Hello all.

In the autumn my lawn was looking pretty tired and worn out so i embarked on a course of aeration, scarifying/dethatching, autumn feed and overseeding. Unfortunatley, things didn't quite go to plan and its still looking pretty bare in places.

What is the earliest time that in can start overseeding again to try and get some life back into the lawn? Do i have to wait for frosts to disappear? Will I see germination or growth this early in the year? or should i wait till say April?

I was going to mix some sand/compost/riddled soil and grass seed for the overseeding, is this okay? Should i use some sort of feed too?

Any help or advice would be very much appreciated

Regards

Mick

I sowed some grass seed very late last year (early December I think it
was), when it's probably not recommended and yet it's happily growing
away, just not as fast as it would in spring, but then the weather is
rather mild here sometimes (northeast Surrey). The seed waited until a
milder spell before coming up, which was shortly after new year I
think.

Is the rest of your lawn growning?

Clare.

Following up to Zarch :

What is the earliest time that in can start overseeding again to try
and get some life back into the lawn? Do i have to wait for frosts to
disappear?

I think I've read that the seed will not germinate and it'll stop growing
if it's already started if the temp drops below about 6C at any time (even
at night).
--
Tim C.

Clare wrote:
I sowed some grass seed very late last year (early December I think it
was), when it's probably not recommended and yet it's happily growing
away, just not as fast as it would in spring, but then the weather is
rather mild here sometimes (northeast Surrey). The seed waited until a
milder spell before coming up, which was shortly after new year I
think.

Me too. I put some down the day before the first frosts back in
november or december and it started sprouting just after new years.

It doesn’t really matter when you put the seed down other than the likely hood of birds pinching it. What really matter's is the night time soil temps. Once they come up into 60 - 70 F / 15 - 21 C then seed will grow. You should also take in to account that seeding close to a frost is not a good idea. For best results you should seed in around the top cm of your top soil (as the seed will burn energy getting to the surface) and at a time that will optimize the germination such as late September or late march.
Good luck

Turf doc

Well if night time temperature is the key i think i'll leave it a few weeks. Its been pretty baltic in Shefield over the last few weeks at night.

To answer your question Clare, yes, the rest of the lawn is growing fine, i have definatley noticed growth in the last couple of weeks.

Doc, you say to seed in the top cm of the top soil. Do you mean put down a layer of soil and seed a cm thick? or get the seed itself a cm into the current lawn?

Cheers.