On 11 July, 16:35, "R" wrote:
"dido22" wrote in message

...

hello,

My back lawn is very poor quality & I am thinking of re-seeding it.

In the garden centre there are packs of lawn seed which claim to be
specifically for this purpose.

Can I just sprinkle new seed over an old lawn ? *(seems unlikely to me ! )

all advice very welcome

"General" advice......

Rake the areas to be seeded thoroughly to achieve a softer, debris/dead
grass and moss free(er) surface.
Evenly sprinkle the seed over those areas and *gently* press in with your
foot or a roll very lightly.
Provide a surface layer of either sand or very fine sieved topsoil to hide
the seed and provide a reasonable covering to retain moisture and reduce
direct sunlight.
Water daily until germination is evident.
Gently add a little more sand or topsoil when leaf of grass is around an
inch tall.
Continue to water enough to keep moist.

Provide mechanical protection (small fenced off area etc) to reduce
trampling until fully grown.

That's how we patched the approaches and surrounds on the golf course.

Give your lawn a good raking with a wire rake to shift debris, mos and
to stand the existing grass stems a bit, let the grass you have grow
to about 1.5 inches, broadcast sow the grass seed all over the lawn
and give it a light rake in with the wirew rake,
If it's dry then water well,
The longer grass will keep a microclimate round its base and hold
moisture, if you are lucky enough to be getting no rain then a light
watering in the evening every couple of days. .
The grass should germinate quickly at this time of year.
Remember you should cut new grass with a cylinder mower as it Curs the
grass rather than slashes it as a rotary mower does.
A rotary mower can pull the young grass out by the roots.
Remember, in nature grass seed just drops to the grownd and doesn't
get planted, except some by worms.
David Hill