Rob wrote:
> I've never done this before but the grass on my lawn is not very thick
> and there are a lot of bare spots. Someone mentioned that overseeding
> will help. I did some research on google on the topic and have some
> information on it but just wondering if anyone can provide any tips on
> doing it here in newfoundland such as best time (can it be done now or
> wait til fall?), is there a machine to rent that does a good job,
> etc...
>
Best now to wait until Fall. Our six weeks of summer are about to start
and it will simply be too hot.
The best bet is to buy a few bags of black earth topsoil between now and
the fall. When summer breaks sometime in late Sept, early October, rake
the bare spots a little, take some bags of good grass seed and cover the
ground with the seed. (I'm not talking an inch thick or anything...just
throw down the seed like you were feeding chickens (no chickens
required) until you can "see" a good coating of seed).
Then spread the topsoil over the seed. Don't mix it in with the seed if
possible...the birds will only eat it. The seed will seek out the warmth
of the sun and find its way through the soil. I've experimented with
this (cover only and mixing it in) and found that just covering the seed
resulted in a much thicker layer of grass.
Once you've seeded it, make sure it gets a little water every day until
its well sprouted then every couple days for a couple more weeks.
Hopefully, Mother Nature will do most of that for you.
And don't forget to lime the lawn in October. Best time of year to do it
and it needs to be done every year. (Neglecting the lime could be a
cause of the bare patches as well...the soil would simply be too acidic
for the grass).
If you find the bare patches return, you may have other problems...soil
too shallow and/or cinch bug. If that's the case, you can look at
seeding with white clover. It resists cinch bug, weeds and drought.
Usually just seeding the lawn with the clover will do it but some lawns
are simply so shallow that they need a couple tandem loads of top
quality top soil (which I would have recommended in the start if the
bare patches you're referring to occupies a majority of the lawn). If
you ever use clover, you don't have to seed as thickly as you do with
regular grass seed (and you don't want to given the higher price for
clover...more expensive than grass...yes...worth it...yes).
..
--
We must change the way we live,
or the climate will do it for us.
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