When to Overseed Your Lawn in Tennessee
If your lawn in Tennessee is looking thin and unhealthy, or you have bare spots you can’t get rid of, you may want to overseed the lawn when the time is right. The professionals at Jonathan Green can help.
The Jonathan Green name has represented genetically superior grass seed, innovation, integrity, determination, and a commitment to excellence since 1881. 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 United States.
When to Overseed
In Tennessee, the best time to overseed your lawn is in late summer to early fall (mid-August to mid-October), when the cooler temperatures are just right for cool-season grasses. There is enough moisture in the ground to encourage proper seed germination, and the cooler air will stimulate grass growth. The second-best time for overseeding is in early spring (mid-March to mid-April).
Choose the Best Grass Seed Mixture
We recommend overseeding your Tennessee lawn with either Black Beauty® Ultra Grass Seed mixture or Black Beauty® Fall Magic Grass Seed mixture:
- Black Beauty® Ultra Grass Seed is very similar to the grass seed mixture used to grow sod. It 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 to overseed established lawns or to start new lawns from scratch. Black Beauty® Fall Magic Grass Seed repairs summer damage and provides an attractive, thicker, greener lawn, with germination in 10 to 14 days.
How to Overseed Your Lawn
Prepare the area. First, remove as many weeds as possible and get rid of rocks, sticks or other debris. Then cut the lawn short – to between one and two inches in height. Test the soil to ensure that the pH is between 6.2 and 7.0. If it’s not, use Jonathan Green MAG-I-CAL® to rapidly balance the soil’s pH and help the lawn grow greener and healthier. MAG-I-CAL® can be applied the same day as the grass seed is spread.
Loosen the soil. If your soil is 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 and root mass development. Love Your Soil® can be applied the same day as the grass seed.
Plant the seed. Apply the Black Beauty® grass seed mixture with a Jonathan Green Deluxe Broadcast Spreader. Distribute the seed evenly and moderately, then lightly rake to distribute the seed within the top quarter-inch of the loosened soil. Seed-to-soil contact is the key to achieving maximum germination.
Fertilize. Apply Jonathan Green Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer for Seeding & Sodding. This high phosphorus formula is specially formulated to build a vigorous root system and gets new grass plantings off to a fast start, resulting in a thicker, greener lawn.
Water. Keep the seed bed damp for a few weeks while the grass seed germinates. Plan to water daily and possibly twice daily (unless it’s raining) until new grass is two inches high.
Mentioned Products
When you’re ready to overseed your lawn in Tennessee, Jonathan Green products will help you achieve the nicest looking lawn on the block! Visit us online or locate your nearest retail store where you can get reliable lawn and garden advice.