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.

sherwindu wrote:
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?


Over fertilization isn't going to help the lawn. If anything, it'll harm
it.

The Midwest is a large territory. Check with your county extension
office for their recommendation for your area. They are likely to
recommend a blend rather than a single strain.

The time to overseed is early fall: After the heat, and just before the
fall rains. When you're ready to start, mow it low -- like a putting
green. If there is a thatch, rake it out first, renting a dethatching
machine if necessary. If you haven't aerated, rent a core aerator, and
run it over the lawn. (Aerating is a good idea every couple of years;
some people recommend it up to twice a year.) Add some organically rich
soil, or some fully decomposed compost. Spread the grass seed. A couple
of weeks later, if there are spots not filling in, use a rake to score
the surface, and spread seeds in that area.

Next year, start some good habits. Mow high, and mow often enough that
you aren't cutting away more than 1/3 the blades. Let the clippings on
the lawn. If you can't resist fertilizing, spread some time release
fertilizer at about 1/3 to 1/2 the package recommendations. When the
spring rains stop, water 1" a week, all at one time if possible. (If it
puddles and runs-off before getting a full inch, you need to aerate
again in fall.) Mow high.

The most common mistakes people make with their lawns a
1. Watering shallow, and too frequently. (Frequent, shallow watering
encourages shallow roots. Shallow roots can't take a drought.)
2. Mowing too low. (Most grasses you'd use in the Midwest are best
at 2-3", not the 1-2" a lot of people try),
3. Fertilizing too much. (Leaving the clippings, assuming you're
mowing frequently enough, should provide most, if not all, of the
fertilization you'll need.)

Consider removing parts of the lawn, and converting them to beds. Few
things take as much time an resources as a lawn, especially when you're
trying to keep it green in summer. And few things are as boring as a
unadorned carpet of a single color. (Also, the larger your lawn is, the
more those bad spots stick-out. Larger beds draw attention away from the
smaller lawn, and well chosen perennials take far less maintenance than
grass -- especially in summer.)

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Books for the Pacific Northwest gardener:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/nwgarden/index.html

"Warren" wrote in message
news:IH_Qc.222929$IQ4.39675@attbi_s02...

Consider removing parts of the lawn, and converting them to beds. Few
things take as much time an resources as a lawn, especially when you're
trying to keep it green in summer. And few things are as boring as a
unadorned carpet of a single color. (Also, the larger your lawn is, the
more those bad spots stick-out. Larger beds draw attention away from the
smaller lawn, and well chosen perennials take far less maintenance than
grass -- especially in summer.)

Great advice all around. I especially like the bit above. I did exactly
this - I removed about 60% of the lawn area and replaced it with planting
beds. Lawns require an incredible amount of resources - fertilizer,
herbicides, water, and time. Instead of having lawn as a feature, now it
is just the element that ties the whole landscape together. Furthermore,
the only lawn that I attempt to keep in ideal condition is the part near the
street that adjoins my neighbor. I don't water or fertilize the rear lawn.
My neighbors remark that they don't have time to tend to flower beds, but in
reality, they spend much more time and money on their large lawns then I do
on my mixed shrub and perennial beds. Most of the effort comes in the
spring when I have to do the annual clean-up. After that, there is almost
no care, and I can do what is needed on my schedule, unlike a lawn that
demand cutting, feeding, and watering on its schedule. I also changed the
way I care for the lawn. I now cut high and only apply turf builder in the
spring and fall. I used to bag the clipping, now I remove the bag and let
the mower mulch the clipping. Since I don't water or fertilize the rear
lawn, I also don't have to mow it very often.

"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Warren" wrote in message
news:IH_Qc.222929$IQ4.39675@attbi_s02...

Consider removing parts of the lawn, and converting them to beds. Few
things take as much time an resources as a lawn, especially when you're
trying to keep it green in summer. And few things are as boring as a
unadorned carpet of a single color. (Also, the larger your lawn is, the
more those bad spots stick-out. Larger beds draw attention away from the
smaller lawn, and well chosen perennials take far less maintenance than
grass -- especially in summer.)

Great advice all around. I especially like the bit above. I did exactly
this - I removed about 60% of the lawn area and replaced it with planting
beds. Lawns require an incredible amount of resources - fertilizer,
herbicides, water, and time. Instead of having lawn as a feature, now it
is just the element that ties the whole landscape together. Furthermore,
the only lawn that I attempt to keep in ideal condition is the part near
the
street that adjoins my neighbor. I don't water or fertilize the rear
lawn.
My neighbors remark that they don't have time to tend to flower beds, but
in
reality, they spend much more time and money on their large lawns then I
do
on my mixed shrub and perennial beds. Most of the effort comes in the
spring when I have to do the annual clean-up. After that, there is almost
no care, and I can do what is needed on my schedule, unlike a lawn that
demand cutting, feeding, and watering on its schedule. I also changed the
way I care for the lawn. I now cut high and only apply turf builder in
the
spring and fall. I used to bag the clipping, now I remove the bag and let
the mower mulch the clipping. Since I don't water or fertilize the rear
lawn, I also don't have to mow it very often.

Isn't that the way terrorists do their lawn?

cindy

"Cindy" wrote in message
news:uQbRc.222360$%_6.137983@attbi_s01...

"Vox Humana" wrote in message
...

"Warren" wrote in message
news:IH_Qc.222929$IQ4.39675@attbi_s02...

Consider removing parts of the lawn, and converting them to beds. Few
things take as much time an resources as a lawn, especially when you're
trying to keep it green in summer. And few things are as boring as a
unadorned carpet of a single color. (Also, the larger your lawn is, the
more those bad spots stick-out. Larger beds draw attention away from
the
smaller lawn, and well chosen perennials take far less maintenance than
grass -- especially in summer.)

Great advice all around. I especially like the bit above. I did
exactly
this - I removed about 60% of the lawn area and replaced it with
planting
beds. Lawns require an incredible amount of resources - fertilizer,
herbicides, water, and time. Instead of having lawn as a feature, now
it
is just the element that ties the whole landscape together.
Furthermore,
the only lawn that I attempt to keep in ideal condition is the part near
the
street that adjoins my neighbor. I don't water or fertilize the rear
lawn.
My neighbors remark that they don't have time to tend to flower beds,
but
in
reality, they spend much more time and money on their large lawns then I
do
on my mixed shrub and perennial beds. Most of the effort comes in the
spring when I have to do the annual clean-up. After that, there is
almost
no care, and I can do what is needed on my schedule, unlike a lawn that
demand cutting, feeding, and watering on its schedule. I also changed
the
way I care for the lawn. I now cut high and only apply turf builder in
the
spring and fall. I used to bag the clipping, now I remove the bag and
let
the mower mulch the clipping. Since I don't water or fertilize the rear
lawn, I also don't have to mow it very often.

Isn't that the way terrorists do their lawn?

Yes, but don't tell anyone.

"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?


Why 10-10-10?

Most fertilizers sold in garden stores are way too heavy in the Nitrogen. The
10-10-10 gives a good balance with the potash and potassium. The potassium is

supposed to encourage root growth (possibly part of my problem).

I am an avid gardener and fruit tree grower, but I also like my open space
which is
where the grass comes in. There were some good points in the replies, but I
was
also looking for some news on new hearty grass varieties. Although my lawn
looks kind of neglected with all the clover, crab grass, etc., about 60% of it

is regular grass although of several different varieties, including the sod my
village put
in when they repaired my curbs. Will this overseeding of grass overcome what
is
currently there? I live in the Chicago area, in case that helps the
recommendations.

As regards later replies, most lawn fertilizers sold near me are like
18-5-3. Maybe
the organic fertilizers have lower numbers, but they are very pricey. I know
it is
somewhat impractical to keep my lawn green in the summer, but it really looks
terrible, if it goes dormant, especially since it does not do this uniformly.
I do have
a mulching blade on the mower and only rake when necessary.

Thanks for all the good advice,

Sherwin D.

Vox Humana wrote:

"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?


Why 10-10-10?

"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

My father had a way with lawns, and always added a light coating of good
soil in the fall (he called it side dressing), then spread the seed,
then raked with a leaf rake, to shake the seed down to ground level.
When I do an area, I like to cover it with cheesecloth (actually the
plastic equivalent) which lets the sun, air, and rain through, but keeps
the birds from feasting on my seed. I take the cheesecloth up after the
seed has germinated. Some people use a coating of straw to serve the
same purpose, but I think they risk uprooting the new grass when they
rake it off, and around here the cheesecloth is easier to get than
straw, and reusable.

sherwindu wrote:
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.


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