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Overseeding a Lawn

Seeding
5 min read

Overseeding a lawn, which involves adding new seed to an existing lawn, is an excellent way to keep crabgrass and weeds at bay while increasing the lawn’s thickness and density, protecting it against damage from insects and diseases, and helping you achieve a lush and vibrant lawn. Here are some tips and recommendations from Jonathan Green.

The Jonathan Green name has represented genetically superior grass seed, innovation, integrity, determination, and a commitment to excellence since 1881. Today, six generations later, we remain committed to producing superior lawn and garden products.

We supply grass seed, soil enhancers, fertilizer, and organic lawn and garden products to professional customers, such as sod growers and independent retailers, throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern United States.

Choose the Best Seed

All grass seeds are not the same. For the best results, we recommend overseeding your lawn with either Black Beauty® Ultra grass seed or Black Beauty® Fall Magic™ grass seed:

  • Black Beauty® Ultra Grass Seed is very similar to the grass seed mixture planted by sod growers on their 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 overseeded 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.

Feed Your Lawn & Feed Your Soil

Nothing is more important for your lawn than addressing the poor soil it is grown in. Since the soil is the foundation of the lawn, strong, healthy soil is critical for a lawn that looks good and is easier to maintain. We encourage you to read more about Jonathan Green’s revolutionary New American Lawn Plan, which will help you care for your lawn and encourage it to thrive.

Lawns grow best in a soil that is neutral to slightly acidic (between a 6.2 and a 7.0 reading), so it’s important to balance the pH before you start planting seeds.

An application of Jonathan Green’s MAG-I-CAL® Soil Food will help to raise the soil’s pH and, at the same time, help the lawn grow greener and healthier. The fast acting, soluble calcium carbonate helps to strengthen the plants’ cell walls and prepare grass plants for winter, while reducing disease potential. You can apply MAG-I-CAL® the same day as you plant your grass seed.

If your soil is very hard or compacted, Love Your Soil®  will loosen and aerate it. It will also feed the soil microbes, making the lawn soil more alive and porous, and enhancing root development. Love Your Soil® can be applied the same day as the grass seed and works best when the soil temperature is 55 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.

Soil microbes are more active in warmer summer soils that they will be during the colder months. The temperature of soil changes slowly, similar to a large body of water, like a lake or the ocean. It takes time to warm up and cools off slowly. This is why Love Your Soil is most effective when applied from April through September in northern states.

When seeding your lawn, seed-to-soil contact is the key to achieving maximum germination. Once your soil has been prepared, apply the Black Beauty grass seed with a spreader. Lastly, keep the seed bed moist for a few weeks to give the grass seed time to germinate and the new lawn time to establish. Wait until the new grass is three inches high before you mow it, and don’t cut off more than half the leaf blade with each mowing.

If you have considered overseeding your lawn this season, we encourage you to read our Seeding Guide for additional information and then visit Jonathan Green online or find your nearest retail store.

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