How To Reseed the Lawn

Come fall and all of us are busy reseeding our lawns, hoping to see the green turf in a few weeks. It is the only way to replace the brown, bare spots and replace that with a green turf. Learn in this article how to reseed your lawn so that it assumes a greener look.

reseed the lawn

Need to Reseed the Lawn

Brown spots have taken over the best of your lawn and the once green lawn has turned completely brown. 

What should you do in such a case? Your lawn requires reseeding. Some other factors that will determine if your lawn needs reseeding are:

• If you find almost half of your lawn grass dead.

• If you find the lawn soft and spongy while walking on it.

• If you find your lawn infested with fungus, weeds, insects, worms.

• If you find brown patches or discolored spots instead of the green turf.

In case any of these conditions facing your lawn, have your soil tested to diagnose the problem and ensure that all the required mineral contents are intact. Making simple modifications too can help sometimes; however, try to reseed the lawn, which is one of the basic lawn care practice and can revive your lawn.

Learn About the Best Way to Reseed the Lawn

Who would not like to maintain a beautiful garden with lush green grass? And reseeding is the best way to revitalize your lawn. In fact, reseeding is the easiest way to adorn your garden or at least replace the dead, brown patches. It hardly takes about three weeks for the grass to come up. 

Best Time

reseed lawn

Although you can reseed in any season, fall and spring are considered the best conditions for reseeding, particularly in the United States. You would find fall as the best time to reseed the lawn for Americans. This season is considered superior because warm soil facilitates rapid germination, giving seedlings a longer time to mature. Else the summer heat and dryness would become mean longer time for the growth of grass. Moreover, weeds pose less threat in the fall. The cooler season is better suited for the growth of grass, as these conditions are not ideal for water evaporation.

Best Grass

When you reseed in the fall, avoid reseeding the same type of grass that has failed on your lawn. The nearby nursery staff that is familiar with the weather and soil condition in your area can guide you best in making the choice of grass to grow. You must identify whether you want to grow cool-season or warm-season grass.

Best Way to Reseed the Lawn

Before reseeding, rake up the lawn to remove the thatch and dead grass on your lawn. A durable double-duty broom rake would come in handy here. While the sharp teeth are ideal for removing the thatch, the protruding side prepares the soil for reseeding. Aerating the lawn is ideal for reseeding. You can apply nutrient-rich compost, including nitrogen, lime, phosphorus, and potash, to the area to prepare it for the growth of new seeds. Adding peat before reseeding would help in the quick germination of seeds and lay a healthy foundation for your turf. 

seed lawn

In case of summer drought, you could soak the grass so that the dehydrated soil gets the adequate water and moisture penetrates deeper to counteract the problem.  Doing this, ensure that you avoid watering to the point of run-off, which would otherwise move clusters of grass seeds to greater depths, leaving uncovered spots at higher level. You can use a manual seed spreader to reseed the lawn, which would ensure that the seeds are dispersed evenly. Press the seeds into the ground so that these are not visible for any animal or bird to spoil. Your hard work would certainly pay off if you prevent the seeds from birds and animals. Sprinkle water on the area immediately after reseeding. 

On a routine basis, do not forget watering the lawn daily so that the soil retains enough moisture for the seeds to sprout and grass to grow. Or you could also use polyethylene plastic sheets to cover the reseeded areas to retain the moisture in the soil. Routinely monitor the reseeded covered area closely and remember to take off the sheet when you spot the first seedlings. Else it would pose risk to the growth of the grass, as it would kill the seeds in no time. Even after removing the polyethylene plastic sheet, remember to water the area to ensure moisture in the soil. Continue watering until the grass grows three inches tall. 

Now you have a green turf in your lawn, something you have always loved boasting about. Mow your newly grown grass regularly and take good care of it to remain the envy of your neighbor’s eye!

Image credit

1. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advice/ACEImages/PUB0009065_261147.jpg

2. http://www.ames.com/Uploads/Images/Ames/Projects/Lawn%20Seeding.jpg

3. http://cx.aos.ask.com/life123/how-to-seed-a-lawn_57599378.s300x300.jpg