Overseeding in Attleboro, Ma

Have you ever asked yourself: Why does my landscaping/fertilizing company always ask about over seeding my lawn?
In this fourth installment of the lawn care series we will discuss the benefits and best practices for overseeding.

First we need to understand how grass grows. Here in New England lawns are comprised of usually cool season grasses which are mostly bunch type grasses. These grasses are comprised of the roots, crown and the blade. Grass plants expand as new grass blades called tillers grow beside the original crown. These then grow there own roots and crowns. Grass blades have a short six week life span therefore the plant is constantly creating new blades  As the grass ages it grows the production of tillers slows which can thin out a lawn. Overseeding helps to keep the lawn young, thick and weed free. 

Some warnings:
-If seed is applied to heavily when the grass matures it will be too thick and overcrowded.
-The seed needs to stay moist, if dries out it will die.



Here at T.J. Landscaping Inc. we recommend to overseed in the fall sometime in late September or early October if the lawn needs it. We cut the grass to about 1.5-2"aerate and top dress,  and then broadcast the seed. We use different grass types depending on the lawn and and the growing conditions. Generally we seed at 2-4 lbs/1000 sq.ft. and any bare spots we add extra seed. We follow up with starter fertilizer and then kept the seed watered. We try to wait 2-3 weeks before resuming the mowing to avoid blowing the seed around. Depending on the variety of seed used the new grass sprouts in 3-5 weeks. If done in the fall, the roots will have time to grow before winter and will also take off in the spring before the summer heat.