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How to Overseed Your Lawn in Spring

How to Overseed Your Lawn in Spring.

One of the best times to overseed your lawn is in the early spring. Overseeding creates a thick, healthy lawn, which is the best defence against weeds. Keeping your lawn lush and thick provides natural protection from weeds and other annoyances, by allowing very little sunlight to permeate the grass, stopping growth underneath.

Skill Level: Beginner
Time:

  1. Step 1 Cut your Lawn and Bag the Clippings

    A person mows their lawn with a push mower.

    Before over-seeding your lawn, cut your grass at the lowest mower setting and bag the clippings. After mowing, rake the lawn to help loosen the top layer of soil and remove any dead grass and debris. This will give the grass seed easy access to the soil so the roots can easily take hold after beginning to sprout.

  2. Step 2 Enrich your Lawn with a Lawn Soil

    Enrich Soil

    Add a quarter-inch layer of enriched soil over your lawn to protect and help settle the seed. Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. Lawn soil improves moisture retention, helping your grass seed grow strong for a thicker, healthier lawn. Scotts® Turf Builder® LawnSoil™ works well for this purpose.

  3. Step 3 Choose your Grass Seed and Apply

    A person uses a push spreader to seed their lawn.

    Which type of grass seed you choose depends on your needs. Make sure to determine how much sun or shade your lawn gets before selecting your seed. Then just fill up your spreader, adjust the density setting according to the label directions and spread it evenly across your lawn.

  4. Step 4 Feed your Lawn with a Quality Lawn Food

    A person fills their spreader with fertilizer.

    In order for your lawn to grow healthy and strong, it needs a good supply of nutrients. To give your new grass seedlings the essential nutrients they need for fast growth, apply Scotts® Turf Builder®Starter® Food every eight weeks - in early spring, mid-May, July and September. Only begin to fertilize once grass starts turning green. Corn gluten fertilizers can also be used to help prevent weeds, but do not apply grass seed at the same time or the grass seed will not germinate.

  5. Step 5 Water your Lawn Consistently

    A person waters their lawn with a hose.

    Once you are done seeding and feeding, be sure to keep the soil consistently moist by lightly watering once or twice a day until the seedlings have reached the height of the rest of your lawn.

    Lawns require about one inch of water per week to encourage roots to grow. You may not need to water if there has been enough rain.

  6. Step 6 Continue Caring for Your Lawn

    A close-up picture of freshly cut grass.

    Once your overseeding takes and you’ve got growth, consider the following to maintain a healthy, lush lawn.

    • Mow high and regularly. Short grass means short roots, so raise mower blades to three inches to help roots grow more deeply.
    • Aerate your lawn with a specialty aeration tool to allow soil to break down and breathe.
    • Use products with natural ingredients to quickly kill weeds — these work especially well on hot and sunny days.
    • Pull weeds out from the roots using a specialized weeding tool and lay a weed block under pathways or patios to prevent weeds from emerging.
    • To get rid of insects, try spraying insecticidal soap (which is safe on plants) directly onto insect populations. You can also place insect bait and traps around your lawn and garden to keep pests away.

     

What You Need for This Project

Additional Lawn Care Tips

Dog Urine Patches
  • To allow your lawn to develop to its full potential, it needs a healthy supply of nutrients. Only begin to fertilize once grass starts turning green.
  • A corn gluten fertilizer can prevent weeds if used early, but do not apply grass seed at the same time or the grass seed will not germinate.
  • Fertilize every eight weeks for a thick, green lawn. As a rule of thumb, fertilize in early spring, and over mid-May, July and September.
  • Lawns require about one inch of water per week to encourage roots to grow. You may not need to water if there has been rain.
  • Mow high and regularly. Short grass means short roots, so raise mower blades to three inches to help roots grow more deeply.
  • Aerate your lawn with a specialty aeration tool to allow soil to break down and breathe.
  • Use products with natural ingredients to quickly kill weeds — these work especially well on hot and sunny days.
  • Pull weeds out from the roots using a specialized weeding tool and lay a weed block under pathways or patios to prevent weeds from emerging.
  • To get rid of insects, try spraying insecticidal soap (which is safe on plants) directly onto insect populations. You can also place insect bait and traps around your lawn and garden to keep pests away.

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