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lynn325_gw

Overseeding in Spring

lynn325
14 years ago

We need to improve our grass before we put our home up for sale this summer. There are a lot of thin patches of grass and lots of clover. We were planning on overseeding this spring but we weren't sure about the timing. When is the best time to overseed in the spring in Kentucky? Since we did not apply any fertilizer this fall, does this need to be done before we overseed? I'd also like to know if there are any products that we could use to eliminate the clover in the yard before overseeding. We have never overseeded a lawn in the spring before so any advice would be appreciated.

Comments (6)

  • lawndivot12
    14 years ago

    Lynn
    You can overseed any time from right now till spring.If I were you I would overseed now when you get a fairly nice day then feed early in the spring. Soon as the temperature stays above 55 degrees and stays that way the grass will germinate and after you get good germination you can kill the clover if you like but it would be better to get total germination first and then go after the clover. Seeding right now won't kill your seed no matter how cold or wet it gets.Be sure to fertilize in early spring if you want to get a decent stand of grass. Good luck wwith the lawn and eventually selling the house. Lawndivot.

  • dchall_san_antonio
    14 years ago

    Too bad you didn't overseed last fall. There is no best time of spring to seed. While you are germinating your grass seed, you will also be germinating all the summer weed seeds.

    Since you have all spring and maybe part of summer to recover, follow these basics of grass care and you should have a pretty good stand of something.

    1. Water deeply and infrequently. This means no more than once a week in the heat of summer and once a month the rest of the year. Deeply means an inch or more at a time.

    2. Mulch mow at your mower's highest setting unless you have bermuda, centipede, or bentgrass. Keeping grass tall has more benefits than keeping it short.

    3. Fertilize with synthetic fertilizer after the grass is growing. After you mow real grass (not weeds) for the second time in the spring, then you can be assured you have roots which can absorb nutrients. If you use organic fertilizer, you can do that any time of year as often as you like. I start my organic program early before the last frost date and repeat on Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.

  • rcnaylor
    14 years ago

    I seeded, not over seeded, a new yard once in the spring at the first house I bought. I didn't know any better. The wife and I hand pulled a lot of weeds. But, the results were very good.

    One other thing to remember is that the new seedlings won't be rooted in as deeply and so when/if you get hot dry weather, you will need to water more and more frequently to keep the "new" grass going like you will want for sale purposes. (Green and growing as opposed to summer brown dormancy.)

    But, with extra babying the spring planting can do just fine.

  • Ted Wark
    8 years ago

    Just trying to figure out what a" perdicement " is.

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    J Gil Organic
    7 years ago

    I feel the same way as Lawndivot. I usually use both the spring and fall to re-seed. If weeds are growing during the summer, what difference does it make to re-seed as well in the spring. I get that Fall is the best time to do it, but I don't see anything wrong if you take advantage of the spring as well.