How to Reseed your Lawn for Better Lawn

Preparing to Reseed

What Region do I Live in?

Before beginning the process of reseeding your lawn, you need to know your lawn’s specific characteristics in order to do it at the right time with the right tools. If you live in a more northern region, the best time to reseed would be from late summer to early fall, followed by spring as the second-best time.

Planting it at this time will ensure that the soil is warm so that everything will grow consistently. For southern regions, it is best to reseed in the late spring, as that is the time when the ground will be warm, but not too hot.

Why Reseed your Lawn?

Reseeding, or overseeding, a lawn is to spread grass seed over an already seeded lawn that may be old, thinning, overused, or just one that needs to be lusher. Reseeding strengthens the pre-existing grass, reduces the chance of weed growth by crowding them out, improves the resistance of the area to heat and drought, and fills in bald spots of dirt that might be unseemly and unneeded.

Lawn Preparation

Another thing you must do before actually reseeding is preparing the lawn or the area that you plan to reseed. There are two ways that you can proceed; mowing the lawn extremely short and using a rake to do away with all the clippings, or just getting rid of the grass entirely to start anew from the dirt. The important thing to keep in mind is that the new grass seed needs to have some sort of contact with the soil to receive proper nutrition, as well as not be crowded from the top by old grass so that it may access sun and water. Using a rake also makes the soil loose and more receptive towards the new seeds.

Supplementing the Soil

A great way to make sure that your new lawn will grow nicely is to combine the grass seeds with fertilizer and even mulch. This way, the lawn may stay thick and green for a longer period of time than it had before. Just make sure that you pick the fertilizer that’s right for you.

Acquiring the Seed

There are a variety of types of grass seed, and it would be best to ask a worker at your hardware store what kind will be best for your specific climate. There are plain, traditional seeds, as well as seeds that already come with mixed in fertilizer for premium growth.

Spreading Your Seed

You can always just spread the seeds around the lawn using your hands, and this might work for smaller, narrower areas, but it’s strongly recommended to use a lawn spreader to do the job. Using a lawn spreader ensures that the grass seeds will be evenly distributed, and eventually grow properly. Another element to take into consideration is the wind; working while it’s relatively calm outdoors will help the seeds not blow away into any undesirable directions.

Caring for Your Reseeded Lawn

Once you’ve distributed the new grass seeds, make sure that you keep the lawn area very well watered, especially towards the beginning. Keeping the soil moist will help the grassroots grow deeper, and thus stay fresh longer. You can use a hose, but it would save time and effort to invest in a sprinkler for your lawn, timed so that the area never gets dry.

Maintaining Your Reseeded Lawn

The elements will mostly take care of your new lawn on their own, but you still need to make sure you keep the grass wet and cut for optimal aesthetic. Mow regularly to maintain your preferred grass length, and always know that if it comes to it, you are now capable of reseeding your lawn.

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