Hi ! I am in the lawn care business and from my 5 years experience I
have seen many lawns that have been seeded thru overseeding, aeration
and seeding and slit seeding. With a bare lawn, your best bet is slit
seeding using a machine that cuts slits in the soil and drops the seed
in them. Aeration can do a good job, but only if you have a decent
stand of grass to begin because the best germination occurs in the
pluged areas where moisture collects with the seed. Overseeding without
breaking the soil will give you even less results. Do not use any straw
or else you'll be fighting various wild grasses all over your lawn. You
may want to kill any weeds before, but wait 2 weeks after spraying
before applying any seed. The main reason why people fail to get a
thick turf is not enough water. You must keep the seed moist by
watering each area at least 20 minutes twice daily until germination
and then you can cut back to once a day.