It seems various people have various methods or times they like to over-seed. The most popular answer I continue to hear is “in the fall”. Well, what does this mean and is there a right or wrong way to go about this? As with most things, the answer is yes, you can mess it up and not have your seed germinate, or worse, you kill your entire yard. In regards to over-seeding grass seed, the best time is usually mid-September and it’s always best to rake your yard to rough up the underlying soil to help aid in germination. Bare spots should be raked as well and covered with straw (not hay) in order to help retain as much moisture as possible which also helps aid seed germination.

I would recommend that you buy quality fresh seed and not use last years seed or bags of leftover seed. The freshness is based of when it was harvested and the label on a bag of grass seed will tell you exactly when it was harvested. Fresh grass seed, starter fertilizer (I recommend 19/19/19) is all you really need, however if you have bare spots I would suggest putting down straw. Application of straw should not be heavy like you’re putting down a blanket to keep the ground warm, the straw should be applied fairly light so that it holds moisture but also allows in sunlight. I have found that to be the best. Quality grass seed would be a professional mix of 3, 4, and sometimes 5 varieties of grass seed bought in 50 lb bags.

I would suggest that you don’t buy 10/10/10 fertilizer. Most of that is gone within 2 or 3 weeks of application. Starter fertilizer typically has a slow-release and will help feed newly formed grass plants over several months helping them gain the strength they need to grow strong roots. Over-seeding in the fall allows cooler temperatures and for the seed to germinate and then lay dormant over the winter, ready to grow quickly come spring time. Yes, you can plant grass seed in the spring but most of my experiences show that you have to be very careful with it, by not mowing it too short or too soon or too often. Fertilizer is key and the race is on to get spring planted see to germinate and grow deep enough roots to survive July and August heat. It can be done but it takes greater care, and a bit more luck with Mother Nature providing enough rain for it to work. If you must plant in spring time, then I highly suggest and recommend that you over-seed the following fall the same area in order to help boost the amount of grass you have, as well as additional starter slow-release fertilizer. A soil test may be helpful but many times you can look at the yards around you to see when its time for grass to grow.