One thing to bear in mind is that exposing the soil to the sun also exposes weed seeds to the sun. If you get enough rain that the seeds sprout, there will be no shade to prevent them from taking root. You might scalp part of the lawn and leave part unmowed. Then write back in July to tell us what happened.

Go ahead and reseed, at a lesser rate (about half?) of what you put down before: you'll feel better about it. Don't worry about the competition. Plants compete with each other all the time: the strong survive, and they spread out. You should know you're going to be looking at a disaster on that lawn. But here's the point: you would have anyway. We all did, and we all do, and those of us reseeding this year have all of that to look forward to, just the same as you. At some point in the reseeding process, the old looks pretty raggedy, and the new doesn't look nearly healthy enough to be able to take over, and you'll think this can't possibly work out. It WILL work out. It will look much better than it did. Take frequent pictures, from exactly the same location and view, three days apart, for the next 45 days. View them on the computer. View them as a slideshow, numbers one through thirty, and you'll see the incremental progress that lawn makes. It's slow. But it's kind of inevitable. You'll be fine. Relax.

Hello Shorjai, I wouldn't bring yours out just yet...like Andrew and the others mentioned...wait until these cold nights break.. My temps here in VB are so unstable right now...i just brought all of mine in again for the...5th time..LOL...im not taking a chance...we are looking for the lows tonight around 40* As far as watering...have you given it any water over the winter? If not, then you need to give it a little...they still need a little water while they are dormant... Just to be on the safe side...i would keep it inside, give it some water...depending how large your container is...for my 5 gallon containers..every month during the dormant season i would give them about 2 cups of water...then let them dry out...for the smaller containers..lets say i gallon..1/2 -3/4 cup of water...per month. if it has been bone dry all winter...please give it a drink...it will be very happy that you did!!! Be patient..wait for the temps to be above 45-50 at night before you bring them outside..then you will know they will be safe...place them in a sunny window and let them adjust to the sunlight if you have had them in a dark or somewhat dark area for the winter... You can always give them a "wake up" drink of water with some Epsom Salt in it to help them "awaken" from there time sitting.... some use 1 tablespoon of EP per gallon...I use 2-3 tsps per gallon... Hope this helps... Please feel free to ask any questions.... Take care everyone... Laura in VB

I'm not sure of the exact growth period of this plant. It may be in late Summer or Autumn. If you're at all curious and don't know the exact name of the plant it seems to be Euphorbia leucodendron, the term "Pencil Cactus" while it can refer to this plant, is more commonly associated with Euphorbia tirucalli. The warnings about toxicity are the same for all Euphorbia though, so still be careful. :) If it helps at all I just found this on a website when looking for dormancy and growth periods. " Responds well to warmth, with its active growth period in the late spring and summer months."