At Home Living: Planning helps overseeding project take root

Last week we talked about completely renovating a lawn. Most of us dont need to get that drastic; we just need to give our yards a face lift or fill in the spots killed in this summers heat. Overseeding is a really good way to bring new life into a sagging lawn. This will take some time and planning, but not as much as renovating.

Two things are essential for maximum seeding success: good sunlight penetration and seed-soil contact.

STEPS FOR OVERSEEDING

1. One month before seeding use a broadleaf weed killer like Trimec, Weed-Out, Weed-B-Gon, or Weed-B-Gon Max plus Crabgrass killer. Do not use chemicals again until the new seedlings have been mowed three times. An exception is siduron (Tupersan), a pre-emergence herbicide.

2. Mow the existing grass to 1 inch. This will keep grass and weeds from competing with the new seedlings, help prevent seeds from lodging in tall grass and never reach the ground, and allow for good light penetration. Remove debris.

3. There can be three options for creating good seed to soil contact. Core aerate, or use one of the following a verticutter, a slit seeder, or a power rake, or both (aerate and one of these three). The verticutter, slit seeder or power rake can be rented and used in one direction. The machine will create inch deep grooves in the soil. Rake and remove debris. Verticutting will increase seed to soil contact more that aerating alone. This will maximize germination and coverage rate. Even lawns that are not being overseeded will benefit from an annual or biannual aerification. Do this in mid-September when temperatures are cooling off. This will reduce chances of injury to the turf. It will be easier to do this step if the soil has been moistened a day or two before. When aerifying, allow the cores to dry for a day then verticut the lawn in one direction and remove debris. This will prepare your yard for overseeding and chop up the aerification plugs as well. Be sure to flag your irrigation heads to avoid hitting them.

4. Buy good, clean, quality seed. You do get what you pay for when it comes to grass seed. A tall fescue blend made from the K-State turfgrass recommended varieties is a good choice for both sun and shade. Find these at you local nurseries and garden stores. Read the labels. Ideally, you want to find seed with 0 percent other seed and 0 percent weed seed. You will not like the results at 1 to 2 percent.

5. Broadcast your seed. Tall fescue blends should be overseeded at 3-4 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Applying too much seed can result in turf death from overcrowding, and can cause fungal diseases later on.

6. Verticut/power rake again this time at a 90-degree angle to the last pass. Try to distribute the debris evenly or rake and remove any large piles.

7. Fertilize with a turf starter fertilizer.

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At Home Living: Planning helps overseeding project take root