overseeding lawn

[flatius]

howdy gang,
i seeded my front yard this past spring, noticed some pretty thin areas. my question: can i (this fall,after i rake all the leaves) just go crazy with more grass seed as far as just throwing more seed over the existing grass...in hopes of the michigan winter snow pack pushing the grass seed into the ground for a thicker 2004 lawn? i really dont want to rake the seed in, for it would destroy alot of the existing lawn. thanks in advance.

[chrisjbell]

If you just dump the seed, the birds will be more likely to enjoy it as a snack than getting better lawn. You also have to embed the seeds a bit under the soil to get them to germinate properly.

I'd suggest throwing down lots of seed and then gently raking it in. You might do a bit of damage to the existing turf but the real strength in a lawn is in the root system, which you won't hurt. Rolling it in would also help (preferably after raking, but you might try the roller without the rake if it'll make you more comfortable).

Save your money if all you are going to do is throw it on. If it's only a few areas I would look into putting sod down. If you want to seed it then you are going to have to disrupt the soil somewhat to get the seed to germinate. I would suggest roughing the soil up. Then put your seed down. Then get some mulch and put in a spreader and go over the areas you've seeded. Finally I would lay straw over everything that you've seeded. This will get you some nice grass in the spring.

[Jaeger]

I've had good luck with using a core plug areator, and then overseeding after a rainstorm. The ground will be wet and the seed has better luck getting "stuck" to the ground. The areation helps break up the thatch, and also gives new life to the lawn. I'd also use some pelletized lime around mid-late October. You'll notice a difference in the spring. .... [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Slyder]

You can also rent a slip seeder at the local rental store. The machine cuts a small slit in the ground and then drops seed in the same area without tearing up the existing soil. You can also find someone who will come and do this for you. But if you aren't going to agitate the soil in some way, you will be wasting your time and money.