"Buck Turgidson" wrote in message
...
A few years ago (before the Internet), I heard that overseeding a lawn
here
in the DC area in January was a good thing to do. The idea was that the
seed would work itself into the soil during the daily freeze/thaw cycles,
and by spring it would germinate and thicken the lawn.

I can't find any references to this practice. Did I dream this, or is
this
still practiced? Thanks.


I understood (from my county extension agent father) that it works for
bluegrass, but not so much for fescue
( fwiw, fescue came out fine for the spots where I have winter-planted
fescue).

However, you are supposed to seed just before the snow, not after, so it is
under the snow blanket. (No need to add any annual grasses, btw.)

Apparently most bluegrass needs 10-14 days of cool damp weather to
germinate, and it will definitely germinate under the snow, where it is cool
and damp. (maybe not germinate in 5-10 days, but who cares if it takes three
months when your lawn is under a foot of snow all that time?)

I have used that trick on several problem areas of a 10-acre-complex
grounds, and at home, in places where they have tried to grow grass (in
Minnesota) using "classic" methods with no multi-season success (till/scarf,
straw/hay/burlap, deep watering, etc.).

The "seed as the first snow flakes of the big snow storm are falling"
method worked first time, every time - better yet, those tough spots are
still covered with grass after many years.(Especially successful in "sanded
loam")

FWIW, the winter-planted bluegrass and fescue seems to have developed its
long roots better than the spring/summer method.