How to Reseed a Lawn
If you are frustrated with crabgrass or bare spots that just won’t go away, or your lawn is in poor shape, it may be time to learn how to reseed it. But don’t just toss out the seed and hope for the best. Follow these tips from the experts at Jonathan Green.
Jonathan Green has been growing beautiful lawns since 1881. Today, we are a major supplier of grass seed, organics, and turf products to both the independent retailer and professional lawn care markets and breed genetically superior turf grasses, such as those found in our Black Beauty grass seed mixtures in our own grass seed breeding program in Oregon. Our genetically superior grass seed and soil food products will transform your lawn and help it thrive..
Reseed for a Healthier Lawn
Early fall is the very best time to reseed. Soil temperatures are still warm, which is necessary for optimum seed germination, and cooler air temperatures are better for grass growth. There will also be fewer weeds for the grass to compete with at this time of the year. With adequate sunlight, rainwater and fertilizer, you can expect the new grass seedlings to be well-established before the cooler fall weather arrives.
Many homeowners do reseed their lawns in the spring with Black Beauty Grass Seed Mixtures and still enjoy great success because Black Beauty turfgrasses are so deeply rooted and drought tolerant.
Step 1: Rake up dead grass and weeds and mow the lawn, cutting it about one notch lower than usual. This will enable sunlight to reach the soil surface. If you have bare spots, loosen the ground with a rake or garden weasel up to help establish good seed-to-soil contact and to keep the seeds from washing away in a big rainstorm.
Step 2: Correct any soil problems (pH and/or compaction). Lawns grow best in a soil that is neutral to slightly acidic (with a pH reading between 6.2 and 7.0), so it’s important to balance the pH before you reseed. An application of Jonathan Green’s MAG-I-CAL® Soil Food will raise the soil’s pH and, at the same time, help the lawn grow greener and healthier.
Love Your Soil® will loosen and aerate hard or compacted soil, feed the soil microbes, make the lawn soil more alive and porous, and improve root growth. MAG-I-CAL® and Love Your Soil® can be applied the same day as the grass seed. pH adjustment is a process, as is softening the soil so that air, water and nutrients can penetrate, but you can still seed. The grass roots of Black Beauty will open up the soil so the nutrients will move deeper.
Step 3: Choose high-quality seed. We recommend reseeding with either Black Beauty® Ultra grass seed or Black Beauty® Fall Magic™ grass seed:
- Black Beauty® Ultra Grass Seed is most similar to what is found on sod farms. The mixture possesses species diversity and contains exclusive, elite varieties of tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. These grasses grow a naturally dark-green and beautiful lawn with excellent heat and drought tolerance. Black Beauty Ultra® grass seed germinates in about 14 days and will improve any lawn it is reseeded into.
- Black Beauty® Fall Magic Grass Seed has been specially formulated for successful fall seeding and contains several grass types, including Black Beauty® tall fescues. It can be used in sun and shade lawn areas on established lawns or to start new lawns from scratch. Black Beauty® Fall Magic™ repairs summer damage and provides an attractive, thicker, greener lawn, with germination in 10 to 14 days.
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Step 4: If you have a small lawn, you may be able to broadcast the seed by hand. If you do seed by hand, throw the seed in an arch in front of you to get the best coverage possible. Don’t drop handfuls of seed right at your feet or you’ll be seeding too heavily. For larger lawns, a broadcast spreader is the best bet for quickly covering a lot of ground and achieving even coverage.
Step 5: Unless it rains for a few hours soon after you seed, plan to water the lawn lightly every day for a week or two. The goal is to keep the seed and top several inches of soil moist until the seeds germinate. Mow the new lawn when the grass plants are about three inches tall.
For more tips on how to reseed your lawn, visit Jonathan Green online or locate your nearest retail store where you can get reliable lawn and garden advice.