A comprehensive residential lawn care program includes fertilization, weed control, pest control, aeration, and soil testing. You may have also heard about overseeding, though. Overseeding can revive your tired lawn. You add grass seed directly to the existing lawn without disturbing the soil to achieve a thicker, healthier turf. Whether your lawn is stressed, damaged, or diseased, overseeding can prove beneficial. However, it requires expertise and a detailed approach to be effective. For example, you can prepare your lawn for overseeding by aerating the compacted soil. Seeds need a moist, porous bed for germination. But you can avoid this step if the soil in your lawn is neither hard nor dense. Why is it a safe approach? Ultimately, seed and soil need to have good contact with each other.
Understanding these nuances can be challenging for everyone. At the same time, any mistake can prove costly at this stage. You can end up ruining the aesthetics of your lawn. As a safe bet, you can hire professionals from JHL Turf Pros for this job. Local lawn care agencies offer a wide range of services, including add-ons like overseeding. When they take charge, you don’t have to bother about aeration and other factors. They will ensure that the overseeding job is done correctly. Still, having some basic ideas about the right overseeding practices and common mistakes is necessary. If you engage with lawn care experts, you can be at peace while they manage everything.
Best overseeding practices
A professional team might visit your lawn to understand your expectations. It will give them an idea about which grass seed to choose. For instance, overseeding Kentucky bluegrass with tall fescue can help the lawn fight diseases. It can also create a dense lawn. If the existing grass blades are too long, they can mow the lawn a bit first. The seeds need to reach the soil to take root. Clippings will be removed to ensure good contact between the seeds and the soil. If water is not used, the experts can rake your lawn to loosen the top soil layer. It will allow new grass to receive a proper supply of water, nutrients, and air. Thatches will also be eliminated.
Afterward, a nutrient-rich bed of topsoil will be prepared for the seeds. This step is particularly important if overseeding will be done without aeration. Then, they can use a fertilizer spreader or other suitable tool for overseeding. Smaller patches can be covered with a handheld spreader, while larger areas may require the use of a push spreader. Finally, this process will end with an additional two or three simple yet crucial steps.
Mistakes to avoid
Overseeding works best when the grass is in its growing phase. Overseeding cool-season grasses can be favorable during fall, and warm-season grasses during late spring or early summer. If you don’t follow this, your effort will go to waste. Plus, this process can create desirable results only when all the other preparatory steps are appropriately implemented. It starts with aeration, dethatching, mowing, and adding soil amendments. Again, each of these tasks should be performed with utmost care. If you hurry things up or don’t take adequate precautions, overseeding will not help your lawn much.
Taking care of seed rate, seed type, watering, and any other step requires full dedication and involvement in the lawn care process. It is not an easy job for a busy person. That’s why hiring an agency makes much more sense.
