How to Overseed Your Lawn
WHY OVERSEED YOUR LAWN?
Sowing new lawn seed into your existing lawn rejuvenates it and improves it's colour. It's a great way to renew your lawn when kids, pets and seasonal conditions give it a hard time!
By oversowing lawn seed into your existing lawn you’ll fill in patches, thicken and strengthen your lawn and protect it from invasion of weeds and diseases.
Overseeding also helps new grass retain its green colour longer in the drier months. A newly seeded lawn develops stronger roots than older grasses and a lawn that's been oversown will also be less prone to weeds as denser lawns have less area for weeds to take hold.
Oversowing in early Autumn means the seed has time to establish prior to the cold season and will prepare it for the cooler winter weather.
Overseeding in Spring will rejuvenate your lawn after winter.
HOW TO OVERSEED YOUR LAWN
PREPARE:
- Mow the lawn closely. Choose a time when the lawn is dry. Remove any rubbish from the surface of the lawn before mowing.
- Rake the lawn to remove and break up the layers of dead matted grass or thatch.
- If the ground is compacted, loosen it up by spiking with a form to a depth of at least 15cm. This will improve root growth and drainage.
SEED:
- Choose your Lawn Seed. Ideally you should try to choose the same type of seed as your existing lawn. Shop for Seed.
- Our Product pages have sowing rates for you to work out how much seed you need. You can find our how to calculate your sowing rate here.
- You can sow your seed by hand or with a spreader. For small areas use a handheld spreader like this one. For larger areas you can use a push broadcast spreader like this. To ensure an even lawn the seed should be sown in two directions at right angles.
FEED AND WATER:
- Feed the lawn with a Starter Fertiliser. Landscape Range Starter Fertiliser is ideal for ensuring successful germination.
- Then follow with Advanced Seed’s Renovator Plus after 6-8 weeks.
- Water regularly with a fine spray keeping the seedbed constantly moist. After establishment it’s best to water deeply to ensure a deeper root system.
- Mow on a high cut when the grass is 40-50mm. Trim lightly and gradually lower blades to an ideal cutting height of 25-30mm. Mow regularly trying not to remove more than 1/3 of the growth at any time.