I have some compaction near the street curb which is a few hundred feet long. I am going to dig a bit of the dirt out and put some better black top soil in there, plus some KBG see. My lawn was originally seeded from scratch by a builder with who knows what grass seed. I over-seeded with straight Midnight KGB two years in a row (Late August core aeration/seed/starter fert.) and it really improved the lawn. I am very happy with that procedure which seems to have made my lawn into a much higher density KGB lawn than it was before. I am also hoping that the lawn is more resistant to rust than it has been in past years. This Fall I plan to just aerate and put down starter fertilizer without seed because (other than teh curb area) it looks like the Midnight took over very nicely.

What kind of grass do you have or want? Its mostly KBG blend (Galaxy from Seedland) with some fescue. When did you seed/overseed last? The lawn went in about 4 years ago and is well established for the most part. How high do you mow it? 3 inches. How often do you water? While I have irrigation, its been so wet here in Central NJ that I barely used it. It rained alot here this summer. Have you used any fungicides this season? None. Thanks

Unless you are in a southern grass zone its too late....mid October...to over seed. Seed has to germinate in the soil....not in the air...so the temperature outside is not important at this late date. The soil temperature is what the grass seed has to germinate in and by now....most soils in zones 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7.....are fast losing their ability to hold seed long enough to germinate and gain strength before a hard frost does them in. Better to wait until the spring. This goes for your perennials as well....don't fertilize them....allow them to go dormant naturally. The value of aeration is a non-argument....soils benefit from such action. Overlaying of a good topsoil/triple mix/compost is a thing that any turf benefits from at any time but doing it in the fall....and in the spring...accompanying over seeding...is one of the best things you can do for your lawn. One other thing....there does seem to be disagreement in circles about the mowing of a lawn at a reduced height. Me....I think the higher the grass is, the better the shade is to prevent crabgrass and other weed seeds from germinating. Besides, grass blades hold the moisture that soil can use to get through winter. Lower heights encourage snow mold and other diseases of turf....in my opinion. Yet, many people swear by mowing the grass down practically the level of almost scalping.

How much compost you may need depends on the depth you will lay it down and that can be calculated by multiplying Width by Length to get your total area and then multiplying that by the Depth you will be spreading that compost. Width and Length can be in feet and that results in square feet and times Depth, in feet (or fractions of feet, ie. 1/12 if the depth will be one inch) will give you the cubic feet of material needed. So a space 10 feet by 10 feet would be 100 square feet times 1 inch depth (1/12 or 0.083) equals 8.3 cubic feet of material. You can go further and divide the cubic feet by 27 (the number of cubic feet in one cubic yard) to get the number of cubic yards needed.