Last spring, the HH and I reseeded our grass. We chose to do it in the spring, because as you know, we were trying to sell our house and wanted to put our best foot forward. The best time to reseed your lawn, though, is actually in the fall. The soil is still warm–so you can choose varieties of grass that will germinate only in warmer temperatures.
The trees are losing their leaves, so the grass will receive more sunlight. Best of all, weeds and diseases that rear their ugly little heads in the spring become much less prevalent. The steps for reseeding in the fall are pretty much identical to spring reseeding, so if you want to know how, click HERE and get a quick tutorial.
After you have the basic how-to down, here are a couple of tips to help you get the best results:
- Try mixing your seed with equal parts seed to damp sand {put the whole lot in the spreader}. It will jump start the germination process. This can be particularly beneficial if you know that you have a window of good weather left.
- To ensure that the seeds make contact with the soil, and don’t become bird food, try rolling the seed in after spreading it. Just get a roller and fill it half full of water.
- If you are so inclined, a starter fertilizer can help make up for less than ideal soil conditions.
- Make sure to keep off the new grass for several weeks–tramping through it can damage its delicate root system.
- For fall reseeding, it is best to let the grass get up to 4″ tall before mowing for the first time. When you do mow mow it to about 2 1/2″ tall. Allow the grass to stay longer throughout the winter to protect it from cold temperatures.
With a little TLC, you should have thick green grass before the first snowfall–and a blanket of green waiting for you next spring.
~Mavis
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