Our lawn gets heavy traffic as we are often walking on it, putting garden furniture on it and our late dog and other friends dogs play on it. We nurture our plants, vegetables and flowers and we also need to look after our lawns so that they are also healthy. So every few years we feel the need to revitalise it and overseed.
We usually have good success with Canada Green grass seeds which is a tough mix, but there are many other grass seeds available. It is important we choose the grass seed that best meets our lawn needs, whether in sun or shade and how the lawn will be used for example light or heavy use. As we are on heavy clay soil, part of our garden is mostly in shade and the other part mostly in sun and our lawn is much used most of the year, we want a tough grass mix that can stand up to our activities.
I have never sown a new lawn from scratch but we do overseeding of our existing lawn and sow over smaller bare patches as well as needed. If the lawn looks like this photo below, with bare patches we could do with considering reseeding or overseeding.
Sowing grass seed onto an existing lawn can help improve its density, health and overall look. We like a grass seed that is tough, fast growing and one that looks nice and green once grown.
Here's how to do it in steps so that it is most effective. You will need to check the instructions on your grass seed packet as each grass type may be a little different. This article covers the general steps we take when overseeding our lawn.
As usual preparation is key. The best times of year to over sow a lawn are in Spring and in Autumn/Fall. You will need to stay off the lawn for a few weeks after sowing seed so timing is important.
What You Will Need
- Grass seed appropriate to your lawns needs and use
- A Lawnmower
- A rake to rake the compost
- A fork or spikes to aerate the soil
- Multipurpose compost
- A garden sieve - to sieve the compost into a fine tilth
- Watering can or hosepipe, both with a fine gentle spray attachment.
Steps to Overseed Your Lawn
Step One Mowing The Lawn
Mow your lawn but perhaps a little shorter that you usually do to about one to one and a half inches tall. This is done to make sure the seeds have better access and contact with the soil.
Step Two Raking The Lawn
It is important to rake the lawn removing all debris, bits of twigs, leaves and so forth. Take this opportunity to rake out any thatch as well. This is perhaps the most energetic step!
Step Three Aeration Of The Soil
This is the process of making small holes in the soil. It is helpful to do this every year for drainage regardless, but also for the purposes of seed sowing it helps the seeds get into the soil more easily. How you wish to do this really depends on your size of your lawn, the time you have available, how active you are and if you enjoy it.
We have a small lawn so we just take it in turns to go over the whole lawn with a garden fork making holes at short intervals probably a foots length. It take us a couple of hours but is not too taxing. If your lawn is bigger you might want to hire a lawn aerator or hire someone to do it with machinery.
Step Four Spreading The Grass Seed.
It is important to spread the seed as evenly as we can over the lawn. As we have a small lawn we just broadcast the seed, this means taking a small handful and casting the seed out over an area, then repeating. Again if your lawn is larger or you wish to ensure it is perfectly spread a broadcast spreader will do the job well. Check the seed packet you use for how much you need to use.
Step Five Topdressing
I think this is worth doing for most lawns, which is to spread a thin layer of compost or topsoil over the seeds. This protects them from being blown away in the wind and from having too many eaten by birds. We usually use a garden sieve to gently sieve the compost over the seeds so we get a light even coverage.
Step Six Watering The Lawn
It is important to water the lawn straightaway after seeding and top dressing. This is to moisten the soil and again to stop seeds flying everywhere in the wind.
It is important to keep the seeds at least damp for up to two weeks after sowing, until they germinate. I usually try to time garden grass reseeding for a day when rain is forecast for several days after. This saves me a big watering job and I like to think that rainwater is likely better at this stage.
If watering myself it means I need to tread on the new seeded lawn so it is best to put planks down to step on so as not to damage any new delicate roots. Also you need to water lightly and evenly with a good rose gentle spray. Avoid a harsh jet of water as this will only serve to clump seeds together, waterlog the ground and may drown them.
After about 2 weeks you can reduce the watering to two or three times a week, unless it rains for a few hours two to three days in a week.
We generally do step four spreading the seed and step five topdressing and step six watering one after the other in rows then step backwards and repeat the three steps for the next row. We find this prevents us trampling all over the fresh seed on the lawn.
Step Seven Ongoing Grass Care
We need to keep off the grass as much as possible for about two to three weeks. This can be a little frustrating but it is important to give the seed a good chance at rooting. Once the grass has germinated and grown to about three inches, we can reduce the frequency of watering. We just water every other day or every few days depending on the weather, but we make sure it is now a good drink at this stage, rather than a light spray.
It is important not to think of mowing the new seeded lawn until the grass has grown to at least three inches. Depending on the lawn it can be good to buy a lawn fertiliser and use that according to instructions to keep the lawn in good condition through the year.
Protect the seed from being eaten. While I love birds it is important to try at least to keep them off the seed, you can put up scarecrow like features of poles with pots on top but in our garden no matter what I do there are always mice and birds and especially wood pigeons who come down to eat some of my seeds! I am relaxed about it though and always think of the old adage.
"Four seeds in a row:
One for the mouse,
One for the crow,
One to rot,
And one to grow."
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So reseeding or overseeding a lawn is quite a big undertaking. However it is not something most of us will need to do all that often. Once a year is generally advised but we often let it go to once every two or even three years. In between we simply address any bare patches that arise. Our lawn is however not an immaculate showpiece but somewhere we use and live on when outside.
If you want or need a really beautiful immaculate lawn then once a year overseeding is advisable. However often you reseed, the results are so worth it when you sit out on your lovely green, thick lawn in late Spring and summer and can enjoy it.
A beautiful, healthy green lawn sets off all the flowers and plants beautifully and is a thing of joy!
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Reviewing Overseeding A Lawn With Grass Seed by Raintree Annie.
