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overseeding for 1st year lawn

13 years ago

I will be overseeding this fall and could use some advice. Lawn is located in babylon, ny. I planted a new lawn this sping, front lawn is mostly grass with a few areas of crabgrass. I used KBG and rye. I am having a inground sprinkler system installed 8/12/10. I have started to spray weeds with weed be gone and will be pulling them this weekend. Should I aerate before overseeding, should I test soil. when is best time to overseed, should I seed overseed twice? I plan on overseeding soley with kbg. Any advice or tips. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

brankulo
13 years ago
i would be interested in advice too. i am pretty much in same situation as you. seeded this spring (90%kbg, 10%rye. some weeds and some areas not as dense as i would want. should the lawn be mowed really short before over seeding?
bpgreen
13 years ago
Some people core aerate in order to expose more soil and improve the seed-to-soil contact. Others have had problems as a result of aerating because it brings weed seeds to the surface.

A soil test is a good thing, but to really make use of it, you need to be able to interpret the results.

The best time to overseed is after the summer heat breaks and when you can be around enough to ensure that it gets watered enough to stay moist until the seeds have germinated.
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If you can't bag the clippings, then bust out the leaf blower, rake and tarp. You will definitely want to get all the clippings outta there so maximize the amount of open soil area for the seeds settle in and grow. If you are using a slit seeder or core aerator, getting up the clippings is less important.
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eriocaulon
13 years ago
I would not overseed unless your lawn is really thin. A spring seed won't be thick until this fall. I would give your lawn liberal amounts of fertilizer this fall and focus in on weed control. It really should take off and become full this fall as long as you have decent coverage.
weezee
Original Author
13 years ago
Lawn is thin and will need to be overseeded. What type of fertilizer and how often should it be applied. Other than hand pulling, how can the weeds be controlled, when overseeding? Thanks.
bpgreen
13 years ago
The broadleaf weed killers will harm young grass and will also inhibit germination for some period of time. You can use glyphosate and seed within days of application, but glyphosate will kill existing grass as well as weeds, so if you spot spray, you'll have brown spots all over the lawn. If you spray the whole lawn, you'll kill it all and be on your way toa total renovation.

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