Over Seeding

Overseeding involves spreading grass seed over an existing lawn to make it thicker and better able to crowd out weeds and defend against disease, drought and insect damage and also can quickly repair a lawn that is patchy due to the very factors that overseeing helps protect against or the use of the grass seed mixture inappropriate or the amount of sun or shade or damage caused by pets, heavy traffic or soil compaction.

The Lite Gardener overseeds such areas  in spring when soil temperature reaches 15°C (60°F) – Ideally mid May to mid June. We will make sure that we select a suitable mixture of lawn seed.; A lawn is not just one type of grass, a mixture of grass seed with different grow characteristics make a lawn adaptable to various condition. A high-quality seed mixture of at least tree types. The Lite Gardener’s seed is always a four seed mixture. The proper mixtures of Ryegrass and Fescues are very important to ensure that we obtain the benefits of  resistance to disease , insect and drought while, of course, making your lawn look much nicer.   For shady area we pick a blend which which is specifically designed for for shade.

Watering is critical

 Nonetheless, the key to successful overseeding remains with the homeowner. That key is watering. without systematic watering the success of over-seeding will be seriously compromised or fail completely. We cannot emphasize this enough – water, water and water.

Apply water lightly once grass seed is spread. After that the over seeded area should never be allowed to dry out; it must always be kept moist until full germination. The time taken to achieve full germination depends upon the mixture. Germination usually begins in 7 days (Fescues) to 30 days (Kentucky bluegrass) to germinate. Of course, in a mixture the different grasses in the mixture will germinate at different times. Water 3 to 4 times daily for 15 minutes when it does not rain. light frequent watering to keep the seedlings moist will be get best result. If the homeowner misses even a day  the seed dries up and this can reduce germination to as low as 30% .  Once the grass seed has germinated well, switch the watering schedule to deeper and less frequent watering.;  .

The Lite Gardener will follow these steps in overseeding a lawn help ensure a  successful project.  We will perform the following steps:

• mow the area with the mower adjusted to its lower setting
• rake the over-seeding area thoroughly with a grass rake to remove and break up layers of dead matted grass or thatch. Grass seed will only germinate if it is in direct contact with the soil. If it is sitting on thatch, grass clippings it ends up as food for the birds, which is nice but there are cheaper ways of achieving that result.  If the lawn is compacted the lite gardener will recommend aeration to help improve root growth and reduce the damage from heavy soils.
•  request that the homeowner water the lawn thoroughly before the overseeding is done to give the grass seed mixture adequate moisture at the start.
• spread the seed with a properly calibrated spreader, adjusted from experience to take into account how fast he walks when spreading the seed.  This will  influence the coverage. The seed rate depends on the particular blend of grass seed and we  adjust for this.    Most grass seed should be applied at the rate 2 to 4 lbs per 1000 ft². We will spread the mixture by walking in both directions to ensure even coverage.  And we will make sure that the calculated the amount of seed needed is actually  applied.
• Take special care when mowing a newly overseeded lawn. Normally, we only mow the grass when it is at least 4″ tall with the mower set a 2 ½ to 3″. (The grass should never be cut lower than this, in any case.)
• Fertilize the area after the seed has germinated.  This step is optional, but desirable.