How to Over Seed a Lawn after Raking or Scarifying | LawnsmithTV (2024)

FAQs

How to Over Seed a Lawn after Raking or Scarifying | LawnsmithTV? ›

The Best Way to Overseed a Lawn

After you've prepped your lawn, apply the grass seed with a drop or broadcast spreader. Then, add a starter fertilizer and lightly rake the seed and fertilizer into the soil.

The Best Way to Overseed a Lawn

After you've prepped your lawn, apply the grass seed with a drop or broadcast spreader. Then, add a starter fertilizer and lightly rake the seed and fertilizer into the soil.

For established turf with bare or weakened thinning areas, professionals tend to dethatch and overseed at the same time. Dethatching first to remove any matted thatch and then overseed. Doing both allows for the best possible penetration of seed and root establishment to quickly thicken up the turf.

The seedbed must be kept damp for a continuous period of 28 days (the time it takes for the seed to germinate fully). Do not drown the seed when watering, but moderately dampen the first several inches of the soil. This may require more than a single watering each day, depending on the weather.

Rake the soil with a metal thatch rake to remove thatch, clippings and debris. This loosens and exposes soil to receive seed.

Ideally, overseeding should follow on from aerating and scarifying – we'll get on to that later. Take into account what's happening in your garden before you plan your overseeding.

If you simply toss the grass seed onto the soil, you will end up with poor germination. Thoroughly rake the area to remove any loose debris and to create grooves in the soil. These grooves will help increase the seed-to-soil contact that is imperative for germination.

When to Dethatch Your Lawn. The best time to dethatch your lawn is when it's actively growing and the soil is moderately moist. For cool-season grasses, that's early spring or early fall. For warm-season grasses, dethatch in late spring through early summer (after the second mowing).

Timing Tips

Dethatch when soil is moist, not dry. If soil is too wet, a dethatch may yank turf out by the roots, creating large bare spots. It's best to dethatch during cooler weather. Mow the lawn to half its normal height right before dethatching.

Before dethatching, mow a little shorter than normal. Also, you'll achieve better results if you do it after a light rain or watering. Aerating, coring, and aerifying are different terms you might hear for the same procedure. An aerator pulls plugs out of your soil.

Can you use too much grass seed when overseeding? ›

Quality grass seed labels include guidance on optimal seeding rates to maximize your results. Don't overdo or cut corners. Too much grass seed causes undue competition for resources such as light, water and nutrients, and grass seedlings struggle as a result. Too little seed leaves lawns thin or bare.

You may choose to use fertilizer when overseeding your lawn. Fertilizer delivers nutrients essential to young growing grass and optimizes seed germination and quick establishment. The best time to fertilize your yard is right after your aerate it and spread your seeds.

Remember, lawn grass seeds only need to be lightly raked into the soil, or even just scattered directly on the soil surface. Any seeds buried more than the length of the seed will have a hard time germinating successfully.

After 4 weeks check the lawn for no growth areas.

Use a garden rake to gently break the soil, without pulling up existing turf, then lightly seed. Continue to water as directed. REMEMBER, seed has to stay moist for germination.

If you seed your lawn in the late summer, you should expect to wait a little while before you start raking leaves. Wait until you have mowed your lawn for the first time. You should also use only a plastic rake, as this will catch the leaves and pine needles without damaging the turf and roots of your grass.

Keep in mind that the best time to rake up leaves is right after you've finished fertilizing or overseeding.

Answer: To remove leaves from a newly seeded lawn, it's best to use a leaf blower to avoid walking on the ground which might leave footprints and disturb the seedbed. If you don't have a leaf blower, use a rake to pick up the leaves by carefully gliding the rake head over the surface of the soil.