Lawns are an important part of any property. Having a nice lawn will make it look more appealing, increase your home's value, and provide you with the opportunity to relax outside on the weekends. If your lawn is looking less than stellar or if you want to improve its appearance further, then reseeding may be for you. This blog post will give you all of the information that you need about how to go about this process so that it can be done successfully.
Reasons to reseed:
There are a number of reasons as to why you might want to re-seed your existing lawn. If it is looking particularly thin or patchy at the moment, then this will be an excellent way for you to improve its appearance and make it look much better. This can also help those who have been using herbicides or pesticides on their lawn. These chemicals can kill off the grass in certain areas of your property which will make it look much worse than before. By reseeding, you are essentially starting over and allowing for new healthy-looking growth to take place.
When should I do this?
There is no specific time when it comes to re-seeding a lawn. Instead, this should be done whenever you feel as though it is necessary or when the grass has been damaged either by herbicides or other chemicals that have been used on it in an attempt to improve its health and appearance. In some cases, people will choose to do this every year just so that their property always looks great without having to worry about any potential issues.
How to Reseed lawn?
Setting up a Plan:
There are a few steps that you will need to take in order to have the best chance of success with reseeding. The first step is setting up a plan that allows you to get started with reseeding your lawn successfully. This will vary depending on the grass seed that you have decided to use and what time of year it is when you do this, but there are some basic steps in most cases which include:
Mow your lawn:
In order to allow the new grass seed that you have chosen to take root, then it is important that your lawn be cut down as low as possible. Leaving a lot of height will only make it more difficult for the new grass seeds to find their way into the soil and may lead them to get washed away by any water or other liquids on your property
Removing Existing Grass
To seed a new grass you have to remove any old dead grass that might still be in the area. This will allow for new growth to occur without having anything else get in its way or potentially hinder it from growing properly. You can also try a sod cutter or a hoe if you have large patches of dead grass on your lawn.
Soil Amendments - Add a layer of topsoil and mix in fertilizer, water it well
- After you have removed the dead lawn grass, then you will need to add a layer of topsoil. This should be around an inch or so deep. This will help provide the new seeds with nutrients that they might not get otherwise. You will also want to mix in some fertilizer at this time before watering everything well until it is moist. This will help the seeds get deep down into the soil and ensure that they have everything that they need to take root and grow.
Choosing Right Grass Seed
The next step is choosing the right grass seed product that will allow you to reseed your lawn successfully. There are many products available on the market today, but it is important to do some research prior to making any decisions about what kind of grass seeds might be best for your particular situation.
Spread grass seed evenly over the area and rake it to the surface
- Once everything is wet, you can now spread the grass seed evenly over the area and rake it so that it gets pushed down into the soil. This will help ensure that all of those seeds find their way underneath to where they need to go in order for them to take root and grow properly. It can be very helpful if there are several people involved in this step as it will allow you to speed up the process.
Now your new lawn is ready.
Avoid Over-seeding:
Over-seeding or too much seed can lead to a lot of wasted seed and cost on your end as well as additional time spent. It's important to only use what you know will work instead of taking this kind of risk.
After you have finished reseeding, then it is important that you take the time to properly care for your new lawn.
Care Guide for Newly seeded lawn
Soil Maintainance:
A soil test for the entire lawn is an important part of maintenance. Test your soil pH to determine if it is acidic or alkaline.
For soil amendments, you have to add lime or sulfur accordingly in order to bring the balance back into the correct range of between six and seven on a scale of one (very acidic) to fourteen (very alkaline).
Use a rake or broom to break up clumps in the compost, but don't work it into the soil surface.
Watering:
Water your new lawn regularly, but do not create puddles or leave the area entirely saturated. For proper growth watering a new lawn is important, you have to maintain the seed and soil moist.
Check for dry spots in order to determine how much water is necessary.
Mowing:
Mow when the new grass reaches three inches high and remove no more than one-third of its total height with each mowing.
Raise the mower height to cut off an additional one inch of grass each week until your lawn is at its ideal length.
Fertilizing:
Spread a nitrogen fertilizer over freshly added grass seed areas before you mow them for the first time or when they are dry, whichever comes first.
Maintain this schedule for the first three months or until your grass reaches its ideal height.
Remove any dead, dying, and brown foliage as it exposes bare soil to erosion and weeds which will compete with your new lawn's growth.
Weed Prevention:
Apply a pre-emergent weed killer over the newly seeded area before you mow to prevent weed growth.
Put on protective gear, such as goggles and gloves before applying this product.
Allow the grass seed germination to reach at least four inches high prior to mowing it for the first time or applying any other type of lawn fertilizer or weed killer.
Disease Prevention:
Keep grass at least two inches high during the first season of growth, which will help protect it against disease.
Water the grass regularly, but do not allow it to become too wet or dry out completely for extended periods of time.