On a brand new build (new yard) with some of the worst clay soil and driest/super hot days in mid August 2021-mid October 2021, I was only watering if I was lucky, one time per day. Working 12 hour schedules (2on 2 off), I would water manually as much as I could. I paid for a premium all bluegrass mix, so the germination process was brutal. Going into the late fall the yard came up but mostly the small growth. It has taken the entire spring summer of this year and still tons of water plus a good amount of rain to get this yard to look decent. I fought a bunch of wild carrot and clover (Tenacity). It will probably be gone over with a whole core aerator and reseeded here in the next week or 2. Hopefully come spring 2023, the bluegrass will root deep enough to get that deep 'blue' coloring that is just starting to show.
I feel your pain. I did a 5,000 sq /ft section of my property with monoculture bluegrass. I started in mid-August and it took until the late spring of the next year for it to finally start looking decent. But once it did fill in...WOW! I really wish I did the other parts of my lawn with 100% bluegrass. KBG is great for making plugs after you get it established and a part thins out (or, um, if you accidentally forget to close your spreader before adding fertilizer...). Pre-germination is a growing trend that may help you in the future, I've never tried it but if you're going 100% bluegrass with a tight watering schedule, it allows you to fast forward a little bit.
@@TurfandStem I pre germed 2 partial bags of top soil/KYB in mid March and laid it out in some small bare spots. That does cut the time way down. The ground was so bad, that after about 3 months of it not getting any decent growth, my OCD took over and I took my cordless drill with a 1/4" bit and hand aerated the spots to gain root growth. I bought a couple rolls of KYB sod and pieced in some sections as well. Also taking the spade and digging out shovel wide 2" chunks of grass along the foundation works pretty well to help fill in other small areas. I probably will do more of this since KYB self spreads. I just refilled all of the dug out areas. Also to note, on top of the cement type clay, we had a really bad issue in this subdivision with crab grass. That little cheap bag of weed and feed they tell you to put down in the spring (mid March) really helped out. It probably knocked out 95% of the crab grass that just started coming out in late July around here.
@@TurfandStem I put down the pre emer. in early spring which may have stunted the pre germinated sections or the places that never really came up fully last fall.
This is probably the less confusing video I have seen on You Tube about preparing and overseeding. I don't understand how you don't have more subscribers. You got 1 more from me 👍🏾. Extremely helpful and clear instructions over the rest of the big guys on YT. I did a soil test and found out I'm low on pH. I bought some quick release lime and I'm waiting for weather to be better since it rained today. My question is, can I overseed right after adding lime or I have to wait a period of time before I can add my seed. I live in CT by the way and my seed is tall fescue. Your help will be appreciated!!!!!!
Thank you, I appreciate the comment! I just do it for fun and try to keep things straight and to the point with no fluff. You can add lime any time, including during seeding. You can also add seed right after applying lime. For us New Englanders, we tend to have more acidic soil resulting in a lower pH. It does take a long time, and a lot of lime, to finally get it adjusted. I found that regular lime is just as good as the quick release, and a little cheaper, the quick release only resulted in a small change in my pH after doing a soil test. I lime about 20,000 sq/ft, so my strategy has been to buy a couple of bags each time I'm at Lowe's or Home Depot and apply them. My recommendation from the soil tests was originally 100 pounds of lime per 1,000 sq/ft. By applying a couple of bags every now and then, it's down to a recommendation of 50 pounds per 1,000 sq/ft over just a couple of months according to the new soil tests. It went from 5.2 to 6.4, just below where it needs to be. I'm going to probably put another 5 or 10 bags down this year, and some more in the spring, and it should be good in the range.
@@TurfandStem Oh ok, thanks for your answer. And yes I was told I don't have to put the lime all at once. I have 6 pine trees around my front yard and I believe that's why my soil is low on pH. Your strategy sounds fair and that's probably what I'm going to do. Just add some little by little until I hit the sweet spot. I believe mine is about 50lbs per 1000 square feet. Thanks for your help!!!!
The Greenworks doesn't remove thatch, it removes debris. The Sunjoe with the scarifier tines removes some thatch but mainly slices lines through the thatch to allow air, water & nutrients through so the thatch layer can get digested naturally.
I would use something with a bit less nitrogen. Try a 10-10-10 or a starter fert., something with less than 20% nitrogen. Save the winterizer for your last application of fertilizer to put the grass to bed nice and full and get it ready for the spring.
Actually... adding topsoil over the seed is sometimes a critical step ... if you live in a environment where birds can eat the seed. Believe it... they can eat it all. Day in day out. Plus a good quality topsoil can add a great deal of nutrients.
Try those shiny plastic pinwheels that are for kids...put a couple of them in the seeded area and they're usually enough to scare the birds away. But yes, if birds are a problem top dressing may be a solution.
Hi ,Nice presentation. I am looking at my first attempt at over seeding and found this advice quite helpful. (did download the guide and will definitely reference it , moving forward) I have a large lawn of tall ("Messcue") Fescue and am trying to determine what the best seed for this task would be. I live in southern Oregon. Any thoughts.
Thanks! Are you looking to overseed this year? Not too familiar with the west coast climate, I would double check when the first frost is expected. I'm a fan of Jonathan Green seed, they make one for the pacific northwest, but I've never tried it personally www.jonathangreen.com/product/black-beauty-pacific-northwest-grass-seed
I would think that weeds would be less of a problem if you prepare your lawn for a fall overseed...as opposed to spring when more weeds are looking for a place to call home during the summer. What are your thoughts on this?
Liquid aerating is fine at #4. Are you using Greene County? If so, the ingredients are: SOLUBLE POTASH (K2O)..............5.0% Derived from: Potassium Hydroxide ALSO CONTAINS NON-PLANT FOOD INGREDIENT(S): 8.0% Humic Acids (Derived from Leonardite) 4.0% Fulvic Acid None of that will hurt or harm the seed. Liquid aeration has it's uses, but I also recommend mechanical aeration if you have the time.
Yeah, I'm better at growing grass than I am editing videos. Still trying to learn the whole sound mixing part of it. I usually try to keep them short, under 5 minutes, but this one went long!
Great video, very informative! I cut the grass short about a week ago, dethatched and aerated, planted seed on my cool season grass up here in Massachusetts, covered it with peat moss and it's 🌱 ing,2 questions, how long does unused seed last? And will it b fine to touch up areas in early spring if needed?
Massachusetts too! Unused seed can last a couple of years, depending on how it's stored. You always want to make sure it's dry and cool. I usually keep mine in the basement over winter in a plastic bin that shuts tight so little critters don't make a meal of it. In the spring, just be careful about putting down your pre-emergent on any areas you plan to reseed and touch up!
A general starter fertilizer should have enough phosphorus to get things going. Many states have banned the use of phosphorus in fertilizers other than "starters" used for new grass. It also depends on what your soil needs, have you had a soil test done recently?
I know how important watering is but what do you do if you have a large area 1 acre+ with no way to water? Over seed in early spring and forgo the pre emergent or go with Tenacity and hope for a wet spring? Here in Eastern PA we do normally have wet springs.
Grass will grow without irrigation, it's just a matter of what percentage will germinate. If you time it just right, you can get good results overseeding without irrigation, but it's a risk, and leaves a lot to luck, rather than skill. Spring seeding is really difficult, especially without irrigation. Sure, it's easy during the spring to get the grass to grow, the problem is when the heat of summer comes it will fry the young grass since it hasn't had a chance to grow and establish roots yet. It's possible for spring seeding to survive in the summer, but it requires A LOT of irrigation. Also want to add, if you overseed without irrigation, the type of grass that you choose is very important. You'll want to go with something fast germinating, like a perennial rye, rather than a bluegrass, which can take weeks to finally sprout.
Thanks! This is one of those questions where there isn't going to be one specific answer. The goal is to water enough so the seed remains moist and doesn't dry out. Specific times will really depends on the temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. For example, a couple of days ago it reached into the 90's in New England with low humidity and no clouds. I had to pretty much water 5 or 6 times for at least 10/15 minutes per zone. Now I have 12 zones so that meant my irrigation system was working almost non-stop. Fast forward to yesterday where it was much cooler, so I was able to do 3 times at 5/10 minutes per zone. You really need to water however long it takes to keep the seed moist.
Thanks for the information, but for my size lawn and how much I need to water it daily to get the overseed grass to grow would be too much of a water bill for me. I will think about it, but it is too costly to attempt to do.
Yes, water cost is absolutely a factor! You do have a couple of options depending on size and state of the lawn. Remember, grass will grow regardless of humans irrigating it...grass grows in our mulch beds, cracks in pavement, gutters, etc., all without planned irrigation. It's just a matter of what percentage actually grows from seed. It could be 75% if it's timed with rain just right, or it might be 10% if there isn't any natural irrigation. You can put it down and hope for the best, and just do what you can with water, but knowing the results you want aren't guaranteed, it will be more up to chance. Or, you can do a section of the lawn each year. It doesn't have to be all at once.
Sure, birds can and will eat some of the seed. All depends on how much of a problem they are. You can also use plastic owls or hawks, set up a regular bird feeder that is more accessible, place those shiny pinwheels around, use bird netting, etc. Is it better to invest the time and money in peat moss or buy an extra bag of seed? If the spots are completely bare, a covering can help. Most overseeds aren't completely bare though and have some existing grass for protection.
Unfortuntely you do not state how to apply the grass seed so it gets down intonthe soil. Dropping it ontop of the grass does not germinate. You music is too loud and annoying.
Thanks! As long as you shorten your grass a bit by mowing a little lower, seed will work its way down. Good thing I'm better at growing grass than video editing! I'm still learning how to adjust the volume and I've gotten better...but the music rocks!!!
This is the best video on overseeding I ever seen. Thanks for posting!
Thank you! Glad it was helpful.
Thank you for this video. Great content!!
Great video! Thank you!
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Very informative video.
Thanks! Hope it helped.
Thanks man great advice
Nicely stated content. Well done.
Thanks!!! Hope it helped.
Great video
Thank you!
On a brand new build (new yard) with some of the worst clay soil and driest/super hot days in mid August 2021-mid October 2021, I was only watering if I was lucky, one time per day. Working 12 hour schedules (2on 2 off), I would water manually as much as I could. I paid for a premium all bluegrass mix, so the germination process was brutal. Going into the late fall the yard came up but mostly the small growth. It has taken the entire spring summer of this year and still tons of water plus a good amount of rain to get this yard to look decent. I fought a bunch of wild carrot and clover (Tenacity). It will probably be gone over with a whole core aerator and reseeded here in the next week or 2. Hopefully come spring 2023, the bluegrass will root deep enough to get that deep 'blue' coloring that is just starting to show.
I feel your pain. I did a 5,000 sq /ft section of my property with monoculture bluegrass. I started in mid-August and it took until the late spring of the next year for it to finally start looking decent. But once it did fill in...WOW! I really wish I did the other parts of my lawn with 100% bluegrass. KBG is great for making plugs after you get it established and a part thins out (or, um, if you accidentally forget to close your spreader before adding fertilizer...). Pre-germination is a growing trend that may help you in the future, I've never tried it but if you're going 100% bluegrass with a tight watering schedule, it allows you to fast forward a little bit.
@@TurfandStem I pre germed 2 partial bags of top soil/KYB in mid March and laid it out in some small bare spots. That does cut the time way down. The ground was so bad, that after about 3 months of it not getting any decent growth, my OCD took over and I took my cordless drill with a 1/4" bit and hand aerated the spots to gain root growth. I bought a couple rolls of KYB sod and pieced in some sections as well. Also taking the spade and digging out shovel wide 2" chunks of grass along the foundation works pretty well to help fill in other small areas. I probably will do more of this since KYB self spreads. I just refilled all of the dug out areas. Also to note, on top of the cement type clay, we had a really bad issue in this subdivision with crab grass. That little cheap bag of weed and feed they tell you to put down in the spring (mid March) really helped out. It probably knocked out 95% of the crab grass that just started coming out in late July around here.
@@Wildpony98 Did you use any pre-emergent or did you hold off due to the KBG establishing and filling in some areas?
@@TurfandStem I put down the pre emer. in early spring which may have stunted the pre germinated sections or the places that never really came up fully last fall.
This is probably the less confusing video I have seen on You Tube about preparing and overseeding. I don't understand how you don't have more subscribers. You got 1 more from me 👍🏾. Extremely helpful and clear instructions over the rest of the big guys on YT.
I did a soil test and found out I'm low on pH. I bought some quick release lime and I'm waiting for weather to be better since it rained today.
My question is, can I overseed right after adding lime or I have to wait a period of time before I can add my seed. I live in CT by the way and my seed is tall fescue.
Your help will be appreciated!!!!!!
Thank you, I appreciate the comment! I just do it for fun and try to keep things straight and to the point with no fluff. You can add lime any time, including during seeding. You can also add seed right after applying lime. For us New Englanders, we tend to have more acidic soil resulting in a lower pH. It does take a long time, and a lot of lime, to finally get it adjusted. I found that regular lime is just as good as the quick release, and a little cheaper, the quick release only resulted in a small change in my pH after doing a soil test. I lime about 20,000 sq/ft, so my strategy has been to buy a couple of bags each time I'm at Lowe's or Home Depot and apply them. My recommendation from the soil tests was originally 100 pounds of lime per 1,000 sq/ft. By applying a couple of bags every now and then, it's down to a recommendation of 50 pounds per 1,000 sq/ft over just a couple of months according to the new soil tests. It went from 5.2 to 6.4, just below where it needs to be. I'm going to probably put another 5 or 10 bags down this year, and some more in the spring, and it should be good in the range.
@@TurfandStem Oh ok, thanks for your answer. And yes I was told I don't have to put the lime all at once. I have 6 pine trees around my front yard and I believe that's why my soil is low on pH. Your strategy sounds fair and that's probably what I'm going to do. Just add some little by little until I hit the sweet spot. I believe mine is about 50lbs per 1000 square feet.
Thanks for your help!!!!
The Greenworks doesn't remove thatch, it removes debris. The Sunjoe with the scarifier tines removes some thatch but mainly slices lines through the thatch to allow air, water & nutrients through so the thatch layer can get digested naturally.
Removed about 12 bags of thatch on 4,500 sqft lawn. Works just fine for me.
@@BiGIVIiKe1 Right, if you used the Greenworks, you removed lawn debris, not thatch, which is below the surface.
Can use now scotts winterizing at same time when I overseed
I would use something with a bit less nitrogen. Try a 10-10-10 or a starter fert., something with less than 20% nitrogen. Save the winterizer for your last application of fertilizer to put the grass to bed nice and full and get it ready for the spring.
Actually... adding topsoil over the seed is sometimes a critical step ... if you live in a environment where birds can eat the seed. Believe it... they can eat it all. Day in day out. Plus a good quality topsoil can add a great deal of nutrients.
Try those shiny plastic pinwheels that are for kids...put a couple of them in the seeded area and they're usually enough to scare the birds away. But yes, if birds are a problem top dressing may be a solution.
agree
Hi ,Nice presentation. I am looking at my first attempt at over seeding and found this advice quite helpful. (did download the guide and will definitely reference it , moving forward) I have a large lawn of tall ("Messcue") Fescue and am trying to determine what the best seed for this task would be. I live in southern Oregon. Any thoughts.
Thanks! Are you looking to overseed this year? Not too familiar with the west coast climate, I would double check when the first frost is expected. I'm a fan of Jonathan Green seed, they make one for the pacific northwest, but I've never tried it personally www.jonathangreen.com/product/black-beauty-pacific-northwest-grass-seed
Great video. Though when will the guide be a available?
Thanks! I'm trying to get the website back up next week, but email me at turfandstem@gmail.com and I can send it to you.
I would think that weeds would be less of a problem if you prepare your lawn for a fall overseed...as opposed to spring when more weeds are looking for a place to call home during the summer. What are your thoughts on this?
Yes, fall overseeding is recommended. It's difficult for grass grown in the spring to be mature enough to be able to survive the summer heat.
What is the order if you choose to do liquid aeration? 1- mow low 2- scarify 3-mow low 4- liquid aerate 5-seed 6- fertilize
Liquid aerating is fine at #4. Are you using Greene County? If so, the ingredients are:
SOLUBLE POTASH (K2O)..............5.0%
Derived from: Potassium Hydroxide
ALSO CONTAINS NON-PLANT FOOD INGREDIENT(S):
8.0% Humic Acids (Derived from Leonardite)
4.0% Fulvic Acid
None of that will hurt or harm the seed. Liquid aeration has it's uses, but I also recommend mechanical aeration if you have the time.
Not gonna lie after about five or 10 minutes that music became very distracting. I cant pay attention to what you’re saying anymore had to dip out
Yeah, I'm better at growing grass than I am editing videos. Still trying to learn the whole sound mixing part of it. I usually try to keep them short, under 5 minutes, but this one went long!
@@TurfandStem All good. The info was still on point!
Everyone seems to have their own opinion on over seeding and what and what not to do. It’s very frustrating
Great video, very informative! I cut the grass short about a week ago, dethatched and aerated, planted seed on my cool season grass up here in Massachusetts, covered it with peat moss and it's 🌱 ing,2 questions, how long does unused seed last? And will it b fine to touch up areas in early spring if needed?
Massachusetts too! Unused seed can last a couple of years, depending on how it's stored. You always want to make sure it's dry and cool. I usually keep mine in the basement over winter in a plastic bin that shuts tight so little critters don't make a meal of it. In the spring, just be careful about putting down your pre-emergent on any areas you plan to reseed and touch up!
@@TurfandStem I am just South of Boston
What about a high phosphorus fertilizer as well? If so when to put that down... with the starter fertilizer?
A general starter fertilizer should have enough phosphorus to get things going. Many states have banned the use of phosphorus in fertilizers other than "starters" used for new grass. It also depends on what your soil needs, have you had a soil test done recently?
I know how important watering is but what do you do if you have a large area 1 acre+ with no way to water? Over seed in early spring and forgo the pre emergent or go with Tenacity and hope for a wet spring? Here in Eastern PA we do normally have wet springs.
Grass will grow without irrigation, it's just a matter of what percentage will germinate. If you time it just right, you can get good results overseeding without irrigation, but it's a risk, and leaves a lot to luck, rather than skill. Spring seeding is really difficult, especially without irrigation. Sure, it's easy during the spring to get the grass to grow, the problem is when the heat of summer comes it will fry the young grass since it hasn't had a chance to grow and establish roots yet. It's possible for spring seeding to survive in the summer, but it requires A LOT of irrigation.
Also want to add, if you overseed without irrigation, the type of grass that you choose is very important. You'll want to go with something fast germinating, like a perennial rye, rather than a bluegrass, which can take weeks to finally sprout.
Great video. Did I miss how long watering times should be?
Thanks! This is one of those questions where there isn't going to be one specific answer. The goal is to water enough so the seed remains moist and doesn't dry out. Specific times will really depends on the temperature, humidity, sunlight, etc. For example, a couple of days ago it reached into the 90's in New England with low humidity and no clouds. I had to pretty much water 5 or 6 times for at least 10/15 minutes per zone. Now I have 12 zones so that meant my irrigation system was working almost non-stop. Fast forward to yesterday where it was much cooler, so I was able to do 3 times at 5/10 minutes per zone. You really need to water however long it takes to keep the seed moist.
@@TurfandStem Thank you. New sub!
Thanks for the information, but for my size lawn and how much I need to water it daily to get the overseed grass to grow would be too much of a water bill for me. I will think about it, but it is too costly to attempt to do.
Yes, water cost is absolutely a factor! You do have a couple of options depending on size and state of the lawn. Remember, grass will grow regardless of humans irrigating it...grass grows in our mulch beds, cracks in pavement, gutters, etc., all without planned irrigation. It's just a matter of what percentage actually grows from seed. It could be 75% if it's timed with rain just right, or it might be 10% if there isn't any natural irrigation. You can put it down and hope for the best, and just do what you can with water, but knowing the results you want aren't guaranteed, it will be more up to chance.
Or, you can do a section of the lawn each year. It doesn't have to be all at once.
@@TurfandStem Thank you Turf and Stem. Yes, that is a great idea to do small sections at a time. Your information is greatly appreciated. Take care.
Turf and stem?
Yup?
Birds will eat your seed if they can see it. Peat moss helps camouflage doesn’t it?
Sure, birds can and will eat some of the seed. All depends on how much of a problem they are. You can also use plastic owls or hawks, set up a regular bird feeder that is more accessible, place those shiny pinwheels around, use bird netting, etc. Is it better to invest the time and money in peat moss or buy an extra bag of seed? If the spots are completely bare, a covering can help. Most overseeds aren't completely bare though and have some existing grass for protection.
@turfandstem can you please recommend a seed? I live in NY
Unfortuntely you do not state how to apply the grass seed so it gets down intonthe soil. Dropping it ontop of the grass does not germinate.
You music is too loud and annoying.
Thanks! As long as you shorten your grass a bit by mowing a little lower, seed will work its way down.
Good thing I'm better at growing grass than video editing! I'm still learning how to adjust the volume and I've gotten better...but the music rocks!!!
Your voice is not normal - either get it better or remove background music
Thanks! Still new to video editing. I'll be redoing the video soon!