Can You Put Grass Seeds On The Top Of Old Grass
Lets figure this out, can you put grass seeds on the top of the old grass? The brief answer is yes, you can. It is known as overseeding and it is done when your lawn is facing problems of thinning and bare spots. Moreover, overseeding is also done to replace the spring and fall grasses so that seeds may germinate before dormancy in extreme cold. But it needs proper mowing, fertilization, aeration, watering, and sowing of seeds.
If you will just put the grass seeds on the top of old grass, the chances are that the seeds may fail to germinate. The end results wont be too good. So, if you are investing money, its best to invest some of your time and effort to get a healthy and well-maintained lawn.
What Is Grass Seed
All existing lawns start from grass seedlings at some point. If you skip seeding grass, your yard will look like an unkempt plot. Grass seed is exactly what it sounds like: the seeds from which new grass will germinate. Generally, grass seeds are a light tan color and range in size from a quarter of an inch to three-quarters of an inch, depending on the variety. Angelov points out that the grass lawn is made up of millions of tiny individual plants that are matted together. When the seed germinates, it spreads the root down, he says. Each seed shoots up one blade of grass, and then they spread like a carpet.
How To Overseed A Lawn: Your Complete Guide To Thicker Greener Grass
Want the secret to growing a thicker, greener lawn? Its simple! Overseeding is the key to making sure your lawn maintains its vibrant, lush appearance. Even the healthiest grass can be reinvigorated by overseeding it with new grass seed.
As time goes on, cool-season grass plants mature, and their reproduction rates begin to slow down. This can leave your lawn looking dull and unhealthy.
Overseeding is an easy, cost-effective practice you can implement in your lawn care routine to give your existing lawn a boost in the growing seasons. Once complete, youll have a lawn with enhanced color, thickness, and improved appearance over time.
Here is your comprehensive guide, with easy step-by-step instructions on how to overseed a lawn with cool-season grass seed:
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How To Plant Grass Seed On Existing Lawn
To overseed means to plant new grass seed over an existing lawn. Get some tips from the experts at Jonathan Green on when to overseed and how to prepare the soil, correct any problems, and choose the best grass seed mixture, in order to produce a healthy, great-looking lawn.
Since 1881, Jonathan Green has specialized in beautiful lawns. Six generations of the Green family have worked to perfect our genetically superior grass seed and our family of lawn and soil care products. Jonathan Green products will transform every aspect of your lawn to help it thrive like never before, and, with our New American Lawn Care Plan, you will find it easier than ever to care for your lawn.
Choice Of The Grass With Climate
If you are establishing a lush beautiful lawn, you will not succeed unless you choose the best grass that can cope with the harsh elements of weather in that climate.
The premium lawn grasses are designed specifically for certain factors in a region that matters. These factors include dryness or fertility, altitude, and moisture of an area.
For the regions with cool spring, fall season, and moderate summer, cool-season grasses are better suited. However, for the areas where summer temperatures are very high, warm-season grass flourish well.
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Will Grass Seed Grow If Not Watered
Not only do you need your soil to be the right temperature for germination, the most critical component of germination is appropriate moisture. To sprout, the seed needs to be moist and warm. Without enough water, grass seed is unlikely to sprout, and without some sort of mulch or top-dressing, most seed will dry out.
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When To Overseed Your Lawn
The best time to overseed your lawn with cool-season grasses, like Jonathan Green Black Beauty grass seed, is late summer to early fall . At this time of year, the soil is still warm, which will help with seed germination, and the cooler air temperatures and rainfall are great for grass growth. Overseeding lawns in fall also reduces competition from summer weeds such as crabgrass. The second-best time for overseeding is in early spring .
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Mowing The Grass For The First Time
We need to ensure the grass is still quite long after the first cut so it will continue to grow rapidly and spread throughout the lawn. You can cut your grass when it is hitting heights of 5-7cm. You should first cut on the highest setting of our lawnmower, and for the for the second and third cuts you can lower the blades further to their recommended mowing height.
Find out more about fertilising and watering here.
How To Prepare A Lawn
Before you put down your seeds, you should prepare your lawn and the soil for the best possible outcome. Here are a few tips to prep your lawn for new growth:
- Check Soil Tilth: Soil tilth is the general conditions of soil that support plant growth such as pH, fauna, drainage, and aeration. Grasses prefer soil with a pH of 6.2-7.0. The soil should be well-drained and aerated.
- Clear Trash and Weeds: Weeds can compete with grasses for nutrients, stunting new seed growth. Trash can contaminate the soil creating an unfit environment.
- Solarize the Soil: Soil solarization is the process of wetting the soil and covering it with a clear transparent tarp so that the heat of the sun becomes trapped in the soil and kills weed seeds. This ensures that weeds do not compete with your new grasses.
- Map Out Planting: If you are growing multiple grass species, map out the soil before you start spreading your grass seeds for a planned arrangement or proper blending.
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Overseeding Lawn: How To Plant Grass Seed On Existing Lawn
The grass on your lawn can affect the overall look and curb appeal to your home.
The weather keeps changing and you can only expect the grass on your lawn to eventually lose its plush and green look.
When this happens, it may be time to grow new grass. However, its one thing to start with a bare lawn, and its another to plant more seeds on an existing lawn.
If you want to know how overseeding a lawn will help it look green and plush, then this post will let you know what you need and when to overseed your lawn.
Related post: Best Time to Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn
Its just normal that your grass wont remain green and healthy-looking for a long time.
In fact, it might only take a few weeks or months before the deep green grass that you have change into something lighter and even thin.
Maintenance is important and planting grass seeds on your existing lawn is the way to go.
The only way to make sure that you keep your lawn lush and green is by overseeding. What does overseeding mean? Its simply how to plant grass seed on an existing lawn.
Planting new grass seed on the existing lawn is a process that can keep your lawn look healthy and greener than ever.
Before we get into it, we wanted to share our top recommendations of grass seeds that we and our landscapers like to use. Check them out and let us know what you think.
How To Add Grass Seed To Your Existing Lawn In 4 Steps
1. Prepare Your Existing Lawn
Before you start overseeding, you first need to prepare the area. Start with a good watering the day before, so any living grass will be nice and perky. Mow your lawn on a lower setting and use the bagger instead of the mulch option to keep the clippings from getting spread around.
Next, rake your lawn to remove any debris like dead grass and leaves. Remember, your seeds will only grow if theyre actually in contact with the ground. This kind of debris can keep them from taking root.
As a final step before you spread your seed, aerate the lawn. Use a gas machine or manual aerator that removes plugs between 0.5 and 0.75 inches in diameter, and 2 to 3 inches deep. This will loosen up the soil and make it easier for the young grass to grow.
2. Spread Your Grass Seed
Spread your grass seed at the rate recommended on the label. This will be different depending on the seed type, and whether its a single species or a mix. A broadcast spreader is best for covering your whole lawn since you can get the job done quickly. Hand spreading is fine for smaller patches.
3. Fertilize
Fresh grass requires good fertilizer to grow, particularly fertilizer that is rich in phosphorus. Keep in mind that some locations restrict the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers, so you may only be able to use a nitrogen-based fertilizer instead.
4. Water Your Seeds
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Pick Which Type You Will Plant
Clover is available in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes. Microclovers and Dutch white clover are both viable options. The Dutch version grows slightly taller than the microclover variety and also produces flowers.
If you dont want to spend a lot of money, I recommend going with the Dutch cultivar. Many people believe that microclover loses its limited growing abilities after the first season. Its possible that the extra money spent on it will be a waste.
Amount of Seed
I recommend using 2 to 8 ounces of seed per 1,000 square feet of lawn. Higher rates could be used for less desirable times of year or conditions, whereas lower rates could be used for more suitable times and places, or for bigger turfs when cost is a factor.
The seeds I use have a weight of 5 to 7 milligrams per seed, so the lowest planting rate is 1 seed per 10 x 10 cm area and the greatest planting rate is 4 seeds per 10 x 10 cm area.
When Should You Plant Grass Seed
This largely depends on the type of grass seed youre using. If youre planting cool-season grass, such as Kentucky bluegrass or fine fescue, which you will typically find across northern parts of the United States, youre best planting in early spring or fall. Whereas if youre sewing warm-season grass seeds, such as Bermuda grass and centipede grass, you should stick to spring or early summer.
In either case, you should ensure you plant your grass seed after the final frost. Cool-season grass prefers soil temperatures below 65°F, while warm-season grass prefers temperatures of at least 65°F. Check the temperature of your soil for guidance.
For more planting tips, tricks, and how-tos, check out our guides on how to plant sunflower seeds and when to do it, how to plant potatoes and how to grow tomatoes in pots, and how to grow strawberries. You’ll also want to read how to prune hydrangeas, how to care for an orchid, and how to care for air plants.
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Wise Procedure Of Overseeding
Hopefully, now you better understand which grass will grow well on your own depending on the climate of the region.
You might be wondering about the procedure of overseeding. Dont be concerned, it is quite easy. You just need to follow the steps mentioned below. So, have a look to know what are these:
Ideal Soil Conditions To Seed Your Yard
The first step in starting a new lawn is establishing a healthy environment for grass to grow. Loam or loamy soil is the perfect mix of clay, silt, and sand for growing plants. It provides water and nutrients, drains excess water, and leaves enough room for air circulation so oxygen can reach the roots of every blade.
To find out if the soil in your yard is loamy, grab a handful of dirt and pack it into a ball. Loamy soil will hold its shape and break apart easily when dry. Sandy soil will not hold its shape, and clay soil will not break apart easily when dry. If you have sandy or clay soil, the following two sections will show you how to set up a grass-friendly foundation in your lawn.
Most grasses prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. You can test the soil yourself with a home soil test kit or hire a professional. From there, you can amend your yard to improve its growing conditions. For example, soil in New Brunswick and along the B.C. coast tends to be acidic . Homeowners here can add ground limestone to the soil to raise its pH to a more grass-friendly level. If your soil is too alkaline , you can add compost, composted manure, or sulfur to lower the pH.
Note: When working with fertilizers and other lawn care products, take special care to follow all product and safety instructions.
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How To Sow Grass Seed
You can sow grass seed by hand by simply scattering it, or by using a handheld spreader – please contact your manufacturer to calibrate the correct setting that matches the spreading rate of the seed. For sowing a new lawn, we recommend sowing the seed at 50g per m2. For overseeding an existing lawn, we recommend sowing at 35g per m2.
Sowing a new lawn
- Dig the soil over to a depth of 20-25cm
- Remove weeds by hand or use a weed killer
- Add top soil if you believe the soil to be poor quality
- Rake the area to get a level seedbed
- Sow the seed at our recommended rate of 50g per m2, by using a seed spreader or your hand
- Rake the seed in after sowing so that the seed is in amongst the soil
- Firm down by foot or by using a roller to improve seed to soil contact
Overseeding an existing lawn
It Increases The Value Of Your Home
Not just figuratively but a well-built lawn can add value to your home. A well-kept turfgrass delivers a 100 to 200 percent return on investment and can boost the market value of a home by 15% or more, as per The Lawn Institute. Additionally, an improvement in lawn appeal will attract the appropriate prospective buyer to your property if you decide to sell.
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One: Dethatch The Lawn
Dethatching is the process of removing organic material in the soil that prohibits the proper growth of grass. You can either use a mechanical dethatcher or a rake to perform this. It also allows for the soil to aerate and water to penetrate through. You can also mow your lawn in preparation and when raking away the mowed grass, compacted soil gets broken down and it becomes easy for the new grass seeds that will be planted later to take root.
Create A Healthy Lawn By Starting Over
Lets get this straight right from the get-go: A healthy lawn doesnt get taken over by weeds. So if it looks like youre raising weeds instead of grass, thats a sign of a more serious problem. And that may mean killing off the grass and starting over. Its a big reseeding lawn project thatll take several weekends and may cost you up to 25¢ per sq. ft. for equipment rentals, soil conditioners and seed. If youre willing to spend more, you can lay sodinstead of planting seed, but dont skip the soil testing and remediation steps. Heres how to balance your soils pH level properly.
Are you ready for a fresh start? Just follow our guide for how to plant grass seed on an existing lawn and youll be the happiest gnomeowner on your block.
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Starting A New Lawn In Sandy Soil
Sandy soil has its benefits, like excellent drainage and air circulation, but it requires a few extra steps to grow grass from seed. If you live near a beach, follow these tips for growing lush, green grass in sandy soil:
- Amend the soil by mixing 5 cm of organic material into the top 15 cm of soil.
- Choose cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues, which dont mind a little extra sand.
- Add a loose layer of straw after seeding to prevent the seeds from washing away.
- While the new grass is in its early stages, be vigilant about watering, which may be several times a day.
- Once the grass reaches 5 cm, you can dial watering back to twice a week.
- Apply fertilizer one month after seeding, then do it again the following month.
- You can mow the grass once it reaches 7 8 cm, but dont rake the clippings. Instead, let them decompose where they are so the nutrients will go back into the ground.
How To Plant Grass Seeds On Existing Lawn
Are you a passionate gardener? Are you observing the thinning of grass and the appearance of bare spots on your lawn? What will you do now?
Does it require overseeding or the renovation of the whole lawn? If yes, you should not panic.
We are going to explain how you can grow grass on your existing lawn in this article. Dont go away, read it till the end. You will surely find the solution for your problematic lawn.
How to plant grass seeds on the existing lawn? Overseeding on the existing lawn requires well-prepared soil. It is done by mowing the existing grass and dethatching the lawn. Aeration and fertilizing soil are also critical. After you plant the new seeds, keeping the grass bed moist is necessary for germination. The sprouts may require 2 weeks to appear. You can mow your lawn after the new grass reaches the height of the old grass.
No doubt, a super lush green lawn is always attractive to the visitors at first glance. Obviously, it requires a lot of time and effort to maintain a healthy garden. If you are caring for your garden properly, it can be really disturbing. Such lawn gives the same feeling of grief that a person may experience after observing bald patches on his head. Doesnt it sound funny? At the same time, it feels sad.
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