mwarner
Newly Registered
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:12 am
Location: Tennessee

New Lawn

I just recently built a new house. The landscaper sowed the lawn back in November 2012. He used a starter fertilizer, fescue and then covered the lawn with a thick layer of straw. I am starting to see grass poking up through the straw.

I am thinking that in order to get a nice, thick lawn this summer I should over-seed sometime early spring. What is the best way to do this?

I live in Northeast Tennessee (Zone 7).

Thanks,
Mike

GreatOrganics
Newly Registered
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2013 2:01 am
Location: Lowell, MI 49331

Overseeding is definitely the best thing you can do to build a nice, dense turf (assuming that you're also working on good soil). Overseeding is best done in the spring and fall. Technically, fall is best because there is little competition with weeds. More weed competition in the spring.

However, both times of year are appropriate for overseeding. Ordinarily, you'd want to cut the lawn nice and short prior to seeding, then spread your seed and lightly top-dress with good quality soil or compost.

If you can't top-dress, then it can often be helpful to lightly rake over the lawn to give the seeds a chance to penetrate the soil profile a bit. Then, keep things nice and moist until the grass takes hold.

The question here is how well the grass from last year is established. If it is not established well enough to adequately withstand a cutting or the ranking over the lawn, you may have to just seed it and keep it watered (or, ideally, top-dress it).

Be sure to choose a grass type that will blend well with what you've got. Sometimes it's good to plant multiple different compatible species that will thrive under differing conditions and will not all be susceptible to the same lawn problems, diseases, etc.

Be sure that whatever seed you buy contains NO noxious weed seed and very little weed seed at all. It should be listed with the seed so that you can be certain.

Following that, simply following good, natural growing practices will give you a nice thick lawn with minimal pest/weed problems.

Hope that helps a bit.



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