideal choice for lawns subject to intense activities, where children play and pets roam. Our sports and fun grass seed comprises a blend of sturdy and finer grass varieties, promoting rapid growth and easy establishment.

Shade & Sun

Specially developed for lawns in the shade. If trees or nearby buildings create shade in your garden, opt for grass varieties that require less light. Our shade and sun grass seed thrives excellently in shaded areas. The grass has a fine-bladed structure and grows slowly. While it requires slightly more maintenance, it can tolerate short mowing.

Ornamental

Grass seed for ornamental lawns is perfect when you want to create a beautiful lawn that is not frequently trodden upon. Our premium lawn grass seed contains more fine-bladed varieties, ensuring a high ornamental value and tolerance to short mowing.

Overseeding your lawn: the checklist

You’ll need the following items to overseed your lawn:

• Grass seeds
• Hand spreader
• Rake
• Garden hose, sprinkler, or watering can
• Patience

How to overseed your lawn – a step-by-step guide

It’s time to breathe new life into your lawn! Follow our step-by-step guide for the best results.

Step #1: Choose your grass seed and calculate the quantity

Select the grass seed that suits your lawn. Review the differences between sports and play lawn, shade lawn, and ornamental lawn mentioned above. Pay attention to quality when purchasing, ensuring the presence of ‘perennials’ for a sustainable outcome. We recommend using 17 grams of grass seed per square meter. For a new lawn, you’ll need double the amount.

Step #2: Mow your lawn

Mow the grass to a height of 2-3 centimeters. This makes bare patches more visible and creates space for the new grass. Mowing also ensures better contact between the grass seed and the soil, essential for optimal growth. Ensure the lawn is dry to prevent damage to the blades.

Step #3: Improve your soil

Examine the bare patches thoroughly. Pour water over the areas and observe drainage. If a puddle forms, the soil is compacted. Poke holes in the ground, fill them with sand, and rake the soil before overseeding. Remove moss, weeds, or yellow spots, and level the ground.

Step #4: Overseed

When the soil temperature is between 10 and 25 °C and there is light moisture, it’s time to seed. Distribute the grass seed evenly by hand or use a spreader. First, sow lengthwise and then widthwise.

Step #5: Press the seed into the soil

Lightly rake the grass seed to ensure contact with the soil, accelerating the germination process.

Step #6: Roll the soil with a roller

Use a lawn roller to roll the soil. This ensures the grass seed remains firmly in the ground and doesn’t wash away.

Step #7: Boost your lawn

Nourish your new and existing grass with a fertilization of 25 grams per square meter. Distribute it in the same manner as the grass seed.

Step #8: Water

Begin watering immediately after fertilization and keep the soil moist until the seed germinates. Divide watering sessions throughout the day.

Step #9: Wait

You’re done! Give the new grass time to grow. Avoid walking on the lawn, and wait at least 3 weeks before giving the new grass its first mowing.

Bonus: 3 tips for proper aftercare

Tip #1: Watering

The importance of sufficient watering has been emphasized earlier, and it’s the key to successfully nurturing new grass. Inadequate water can lead to dehydration of the grass seed, hindering germination.

Tip #2: Avoid walking on the growing grass for the first 3 weeks

Give the grass seed time to establish roots and germinate. Resist the temptation to walk on the lawn during the initial 3 weeks.

Tip #3: First mow? Follow the 1/3 rule

If you’ve waited at least 21 days, and the grass is approximately 10 centimeters tall, it’s time for the first mowing. However, adhere to the 1/3 rule: don’t mow more than 1/3 of the height of the grass blades.

If you want the grass shorter, wait a few more days and repeat the process, again mowing a maximum of 1/3 of the height.

FAQ

Are you ready to overseed your lawn?

With this step-by-step guide and post-care tips, you’re ready to breathe new life into your lawn. Remember, patience is a green virtue, especially when it comes to growing grass. Continue nurturing your lawn, and soon you’ll be admiring a lush, green carpet!

Looking for more tips for a healthy and vibrant lawn? Explore our other articles on lawn care and garden maintenance.

And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us. We’re here to assist you.

Happy gardening!

Louis Hooft

Founder & Lawn expert

Introducing Louis Hooft, the founder of MOOWY and your reliable expert. With a profound love for stunning lawns and extensive experience in garden maintenance, Louis is here to assist garden enthusiasts in achieving a greener and livelier outdoors than ever before. Count on Louis for invaluable tips, clever tricks, and top-notch products to make your garden flourish!