The reasoning is that young grass will produce new growth faster than older grass. Skipping the soil test and recommendations . Any brand in specific and just hand toss it all over the lawn?4) the weather dropped all of a sudden yesterday to 60s instead of 70s like it is on Sunday. After applying the overseed, you can put down some quick-release fertilizer to jump start the germination process of the seeds. Q3) Do i still need to put any top foil after I put the Seed? Once your seed has grown into a full height, you can begin mowing as usual. Then of course water it three times a day to keep it continually moist. You'll want to reference the product label to make sure that you're well outside that pre-emergent barrier window and make sure that you're putting it down at a time that the grass seed actually has a chance to succeed. For your watering times, a schedule like 7, 11, and 3-4 is fine as long as you are sure the seeds aren't drying out. Once that is done (i want to put Scotts EZ Seed on the bare soil nx weekend as well. So it is 15x30 = 450sqft, and then raise up 5 inches. This can be time-consuming, so instead, some operators will lift and spin the whole unit when it’s time to turn, potentially causing compaction and bare spots later on. I don't know if you should add fertilizer. 3. Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. If you live in the North and are unable to overseed in the fall, your next best time is the spring. Or before seeding? Use a rake to loosen the soil of the lawn, so that seeds can well contact with soil, and have a chance to increase the development of seeds. Selecting the right type of grass is key, and planting a variety of species helps your lawn become established as the seeds’ strengths and weaknesses offset each other. You’ll want to match the type of grass seed to what is already growing. In the future, i am going to plant small busges surrounding the lot, to prevent people from walking in. It's not light green however, more of a medium to medium dark green. Do not do it! They get pretty good sunshine, and some times pedestrians will walk on my front lawn when they pass by since its quite long. If you need to add 5" of top soil, buy it by the cubic yard and get it delivered. Thank you all for your response. Overseeding is a fast, inexpensive way to help bring your lawn back to its lush, green self without tearing everything out and starting over. "Ground up paper" are the actual words used in the Scotts commercial to refer to the Pennington "1 Seed" product. Even at Walmart, "1 Step" works out to be roughly $20 per pound of seed, and the "EZ Seed" product is roughly $22 per pound of seed. If you are not using a large spreader then you can also use a handheld spreader. It surprised me that the companies would be so mean to each other on national TV. You should try to use a seed that is as similar as possible to your existing grass. There’s no need to overseed your entire lawn if you’re only worried about a few thin or bare spots. Pre-emergent herbicides will prevent grass seed from germinating, as it does weed seeds. But I've never needed to use starter fertilizer. Do you have any suggestion on what top soil i should use for a) leveling backyard, and b) dropping on top of seeds in both front lawn and backyard? Over time, grass gets old and needs to be replaced. It isn't cost effective, as the amount of seed is so low, you will have to use a ton of it to achieve the proper overseeding rate. ft if your lawns is thick already. Therefore, since the plants probably cannot uptake phosphorous directly, the plants need fungi to deliver phosphorous to them, and fungi work at their own pace, whether the phosphorous comes from an organic source or synthetic source, or so it would seem to me. Then, apply the lawn fertilizer that works best for your type of grass. The weather, kids, and pets can be tough on lawns. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden, Gather seeds from your garden in fall, and you'll have a selection of plants for next year — without spending a dime, Bar and Counter Stools With Free Shipping, Meet a Lawn Alternative That Works Wonders, Backyard Birds: Invite Entertaining Hummingbirds Into Your Garden, 3 Ways Native Plants Make Gardening So Much Better, Lessons in the Rewards of Selfless Gardening, 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw, What is best, seed in October and add topsoil or rototill, let it sit, Repair/Revive Trampled/Damaged St. Augustine. A bench could be worked in too to sit and read or watch the world go by. The two companies can be nasty about their advertising too. If your lawn looks thin and scraggly, a simple strategy of overseeding may be the path to lush, healthy new growth. I would say the grass to weed ratio is about 50:50. The reason why is, i know that the soil should be loosen when i spread thenseeds, but as i am walking back and forth to pick uo debris, roots..etc.. Slow-release fertilizer provides nutrients gradually, for as long as three months in some cases. Q4) Becuase i know some one will walk/step on my lawn (at the corner, and towards the 1-2 feet adjacent to side walk) does it make sense to put High Traffic Grass Seed just for that 3 ft x 100 ft and the remaining 10 x 100 with EZ Seed? ft. For complete renovation, 8 to 12 lbs per 1000 sq. Overseeding a lawn with weeds is much safer and cheaper than reseeding or using herbicides to fight off the weeds. If you put down a layer of seed over your lawn in the spring or fall, the thin areas will thicken up, and your lawn will start to look terrific again. Maybe I'll try it one day, but it just seems like an extra thing I don't really need to buy in order to grow grass inexpensively. And were there chemicals in the cesspool or just a low spot that collected water? 1) for front lawn which is a overseed, what type of Scott's fertilizer?2) for backyard which is a reseed, I think it is the starter fertilizer, right?3) I bought a scotts sead spreader from home depot for 35 bucks, which is a spreader cart, and I plan to use it for spreading the seeds. Takkie, it sounds counter-intuitive, but raking grass seed that has been spread onto *bare* ground will cover the seeds under a thin layer of topsoil. You're playing with fire when you use synthetic junk, especially when you're using it as a novice grass grower. A soil concentration equivalent to 30 pounds per acre of available phosphate is considered a minimum level for turfgrass growth. You can typically find rocks at a local hardscape store or quarry. You can sow your seed by hand or with a spreader. I am guessing i need 30 to 40 bags of top soil. Starter fertilizer needs to have less nitrogen than regular fertilizers or you risk burning young, tender roots. Grass Seed. After seeding? Creeping Bentgrass is another choice, but it is expensive and is seldom available. To give your new grass seedlings the essential nutrients they need for fast growth, apply Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food for New Grass after you've spread the grass seed. © 2002-2020 The Scotts Company LLC. Shop for Seed. After fertilizer? Who knows if it really does anything? Side question) I want to buy some brown color "Rocks" to surround the small bushes that i have on teh ground - but i cannot find them in HD - where/how much am i expecting to use these brown rocks? Pennington smart seed sun & shade contains a mix of superior cool-season grasses, selected especially for your growing region, that will thrive where lawn areas receive full sun or as little as four hours of sunper day. ], "The fertilizer application is recommended even if soil tests show the soil to be high in phosphorous.". But when you spread using a rotary thing, you will step on it... Pls let me know. In the North, the best time to overseed your lawn is in the fall, when the soil is still warm but the air is cooler, and there are fewer weeds for new grass to compete against. This contradicts what the professor says in his book Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management. Now you can spread your grass seeds evenly around the lawn using a broadcast spreader, drop spreader or handheld spreader. While this comes with risks, it can also be beneficial and save you time on seeding in spring. What are some High Traffic Seed Mix sold by Home Depot? I sprayed Scotts Weed/Feed last week (The ones that attach to water hose) - but i still see some weeds around. The seeds they use are mainly rye grass because it germinates quickly. Find everything you need to know about grass and grass seed at Scotts. Would that be possible? If people continually walk on it, it will always be a problem area. One things for sure, as kidhorn said, covering your seed seems to provide better results (greater number of seeds germinating) than *overseeding* them (or not covering them). Check the overseeding rate of the grass seeds. You will need to use a fertilizer spreader to actually spread the seed. If you have a different grass type or are unsure of the best grass for your area, the people at your neighborhood garden center can help you choose the right Scotts® Turf Builder® Grass Seed Mix for your lawn. (Not sure if there have been any studies comparing these factors.). There will be. First, make sure you choose the … A thin layer of top soil works better than hay. As one alternates between seeding and topdressing, you can run through the seed with the back of your rake. How to Overseed Lawns Without Aerating. So were I to use a starter fertilizer, I suppose I would consider using something like my Bradfield Organics 3-1-5 fertilizer over anything synthetic. The team at Water - Use It Wisely presents 10 reasons not to plant a winter lawn. (The words "1 Step" were clearly visible on the bottle in this Scotts TV commercial). I took essential oils (peppermint, clove, and balsam) into every open wall cavity I could. Even though you have a small yard, it requires a lot more topsoil than you think to raise it 5 inches. The reason why i went with EZ Seed, is becuase of the cost. It isn't cost effective, as the amount of seed is so low, you will have to use a ton of it to achieve the proper overseeding rate. The label on the bottle will show the percentage of seed contained in the bottle. If you put down too much grass seed, you will encourage competition that will cause your grass seedlings to struggle after germination because there will be excessive competition for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water. Do this by filling it with your seed of choice. I would cover the seed with something. If your lawn consists of Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, or perennial ryegrass, choose a product specially designed for overseeding thin lawns, like Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick’R Lawn™ Sun & Shade, which combines grass seed, fertilizer, and a soil improver into an easy-to-use product you apply with a spreader. Is Scott Sun/Shade Mix a perennial type of seed? The experts all agree that regular overseeding is vital to help thicken your lawn and fill in bare spots, which reduces or eliminates competition from weeds. These little seedlings need to be nurtured during their first eight weeks of existence. The next step is to over seed and fertilize, which should occur after the threat of freeze is past in the spring, or well before the first hard freeze of fall. I want to keep the cost down, and dont want to buy scotts turfbuilder lawn top soil becuase it runs about 7 dollars a bag. With fewer germinating weed seeds and reliably mild temperatures, you may want to seed your new lawn in the early fall. Finally, i bought Scotts sun/shade mix 7lbs bag. The professor writes "The starter fertilizer is placed on the surface and is NOT worked into the topsoil." When your lawn runs the gamut from full sun to moderate shade, you need grass that can produce a thick, beautiful lawn despite variable light levels. Use this guide to learn about overseeding a lawn. Find out how to grow a new lawn or repair the one you have. Good luck with your lawn renovation :-). Before you seed, you can use a non-selective, post-emergent herbicide to control any weeds in the area to be seeded. Use 2 to 4 lbs per 1000 sq. If your soil is especially compacted, you may wish to aerate the lawn before you overseed. Use a core aerator when the soil is moist and soft, not dry, and not muddy. The seeds are tall fescue planted in the vicinity of some trees--so a partially shaded area. It seems to really help with germination. The same is true for the 3.75 pound bottle of "EZ Seed." Our Product pages have sowing rates for you to work out how much seed you need. Soil microorganisms like fungi are a necessary middle step. Add its good looks and you’ve got a ground cover winner, Work less, help the environment and foster connections by just saying no to typical turf, Hummingbirds — unique to the Americas — zip through open landscapes seasonally or year-round. I've used topsoil a couple times to cover grass seeds, and got very good results. If it looks better, you will know what to do. Mow low. You don't want more than a quarter inch of soil over the seeds. Grass seed can survive the winter, and planting during the winter season is known as dormant seeding. So after it's all germinated do twice a day for a week, then once a day for a week, then every other day, etc. Since your trees are starting to shed their leaves, there's plenty of sunlight. Restore your turf’s good looks by reseeding unsightly patches, Focus on these beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, beans and salad greens to start a home farm with little fuss, Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard, Carex can replace turfgrass in any spot, is low maintenance and adjusts easily. (This is different from reseeding, which is when you start over and plant a completely new lawn.). I'm not kidding. I plan on spreading fertilizer, so, does it make sense to MIX fertilizer and seed all together when i spread it? I went to home depot today, to return the EZ Seed that I bought previously. Stay away from hay; it often has lots of weed seeds in it. But I gotta tell ya, this third method of overseeding isn't bad either, because I would guestimate I had 25 to 50 percent the germination rate of covered seeds, so it's not too bad at all, and in some situations, it's just impractical to cover seed. Lowenfels and Lewis write in Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web: "[The mineral Phosphorous] is almost always chemically locked up in soils; even when it is applied as fertilizer, phosphorous becomes unavailable to plants within seconds. Newly developing seedlings need a lot of P for initial development, but they lack the well-developed root system to reach out and obtain the P they need. You aerate and overseed during the wrong time of the year. Here’s how to attract them, You probably know about the lower maintenance. Use a spreader and spread seeds around the lawn according to the instruction given on the label. Obviously, I'm unable to measure the lengths of the underground roots but I'm guessing they're doing well. If ez seed is a lousy product, what would you recommend pls? He said best to get the stomper and make soil compacted after seed /fertilizer is on the ground. It's like taking vitamins. Keep in mind, though, that if you aerate before overseeding, you need to choose a type of grass seed … See how you would walk to the house from the car, and follow that line, but not in a straight line. Compost also works well as a mulch. I think tall fescue is what i am looking for. Salty synthetic fertilizers will kill many beneficial microorganisms in the soil. You can overseed at almost any time of the year for a fraction of the cost of a complete reseeding. If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of an overseeding product like Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick’R Lawn™ Sun & Shade, it's a good idea to rake in a thin layer of enriched soil over your lawn to help the seed settle in. 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