What is Overseeding?
Overseeding is a technique used in greenkeeping and by lawn care companies to introduce new grasses into a lawn.
Sowing new grasses is a viable option where a lawn is thin or has bare patches.
The ideal time for Overseeding is following mechanical work, as the seed will have better opportunity to make contact with the soil.
This work should be carried out where there is an adequate soil temperature for recovery and germination, and ideally with rainfall expected.
For these reasons, the best time for this work is early Autumn. A narrow Spring window for small repairs is also available, but watering may be required dependant upon rainfall.
How do we carry out Overseeding?
Lawn Overseeding takes more than simply throwing grass seed onto a lawn. If you have tried this yourself, you will appreciate how mixed the results can be. The key to successful Overseeding is, in fact, in the preparation!
If just looking to Overseed a small area or two, such as thin or bare patches in a lawn, look to break up the soil slightly with a wire rake, garden fork, or a dedicated spiker tool. A wire rake will work to remove any surface thatch and debris along with scratching the soil surface to create a suitable seed bed. Shallow spiking the soil will reduce compaction and create air pockets, both of which encourage strong seed germination.
From this point, seed the area liberally and brush the seed into the holes and broken up soil already created. Consider top dressing the area with a fine soil, making sure that the new seed is surrounded for the best possible results. Then just water as required!
When Overseeding is required for anything more than an isolated patch of lawn, we recommend doing so to the full lawn area. This is because we want a blended, uniform look to the overall lawn, avoiding odd patches of new and old grass next to each other.
For full lawns, we can achieve better results mechanically with our Lawn Repair and Renovation service. By using professional machinery, we can Scarify and Aerate deeper and more aggressively, get better more long lasting results.
We seed the area and dragmat / brush this into the holes and grooves. We're so confident in our team and our process that we provide a germination guarantee on all Autumn renovation work.
How often is Overseeding required?
We find that some lawn areas which are shaded and sit wet may need Overseeding every Spring to help thicken these areas up. Many homeowners may opt for the DIY approach, choosing to seed as they go on an ad-hoc basis.
Dependent on your expectations, we recommend a Lawn Repair and Renovation every 1 - 4 years, which gives us the freedom to carry out professional mechanical work on your lawn followed by Overseeding with a modern Ryegrass / Creeping Fescue mix for the strongest, healthiest possible lawn.
Why do we need to Overseed your lawn?
Although grass is a hardy plant, unfortunately grass plants can die and do so for many reasons. This could be from mowing too closely, excessive use, drought damage, waterlogging for long periods, or from grub damage.
Grass can get a bit old and tired too. We find that older lawns, which are Fescue grass dominant, are more impacted by Red Thread Disease. We may want to adjust the grass mix that the lawn is made up of by Overseeding with our predominant Ryegrass mix.
The latest seed mixes withstand disease pressures and drought stress better than older mixes, and this is all the more important as our climate becomes less predictable.