"sherwindu" wrote in message
...
I have a lawn which I inherited 15 years ago, on purchasing my home. It
appears to be a mixture of several kinds of lawn grasses, plus clover,
crab grass, and weeds(which I continually pull out). My thought was to
spread grass seed over it and try to get it to look more uniform. My
grass also shows no tolerance to dry spells, although I have been giving
it plenty of 10-10-10 fertilizer. What preparations
should I do for overseeding, and what is the best time to do it? Can I
simply drop the seeds onto the lawn, or should I first add some top soil
for the seeds to take hold? What kind of grass seed will be drought
resistant here in the Midwest?

Sherwin D.

No lawn grasses suitable for the Midwest are going to be very drought
tolerant, but if you follow the advice given by Warren previously (which was
excellent , btw), your lawn will begin to develop a deeper and stronger root
system and will be more tolerant to periods of drought. For most northern
states, lawns are typically blends of cool season grasses - they want to be
dormant during the heat of summer and while they may look brown and dead,
they are simply wating for fall rains to rejuvenate and come back to life.
We artifically attempt to keep them green and lush by pouring on lots of
water, but you can safely let them go dormant and significantly reduce your
water usage and bill.

10-10-10 is not a great formulation for lawns. Most lawn fertilizers will
have their three numbers in a ratio of 3-1-2. Avoid fertilizing in summer -
spring and fall are the best times for cool season lawns. And if you invest
in a mulching mower, your fertilizing needs will be greatly reduced.

Just think of how much money and time you could save - allow your lawn to go
dormant in summer, reducing your watering needs and mow often and long with
a mulching mower, reducing your fertilizing needs.

pam - gardengal