Overseeding Lawn in Fall: A Great Way to Grow a Lush Lawn!

August 13, 2019

In 1976 All American Turf Beauty was the first company in Iowa to offer programmed lawn care. The company founders literally invented and developed the industry in Iowa. Get a beautiful weed-free lawn with our professional lawn care services!

overseeding lawn in fall

Fall certainly has its own charm, with everything pumpkin-flavored, lots of earthy hues, and hoodie weather! This season also makes a great time for lawn care. Following a hot summer, the cool climate brings favorable growing conditions for grass on your lawn. In the fall, you can address the damage that took place during the summer, get ready for the rough winter months, and prepare yourself for a successful spring. Lawn aeration and overseeding your lawn are tasks that should be carried out at least once a year, and completing these tasks during the fall season will ensure a healthy and beautiful lawn! 

Before diving into why fall is the best time for these lawn care activities, let’s have a look at what is overseeding. 

 

What is Overseeding? 

Planting grass seed into existing turf directly – without tearing up the soil or turf – is called overseeding. It’s a simple and effective way of improving turf density, filling in bare spots, establishing improved grass varieties, and improving the color of your lawn.  

If a lawn appears to be worn out or old, needs increasing quantities of fertilizer and water to flourish, or is prone to insects or diseases, it needs overseeding 

What are the Benefits of Overseeding? 

Many of the older lawns were set up with turfgrasses of common types, which are not suitable for homeowners of today. They are more prone to insects and diseases, calling for more water and fertilizer.  

Overseeding newer varieties of turfgrass into an old lawn can enhance its ability to withstand heavy traffic, shady conditions, drought, disease, and insects. Investing in overseeding cuts down on the amount of water, pesticides, and fertilizer required. Moreover, your lawn will look healthier and thickerand it will stay greener.  

 

Fall – The Right Time for Overseeding Lawn 

If you are thinking when to overseed your lawn, here’s an insight. Overseeding for lawns that involve Cool season grasses should be carried out in early fall or late summer. When overseeding is done in fall, the young grass has two to three months for becoming better established before the setting in of winter when the temperatures fall too low, stopping the growth.  

Next spring, the grass will get another few months for developing deeper roots prior to the summer heat sets in. This makes the chief reason for overseeding lawn in fall, but other reasons are also there. Some of them are: 

  • Overseeding lawns during fall provides a head start to the grass. The roots of the grass become stable before the arrival of winter. This reduces crop loss significantly in case of a dry, hot spring.  
  • Soil moisture and amounts of rain are usually better during fall. 
  • During the fall, the soil temperature is still warm, which is essential for seed germination. On the other hand, the cooler air temperature is favorable for grass growth.  
  • Overseeding grass in fall eliminates or lowers competition from different summer weedy grasses, like foxtails, crabgrass, and other weeds. 

  

What Grasses Benefit from Overseeding?

Overseeding is not required for all grass types. Overseeding is primarily necessary for cool season grasses like annual and perennial ryegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and occasionally bluegrass. Exceptions are there, but for most of the home lawns, types of grass that spread through “runners” production are usually not overseeded unless it’s diseased or damaged. This includes most grass varieties of warm season, with an exception being bermudagrass which is overseeded during the fall occasionally.

 

How to Overseed Lawn?

For cool-season varieties of turf, the process of overseeding should be started by aerating the lawn thoroughly. The new seed should be applied using a fertilizer spreader, while following the recommended coverage rate of the product. Seeds falling in the aeration holes is ideal as this would prevent them from drying out quickly and help them germinate faster. Consider ushering more seeds into these holes using a rake’s backside.

Once the seeding has been done, apply a good fall fertilizer to your lawn. Make sure you apply the fertilizer the same day you’ve done the seeding. Then, water your lawn. Water one or two times each day until you find the new grass starting to grow.

Germination of the seeds may require two weeks or more. Continue mowing your lawn as usual until the grass growth stops for the season.

 

What Seed Type should be Used?

Ensure that you choose an appropriate grass seed type according to your climate, whether it’s a warm season or cool season. Additionally, select the right seed type based on the lawn’s use – whether your lawn is low-maintenance and purely for aesthetic purposes or intensely maintained and high-use.

It’s wise to not go for the cheapest grass seed available. Grass seeds come in different qualities. The cheap seeds are often made of poor-performing, generic grass varieties or, worse, contain filler like annual ryegrass or weed seeds. It’s not necessary to get the most expensive grass seed out there, however, opt for a seed of good quality and make sure it is highly preferred by several local experts.

 

Wrap Up 

So, if you think your lawn needs a revamp, go for lawn aeration and overseeding in the fall! Investing some time in overseeding during the fall can truly work wonders for the appearance and health of your lawn.

All American Turf Beauty, an Iowabased reputed lawn care company, can expertly handle all lawn care jobs including fall aeration and seeding of lawns. Our experienced lawn care professionals can help you attain a beautiful green and healthy lawn. Call our company today to discuss your lawn care requirements!

Guarantee of Satisfaction

Our services are guaranteed!

If you are not completely satisfied with an All American Turf Beauty application to your lawn, we will re-apply the application at no additional cost and continue the regular lawn treatment program. Alternately, we will fully refund your cost for the application and cancel any further obligation on your part.

To qualify for the guarantee, you must call All American Turf Beauty within 30 days of application.

Our goal at All American Turf Beauty, Inc. is a simple one:

To provide you with the highest quality products and methods available.

We offer every kind of service that it takes to develop and maintain a beautiful lawn in Iowa based on the climate, soil types, and the varieties of grass that are commonly grown here.

One of the keys to the success of the program is that we provide treatment to lawns approximately every 8 weeks throughout the growing season. This ensures that the grass has fertilizer (food) available throughout the growing season. Dandelions and other Broadleaf weeds are controlled as they germinate thus enabling a weed free lawn, and our Turf Specialist is at the property four to six times per season to address problems as and when they arise.

Another key to our service is our people. The most important person to you in our company is the Turf Specialist assigned to treat your lawn.

We are proud to say that our Turf Specialists are the best trained and most experienced in the lawn care industry.

When you become a customer at All American Turf Beauty, a Turf Specialist is assigned to your account. You will have the same person treating your lawn each time. It is their responsibility to service your lawn, make sure it is receiving the correct applications as scheduled, and to provide you with the best personalized service possible. Their jobs depend on it.

We have several programs to choose from. Your Turf Specialist will recommend the best program that fits the needs of your lawn and your budget.

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