Quick Links:
Over Seeding
Spot Seeding
Lawn Renovation
Laying Sod
New Lawn Seeding
Sod vs. Seeding
Over Seeding A Lawn
Preparation is the most important step in having success with over seeding.
Step 1: Mow Lawn Short
Mow your grass to a height of 1½ To 2 Inches.
Step 2: Rake Area Thoroughly.
Use a garden rake or landscape rake. Take care not to tear out too much of the existing lawn.
Step 3: Aerate Your Lawn.
Aeration improves your lawns appearance, usability and its ability to absorb water from irrigation. Lawn aeration increases nutrient uptake and helps to break up compaction, allowing roots of existing grass to breath. An aerator that pulls up plugs is more effective than one that simply pokes holes. Leave soil cores on top of the lawn to help grass seed germination.
Step 4: Broadcast Starter Lawn Fertilizer
Use One Of The Following:
• Preen New Lawn Crabgrass Preventer Plus Seed Starter Fertilizer
• Fertilome New Lawn Starter
Step 5: Broadcast Seed Over Lawn.
See grass seed mix list for the perfect blend for your yard. Use over seed rates listed for mix per 1000 square feet. Use a hand spreader for small areas and a fertilizer spreader for large areas. For a more uniform seeding, broadcast one-half of the seed in one direction and the other half in a direction perpendicular to the first.
Step 6: Rake.
Rake lightly and thoroughly with a leaf rake to ensure good seed and soil contact which will increase germination.
Step 7: Watering
Water on a regular schedule to make sure seed and soil stay moist. Sunny locations and dry weather will require you to water more frequently. Using a timer will help you achieve an even growing environment.
Spot Seeding A Lawn
Preparation of the area to be seeded is the most important step.
Supplies Needed:
• Garden, Landscape or Thatching Rake.
• Light Weight Topsoil, Peat Moss, compost Soil or Topsoil.
• Fertilome New Lawn Starter or 10-10-10 Lawn Fertilizer
• Oscillating Sprinkler, Impulse Sprinkler or Sprinkler Hose
• Spade, Shovel or Rototiller
• Broadcast Spreader
• Paper mulch (Optional)
• Water Timer & Garden Hose
Step 1: Rake The Area To Be Seeded.
Use a rake, landscape rake, or a thatching rake. Rototill the soil by turning the soil over with a spade or a shovel. Loosen the soil 3 to 6 inches deep.
Step 2: Rake Area Smooth.
Now level the area to be seeded, remove any debris, soil lumps and rocks. Add soil to level areas.
Step 3: Fertilize the area
Broadcast Seed Starter Fertilizer.
Step 4: Broadcast Seed Over Area To Be Seeded.
Seeding a smaller area requires 'peppering' of the seed over the soil. The seed should be scattered through the area, being careful not to get too much seed together in one area. Seeds should not touch.
Step 5: Rake the Area
Rake The Seed Lightly Into The Soil With A Leaf Rake.
Step 6: Broadcasting Paper Mulch. (Optional)
This will help keep the moisture on the grass seed and it lightly covers the seed for protection.
Step 7: Watering.
Water regularly on scheduled times to make sure seed and soil stay moist. Sunny locations and dry weather will require you to water more frequently.
Lawn Renovation
Lawns may be too thin, weedy or compacted to attempt over seeding. If this is the case, total lawn renovation is a great option. If you decide to do this, you'll need to consider that the best time to renovate a lawn is late summer. You can successfully renovate your lawn during other times in the season following these steps.
The following conditions may warrant starting over:
• Excessively Compacted Soil
• Greater than 50%
• Excessive thatch
Supplies needed:
• Sprayer
And one of the following three systemic weed & grass killers:
• Hi-Yield Kill-Z-All
• Bonide Systemic Kleen-Up
Step 1: Mow Area To Be Renovated
Mow grass to a height of 1½ inches.
Step 2: Spray Weeds And Grasses With Non-Selective Weed And Grass Killer.
Weed and grass killer needs to be applied to an actively growing plant. The best time to kill weeds is when the temperature is above 60° F. Weed and grass killers are absorbed through the plant tissue and then translocated to the roots. This will kill perennial broadleaf and grassy weeds. Wait at least a week to see if all weeds have been killed. If green weeds are still present, spray the weed and grass killer
again. Weeds and grasses should be dead before rototilling occurs. If perennial weeds are not killed to the root, rototilling will propagate and increase the number of weeds in the new section of the lawn. (See our Lawn & Garden Staff about spraying methods and equipment)
Step 3: Proceed With Steps For New Lawn Seeding.
Laying Sod
Preparation is the most important step in having success with sod.
Supplies needed:
• Sod
• Fertilome New lawn Starter
Choose One Of:
• Gertens Top Dress Mix
• Peat Moss
• Topsoil
• Compost
Choose One Of:
• Rototill
• Spade
Step 1: Loosen Soil With Rototill Or Spade To A Minimum Of 6 Inches.
Loosening up the soil allows the sod to take up nutrients and air. Sandy or heavy clay soils need to be amended. Sod needs good drainage and good soil to grow and thrive. A good topsoil allows sod to survive stress periods and retain moisture and nutrients longer. A 3 to 6 inch layer of a good soil mix or compost is recommended. Level soil and rake smooth. Remove and clumps, rocks and debris.
Step 2: Starter Fertilizer.
Starter fertilizer will give sod a faster, healthier start and a better chance of surviving. Broadcast starter fertilizer over the soil at recommended rate. Rake lightly into soil.
Step 3: Lay The Sod.
Make sure there are no gaps or spaces between sod rolls. Lightly stamp down sod, working edges together.
Step 4: Watering.
Watering sod at the right rates is especially important. Water 2 to 3 times daily until sod has properly rooted. To tell if sod is properly established (rooted), gently pull on the sod to see if it remains firmly in the ground.
New Lawn Seeding
Supplies needed:
• Topsoil
• Gertens Top Dress Mix
• Peat Moss
• Compost
• Leaf Rake
• Fertilome New Lawn Starter
or
• Preen New Lawn Crabgrass Preventer Plus Seed Starter
• Fertilizer
• Grass Seed
• Pelletized Paper Mulch
• Sprinkler
• Hose
• Timer
Step 1: Site preparation.
This is the most important step in successful germination of grass. Loosen soil and add soil amendments. Rototill soil to a minimum of 6 inches. Loosening the soil breaks up compaction, allowing the grass seedlings to root and the grass to take up nutrients and air, while giving better seed/soil contact. Sandy or heavy clay soils need to be amended. Grass needs good drainage and good soil to grow and thrive. A good topsoil allows the plant to survive stress periods and retain moisture and nutrients longer. A 3 to 6 inch layer of a good soil mix or compost is recommended.Level soil and rake smooth. Remove any clumps, rocks, and other debris. A leaf rake will leave grooves that allow for better seed/soil contact germination.
Step 2: Use Starter Fertilizer For Grass Seed.
Starter fertilizer will give emerging grass a faster, healthier start. Broadcast starter fertilizer over the soil at recommended rate and rake lightly into soil. To help prevent grass seed from competing with weeds, use Preen New Lawn Crabgrass Preventer Plus Seed Starter Fertilizer. This is the only crabgrass preventer that can be used with grass seed. Regular types of crabgrass preventer will prevent germination of grass seed. A roller can be used to slightly firm the soil.
Step 3: Broadcast Seed Over Soil.
Follow recommended seeding rate for your grass seed mixture. See seed guide to select the right mix for your lawn. Use a hand spreader for small areas and a fertilizer spreader for large areas. For a more uniform seeding, broadcast one-half of the seed in one direction, and the other half in a direction perpendicular to the first.
Step 4: Rake Seed Lightly Into Soil.
Raking the seed lightly into the soil and rolling with a roller allows better seed and soil contact, ensuring proper germiniation.
Step 5: Broadcasting Of Pelletized Mulch To Maintain Moisture
This step is optional, however, we reccomend mulching the area so the top several inches of soil do not dry out as fast. It will also help keep weeds down and help seeds germinate faster.
Step 6: Water Regularly.
Water 3-5 times a day for 5-10 minutes following seed application until grass is established. It is important that the seed does not dry out.
Step 7: Stay Off The Grass!
Keep people and pets off planted areas until grass established.
Sod vs Seeding
• Seeded lawns tend to be healthier than sodded lawns.
• Sodded lawns are instant lawns. As soon as the sod is laid, you have green grass. Seeded lawns require time to germinate and establish.
• Seeded lawns will undergo competition with weeds as they germinate and establish.
• Sod does not perform well in shady areas. The types of seed used in sod is for sunny areas.
• Sod can be laid longer through the season that seeding.
• Sod is more expensive and labor intensive than seeding.
• Seeded lawns can be designed specifically for a particular site. This includes: sunny, shady, clay, etc.
Helpful Formulas
To Find The # of Cubic Yards Of Soil Amendment Required
To find the number of cubic yards required for an are at different material depths:
1. Calculate square footage of area, (Length x Width)
2. Determine depth desired and divide by appropriate number in the chart below.
Inches Deep Sq Ft Divided By:
1324
2162
3108
481
567
654
840
Approximate Total Coverage Area Of Bagged Mulches
2 Cubic Foot Bag:
24 Sq Ft @ 1 inch deep
12 Sq Ft @ 2 inches deep
8 Sq Ft @ 3 inches deep
6 Sq Ft @ 4 inches deep
Area Measurement Conversions
1 square mile = 640 acres
1 square acre = 4840 square yards = 43560 sq ft
1 square inch = 6.45 centimeters
1 squre yard = 9 square feet
1 square foot = 144 square inches
How To Calculate Sod From Square Footage To Yards needed
Square footage divided by 9 = yards of sod needed.