Can You Overseed During the Spring Season?
Overseeding is a common practice that is usually done during the springtime. Many people wonder if it’s okay to be overseed on their existing grass, or if they should be overseeded in place of their existing grass. Although there is no concrete answer to this question, overseeding is usually the best option.
So, is it okay to be overseeded in the spring? The answer is yes! The overseeding process is usually done during the springtime because at this time plant growth rates are high. The overseer will use the existing grass as a seedbed for new seeds to grow into. This clears away your old grass and gives you a fresh start.
Although overseeding is an easy way to refresh your lawn, overseeding too frequently can damage your grass if you’re not careful. Make sure that you know the indicators to look for when overseeding to ensure that it’s not causing damage to your lawn.
What Does Overseeding Mean?
If you don’t oversee your lawn in the spring, you’re doing your yard a huge disservice. Overseeding is when a seed is added to the soil for new grass growth.
Overseeding can rejuvenate dead or dying grass and revitalize an entire yard. It’s also less expensive than installing sod or overseeding with existing grass seed.
Overseeding is simply the practice of overseeding your lawn with fresh grass seed each spring, to maintain a lush, healthy lawn all year round. Overseeding will help to strengthen the health of any existing grass and make it less vulnerable to disease, pests, or drought.
When overseeding your backyard with grass seed, you need to prepare the soil by eliminating any weeds and adding fertilizer before raking out either loose soil or existing turf (depending on if you are overseeding an area that already has grass or not).
For overseeded areas that do not have existing turfgrass, lightly rake over the landscape after preparing the soil for seeds to be planted into bare spots in your yard. When overseeding an area that already has grass, overseed by raking out the old grass and lightly raking in the new.
Overseeding is a great way to rejuvenate your lawn with fresh seeds each spring. This will help sustain a healthy backyard throughout the year and won’t require as much maintenance as waiting until your yard begins to die before taking action. By overseeding now, you can avoid a whole lot of work later on!
How To Overseed Your Lawn With Grass Seed
Overseeding is not a difficult task and can be done in the early spring months of April and May.
If overseeding an area without existing turfgrass, you will need to prepare the soil by eliminating any weeds and adding fertilizer before raking out either loose soil or existing turf (depending on if you are overseeding an area that already has grass or not).
For overseeded areas that do not have existing turfgrass, lightly rake over the landscape after preparing the soil for seeds to be planted into bare spots in your yard. When overseeding an area that already has grass, overseed by raking out the old grass and lightly raking in the new.
Materials You Will Need to Overseed Your Lawn
- Shovel or Sod Rake – For preparing soil without existing turfgrass
- Lawnmower – For overseeding existing turfgrass
- Grass Seed (according to grass type)
After obtaining the needed materials, begin overseeding your lawn by:
Steps to Successfully Overseed Your Lawn
- Lightly rake over the landscape with a shovel or sod rake to loosen up any soil clumps or large weeds. Use caution not to harm any existing turf while preparing your soil for overseeding.
- Cutting an inch off of the top of your lawn mower’s blades, to make room for the added thickness of new grass seed.
- Rake out old grass or dirt clumps from existing turf that was overseeded by lightly raking over the landscape with your shovel or sod rake. Remove these clumps completely from the area.
- Mow your yard down to its lowest setting, which provides a clean slate on which overseeded grass can be placed on top.
- Use a spreader or your hands to evenly distribute overseeded grass seed across your lawn for overseeding existing turfgrass areas that have already been seeded in previous years (not an issue with overseeding areas without existing turf). You may also need to use clippers or scissors to shorten any tall patches of grass after overseeding these areas.
- Cover lightly tamped overseeded areas with straw to keep the soil moist and seeds from germinating too quickly (seeds could become damaged by dew settling onto them). Rake straw into place once it’s been distributed.
- Water overseeded areas with overseeded grass seed lightly at first, but gradually increase the amount of water you provide for these areas until overseeding is complete (this can take up to two weeks).
- Keep an eye out for any weeds that may pop up after overseeding your yard and spray them with weed killer or pull by hand if they do appear.
Overseeded lawns require more attention than non-overseeded lawns because it takes time for overseeding grass to germinate from seeds into new plant growth after overseeding a lawn. With enough patience and care, however, overseeding will allow you to maintain a healthy lawn all year long!
What Is the Best Month to Overseed Your Lawn?
Although the Spring season is a great time to overseed, overseeding your lawn in the early Fall will also yield great results. The fall weather allows for the seeds to sprout and grow strong roots before winter hits.
If overseeding in the fall, apply your grass seed with a drop spreader or fertilizer spreader so as not to lose any grass seeds due to wind drift. Be sure to apply the grass seed at 1/4 of its recommended rate for overseeding.
What Are the Best Overseed Grass Species?
The best overseed grass species you can use is perennial ryegrass, particularly a Kentucky bluegrass mix. This type of grass overseed will germinate in a matter of days, and provide a lush green overseeding for your yard.
Perennial ryegrass is great to overseed grass because it can tolerate cold weather conditions, as well as drought and high temperatures. It also happens to be the best overseed grass species when you need strong overseeding grass for heavy foot traffic and play areas.
Another grass option that’s great for overseeding is ryegrass. This overseed grass is a hardy overseeding and has wonderful color variation throughout the overseeded season. However, it may not stand up to heavy foot traffic as well as perennial ryegrass overseeded – for this reason, we recommend that you overseed with both for best results.
Tall fescue is another grass species that are great for overseeding. It’s used in many overseeding programs due to its color, growth habit, texture, and disease resistance.
It’s best when overseeded with another species of grass to add diversity. One of our top picks for overseeding with tall fescue is a blend that contains perennial ryegrass–the color and overseeded health go hand-in-hand.
How to Take Care of My Lawn During the Spring
As the weather starts to warm up and spring begins, lawn maintenance is an important task that must be done. Mowing your lawn regularly during this time of year can help control weeds, as well as prevent lawn diseases from becoming a serious problem later on in the summer months.
To properly maintain your lawn’s health, lawn fertilizer should be applied. There are many lawn fertilizers available on the market, but it’s important to choose one that is suitable for the species of grass you have.
Also, lawnmowers need to be sharpened and blades replaced to properly cut your lawn during this time of year.
Additionally, weeds can grow quickly due to the warmer weather. Herbicides can be used to kill lawn weeds, but lawn fertilizer is usually more effective in lawn maintenance.
It’s also beneficial to aerate your lawn during this time of year as it helps with water drainage and allows grass roots to grow deeper into the soil, making your lawn stronger.
When Is the Recommended Time to Start Gardening?
In spring, gardening can begin when the threat of frost has passed and nighttime temperatures consistently stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This is usually in between April and May.
However, spring may be the most difficult time to start gardening because of spring showers that can stretch into summer producing extra growth and humidity within the garden. The growth spurt may cause some plants to grow faster than they can be maintained resulting in an overcrowded garden with less-than-desirable vegetables and flowers.
Be sure to monitor your local weather and make an educated decision on when you think it is best to start your garden.
In Conclusion
Overall, overseeding can be a great option for those looking to produce a healthier and greener yard. During the overseeding process, you must make sure that lawn care is done properly.
This means that seeds should be watered and lawns should be mowed regularly to produce healthy grass. Lawn care takes a lot of work and effort, but maintaining a healthy lawn is important for those who wish to have a nice-looking yard throughout the spring season!
