So let’s say your lawn is 50 square meters. Here’s a list of everything you’ll need for overseeding; Lawnmower. Before laying the topsoil, till the top 2 to 3 inches of the subsoil to loosen it, and grade the lawn surface. This may include a mixture of fertilizing and amending the soil as well as adding seed to help recover the grass that is already there. The heat and moisture will destroy existing grass and weeds in about 6 to 8 weeks, leaving the soil ready for reseeding. Mow the lawn. Prep Your Lawn. At the very least you should make sure the soil has all the nutrients it needs. reduce the risk of overtaking weeds. You’ll need to rip out the old lawn with a sod cutter, kill any remaining weeds and fertilize the soil, he says. This is a good solution for widespread unevenness that does not run too deep. Apply 1/4″-1/2″ of soil mixture on top of the low areas. Add some compost, or specialized lawn soil, potentially with a bit of river sand added, if you're working with acidic soil. To get good seed-to-soil contact, compact the soil with a rented sod roller filled halfway with water. The goal of overseeding a lawn is to get the grass seed in contact with the soil. Once you find out what is causing the patchy grass, you can see here how to reseed lawn if you need new grass in patches. To learn more about adding topsoil to your lawn, read my Guide to Top Dressing a Lawn. Amend the soil. Once established, these water-conserving grasses require up to 30 percent less water than ordinary grasses. 2. 3. Only 1/2” of material can be applied at a time so that you don’t smother the grass; With a push-broom (or leveling rake), work the soil mixture into the grass as thoroughly as possible. 1. Some people recommend using straw to cover the seed, however straw is unsightly, doesn’t decompose quickly, or retain as much moisture, and is known to introduce weeds. Reply. Lawn Seeding Topsoil is a very fine topsoil and sand blend, which is easy to work with and easy to spread. You can also try covering your lawn with 7 to 10 layers of overlapping newspaper, wetting it down, then covering that … How to Overseed a Lawn STEP 1: Mow and rake the lawn. It is okay to fill in holes, especially if you have poor soil. The only costs are materials. To do that, the first step is to mow the lawn. On the other hand, if you DIY, seeding a lawn will be less. Spread top dressing over lawn to a depth of ¼ to ½ inch. Here’s how to reseed your lawn in 10 easy to follow steps. Advertisement. Don’t want to use all that plastic? You can then sow your preferred grass seed or lay a new lawn using turf to quickly cover the area with a healthy and attractive lawn. 1. Test Your Soil . You’ll also want to deal with any weed issues, if you have them, before reseeding a lawn. If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of an overseeding product like Scotts® Turf Builder® Thick’R Lawn™ Sun & Shade, it's a good idea to rake in a thin layer of enriched soil over your lawn to help the seed settle in.Don't put so much down that you kill your existing grass; less than a quarter of an inch is plenty. strengthen and increase the health of your lawn. This is a beginners guide to understanding top dressing, using sand, soil and other materials and how to apply it safely to your lawn and grass. Multiply the square footage of the lawn by the depth of topsoil to arrive at the amount of topsoil in square feet. Whether you are planting a completely new lawn or reseeding to cover up patchy areas, using some topsoil greatly improves growing conditions for new grass seeds, providing a consistent source of … You'll need to aerate it, using a mattock or pick-axe spike, a claw tool or a garden fork. Laying topsoil directly on top of the subsoil creates a drainage problem. Lime-enhanced, pure-bred Pennington Smart Seed, backed by years of breeding and research, adds beauty and sustainability. Here are some recommended topsoil depths for general garden projects: Lawns . After a mow and some raking to open up the soil for seeding, your lawn should be ready for you to overseed without needing to get your hands too dirty. Reseeding often requires you to dig up the grass and soil in problem areas (or the whole lawn) and replace it with new turf, effectively starting over when grass can’t be salvaged. Overseeding does not require a total restart. New seed requires a lot of water to help it grow in the initial months. To prep soil, you can also put down a pre-fertilizer, or a light layer of soil or peat moss, to promote germination. Cover over any hole and flatten out the soil. It’s available in many different sized packs. Areas of a lawn can become uneven over time, due to settling, drainage issues, and various natural and unnatural causes. Step 4: Apply seed. If you are doing your whole yard, probably better to reseed, depending on the age of your lawn you may be getting a more modern water-wise variety anyway. Reseeding a lawn is a much more straightforward and less messy process than laying new turf. I recommend this if you have the patience. We would recommend that you seed your lawn after you apply your top dressing. Not much, for small holes you can roll your existing sod back and fill in the hole, then replant your sod, if it is in good shape. When to reseed over dead sod . Consider removing the cores from the lawn surface. As always timing is critical so only do this when growth conditions are good. This picture shows the new sod, old lawn, and the soil over top of the old lawn. 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