To Over-Seed or Not to Over-Seed?

That is the question and the short answer is a resounding YES!  Many homeowners spend a lot of money on lawn care companies to come and fertilize their lawns and they will also run up large water bills to keep their lawns green, but many homeowners skip one of the easiest steps to maintaining a thick and lush green lawn.

That step is called over-seeding, and below I will take you through the simple process and you will wonder why didn't I do this before?

Did you know that in only 5-6 years grass will slow down in production?  This means that grass will die off or won't grow back nearly as thick as it did the first couple years.  So, how old is your house or how long has it been since it's been over-seeded?  I recommend doing this every fall, but you want to make sure you do it at least every couple of years to ensure you have new grass growing to compensate for the grass that dies off or grows back thinner, which makes it prone to more unsightly weeds.

Step 1:  Cut your lawn shorter (we're in the fall now), you can afford to cut it shorter because it isn't as hot during the days and the nights are cooler, so the natural shade of longer grass isn't necessary.  I typically don't want to bag my lawn clippings, but this is the one time you want to make sure that you do it.  Seedlings need to have direct contact with the soil, so make sure the debris is picked up from the mowing so that when you spread the seed, it increases the likelihood of getting to the soil.

Step 2:  Get out your broadcast spreader (or borrow/rent one).  The grass seed you buy will indicate what setting you will need to set your spreader at.  You want to make sure you don't spread the new seed too thin, you want to make you use a lot of seed to increase the number of grass seeds that will germinate and take root.

Step 3:  WATER, WATER, WATER!!  If you let the seed get dry, it will not germinate.  You want to make sure you water your lawn twice a day for two weeks.  This is the step that most homeowners don't like to do or think they can slack on, but without providing the environment for those seedlings to take off, step 1 & 2 were a complete waste of your time.

This is one of those jobs that you will not see an immediate impact, but if done on an annual basis you will continue to see thick, healthy lawns for years to come.