Best Time to Overseed Lawn in Maryland

[Glenn54]

Hello all. Glad to be a new member . I cut my lawn down low and dethatched this past October and was now looking to overseed. Would now be a good time to start? I have about 8K square feet of yard to cover, so I was wondering how many bags and which product to use. Thanks for any input -Glenn-

[goose108]

Glenn, my favorite time of the year to reseed is actually in the fall because once spring comes up, these seeds start to germinate. However, it can be done in yearly spring as early as the grounds can be worked. My style is to first detached old grass as you have done, then I aerate by taking plugs of earth out (there's a machine that does that or get a service to do this) and then add a thin layer of triple mix and spread things out. Then add the grass seeds and top layer with a mix of soil and rough sand (bricklayer sand). The sand/compost mix help to break up the soil and also prevent birds from eating the seeds. I don't really care where I get the grass but I do use Scott's a lot. Its a mixture of sun and shade grass and also something specially used in my zone (5). I reseed again in 2 weeks after the grass starts germinating. This is because I will see if I've missed a spot.

[jlavado]

Don't plant grass right now! The key is to STOP things from growing this time of year. Put down Halts right now and as goose has already said wait until the fall. Do it after Labor Day. The crabgrass and weeds will have come and gone, and it will be significantly cooler outside to work out in the yard. Dethatching should have been done immediately before planting because your ground will have been roughed up which is perfect for planting grass seed.