BROADCAST OVERSEEDING

Broadcast overseeding is the planting of grass seed directly into an existing lawn, without tearing up the lawn, or soil. Overtime, grass gets old and needs to be replaced. Worn-out lawns invite weeds.

Overseeding is a great way to revive lawns that are thin, weak and have minor areas of concern. It’s an easy way to fill in bare spots, improve the thickness of your lawn, establish improved grass varieties and enhance your lawn’s health and colour. 

Overseeding introduces new endophyte-enhanced grass varieties into an older lawn and can help it better withstand insects, disease, drought, shady conditions and heavy traffic. Overseeding helps to reduce the amount of fertilizer and water and discourages weed infestations.

The best time to overseed your lawn is in the fall when the soil temperature is still warm which is necessary for seed germination and the air temperature is cooler which is better for grass growth.

There are fewer weeds for new grass to compete against and since your trees are starting to shed their leaves, there is plenty of sunlight. Also, diseases that attack seedlings are less active. Rain amounts and soil moisture is generally better in the fall. With fall germination, the young grass will have a couple of months to become established before temperatures drop too low and growth stops. Next spring, the young grass will have a few months to develop deeper roots before the summer heat sets in. If you are unable to overseed in the fall, your next best time is the spring.

Water is essential when seeding a lawn and without it, the seed cannot germinate. Maintaining a light frequent watering schedule multiple times a day until the grass fully establishes is vital to ensure the seed stays moist and does not dry out and die.

Depending on the grass species, it can take weeks or months to fully establish new seedlings. It is important to follow the after-care instructions provided by your lawn technician.

Core aeration is recommended when purchasing broadcast overseeding. Aerating a lawn prior to overseeding provides areas for seed-to-soil contact to support seed germination.