Over layering of a good compost/triple mix or topsoil can improve the water retention by building organic matter into the soil. No need to dig it in, the simple over layer of 1/2" to 1" every spring and fall will result in building the soil....then the overseeding of a good grass seed can result in improving the quality of the turf. If this is done, as per schedule every spring and fall will keep the lawn in its best shape. To figure out how much compost/topsoil to buy simply measure the area you wish to cover length times width IN FEET, multiply by the depth of soil IN INCHES, multiply that figure times 3 and divide by 1000 results in the number of cubic yards of soil to cover the area.

Next time you redo your lawn, (1) please do not till, (2) roll the seed instead of raking it, and (3) please consider mixing Kentucky bluegrass in with the fescue. Because you tilled, you will have to relevel the yard after the fluffy tilled soil settles. The settling process can take 3 years, so don't get excited and try to fix that now. Just remember to do it then. Because you raked the seed, anything could have happened. I understand your motivation, but rolling works to do the same thing without moving seed around. Because you seeded with fescue and raked, you will have bare spots. Fescue grows one plant from one seed. Each fescue plant grows outward at a glacially slow pace. If you had planted a mix of fescue and Kentucky bluegrass, the bluegrass would spread like a carpet in and around the individual fescue plants to fill in all the bare areas. Because of these different characteristics, fescue is called a bunch grass and Kentucky bluegrass is called a sod-forming grass. If you want dense fescue you have to plant a lot of individual seeds. If you want dense Kentucky bluegrass, you need plant only one seed and wait. Of course it is customary to get better coverage of KBG by planting it like any other seed (lots of it). So, getting back to your question, YES, reseed as soon as you realize you are going to have bare spots. Assuming the bare spots are relatively small, you can achieve the same effect as rolling by simply walking on your seed as you seed it. Your full weight on flat soled shoes is perfect to compress (not compact) the soil with seed on it. Mother Nature seeds and "rolls" by running livestock over it, so your feet aren't going to hurt anything.

>How big of an area are you talking about?Rather small, actually. It's a small strip alongside the driveway, measuring something like 5' x 10'. >I'm going to go back to TW's first post and suggest that your friend should learn to love Bermuda.I suppose he could learn to love dandelions, oxalis and crabgrass as well, but that's really not an ideal suggestion for my fescue lawn or garden beds growing alongside it. I can't understand anyone who *chooses* to grow Bermuda grass. It's invasive to every other part of your landscape, ugly (compared to fescue anyway) and turns a lovely shade of brownish gray in the winter. :( Solarization sounds like the most effective choice, but lord, having a dead lawn next door for the next year hardly has me dancing for joy. But I appreciate the suggestions.

Reel mowers cut very well, especially if they are new or the blades have been recently sharpened. New tall fescue would be no match for a sharp reel mower. If you do use your rotary mower, make sure the blade is sharp, and instead of putting it on the "high setting", put it on a setting that puts the blade at two inches. I know this sounds low, but if you are mowing 3 inch new tall fescue, you want to remove 1/3 of the length, so you want to mow at 2 inches. To do this, measure the distance from the bottom of the blade to the bottom of the mower deck, if it is more than 1/4 inch, then you need to factor this in when you measure the distance from the bottom of the mower deck to a smooth level surface, preferably pavement. I think a light watering would be a good idea to help keep the seeds in place if you use the mower. The string trimmer idea I don't like because it is hard to keep a constant and correct length for the whole area you intend to cut. You can do a lot more harm than good IMO.