Overseeding Part II – Proper Preparation Before Overseeding and Proper Care After Overseeding

*If you haven’t read Part I – What is Overseeding and Why does it work? Please take a look HERE before going any further!

Overseeding, as we shared in Part I, is simply the planting of new seed directly onto existing turf, without ripping out the existing turf or tearing out the soil.  And overseeding is most impactful when done in conjunction with aeration (at ProLawn, we offer double aeration, giving the ground even more breathing room to accept and germinate new seed and promote root growth in the existing lawn).

But what kind of seed should you use?  The adage “you get what you pay for” is one to consider when it comes to grass seed.  Sure, you can get a “great deal” buying seed from one of the big box stores, but consider this – the seed they sell in our area is the same seed they sell everywhere else.  And read the label…how much seed is actually in the bag!  If you’re going to make the effort to overseed, do it right.  Use only the highest quality seed mixed specifically for your region.  This is the ProLawn approach.  We use locally sourced seed varieties reflective of the Virginia Turfgrass Variety Recommendation List published annually by Virginia Tech in conjunction with The University of Maryland. Use only high quality seed specifically recommended for the climate and soil conditions in our region.

Once your lawn is overseeded, you can expect to start seeing new grass to emerge in 5-7 days and the new seed can be fully established in as little as 8 weeks. But this doesn’t happen without effort and commitment from you!  Proper watering is a must for overseeding to be effective!  If you can’t make the commitment to adhere to the following watering regime, don’t overseed.  It won’t net results worth the expense!  Yes, watering is that important.

• Immediately after overseeding, soak your lawn to wash seed into the soil (and into the aerated areas of you lawn if you took this step to ensure optimal success).
• On a daily basis, soak the first inch of soil until the grass seed fully germinates (10-14 days).
• Once the seed germinates, you can water less frequently, but continue with deep soaking into the first inch or more of soil as this fosters deeper root growth.
• After the new grass becomes established, water as recommended for the type of grasses planted.

A healthy, thick green lawn is possible – with effort, patience and care.  Proper overseeding (preparing the lawn to take the seed through aeration followed by overseeding with high quality, regionally recommended seed) will result in a healthier, greener, thicker lawn.

Contact the Pros at ProLawn to find out more about our Double Aeration and Overseeding services! Give us a call today at 540-662-8316!