Slow-release fertilizer provides nutrients gradually, for as long as three months in some cases. Proper watering after seeding a lawn is key to seeding or overseeding success. Although it may seem logical to address these issues in the spring, late summer or early fall is actually a better time for new grass growth. Your answer jives with docs on the bottle. 2817-47 Street Black Beauty Ultra® grass seed germinates in about 14 days. If you are fertilizing and seeding your lawn on the same day, you should broadcast the food and seed separately, one after the other, and it does not matter which order you spread them in. An application of Gordon’s Trimec or Speedzone can be applied 28 days after grass seed germination. It’s also time to start prepping our yards and gardens for the winter. This may mean daily watering for three to four weeks after seeding. Early spring aeration can be just as good as fall aeration if you overseed early enough (once the soil comes to temperature).. You should water your lawn before you aerate it (or do it the day after a heavy rain). Initial Mowing. If you want to get a little more in-depth, you can also get a soil testing kit and figure out exactly which nutrients your soil needs the most. Lawn Care After Overseeding Leave the clippings on the grass. Always wait until the grass is dry before you mow. Can I use weed-control winterizer in a couple weeks (before the winter snow), or should I wait until spring before spreading weed-control? Tuesday – Thursday 9am – 4pm Keep mowing the grass to two inches tall for the rest of the season. If you're using grass seed to overseed your lawn instead of Scotts® Turf Builder® … Controlling Crabgrass after Seeding. Don’t Apply Herbicides Too Soon Before or After Overseeding. For this reason, you should apply a second round of balanced grass fertilizer or starter fertilizer four weeks after seeding. His articles have appeared in “The Family Digest” magazine, “The Lookout” magazine and several southwestern Ohio newspapers. If your lawn is having problems with heat stress, then you can aerate in the summer. A good rule of thumb here is to allow 24 hours after rainfall or irrigation has watered in the fertilizer before letting kids or pets play on the lawn. Aeration, overseeding, and fertilizing this fall will give the roots breathing room, a solid start to filling in any sparse patches, and a good dose of nutrients to survive well through winter. When it comes to when to fertilize your lawn, this is the most important factor at playthat determines when the best time is … Fertilize the lawn about six weeks after you sow the seed. – … how long after overseeding before weed & feed? I also put down lime because pH is low. how long after overseeding before weed & feed? Overseeding is one of the most important tasks involved in growing a healthy, lush lawn. Fertilize in early spring (after a mild winter), late spring or early summer (after a cold winter), late summer and fall. Sometimes, that can actually make compaction worse. So, for example, if you fertilize on Thursday and water or have rain on Friday, then on Saturday, you can let everyone release all of their pent-up energy out in the yard. Some experts consider seven to 10 days a conservative option, suggesting that four days should be enough. Apply a Starter Fertilizer. Keep your newly revived lawn looking its best with a regular, comprehensive maintenance plan that includes diligent watering, best mowing practices and proactive overseeding. If you’re doing small areas, you can simply rake them well, sprinkle the seeds, and then rake again to work it in. That way, they’ll be ready to spring up after the frost. Once you know how to overseed a lawn, it’s easy to maintain it. As long as you plant by early October, the seed should still have time to establish itself into mature grass before the harsh winter cold sets in. Fertilize Overseeded Areas Avoid weed & feed products; the pre-emergent herbicides inhibit seed germination. This means you'll start fertilizing four to eight weeks after planting. Office Aerating is easy on your turf, and you, when your soil … If you applied an herbicide to destroy weeds or other vegetation, let your grass grow tall for an extra five to seven days so the herbicide will be completely absorbed by the plants. Seed in early spring or early fall (spring plantings … Aeration before fertilizing also helps all that healthy bacterial flora leach deeper into the soil. Do this about 6 weeks after overseeding. Improve the Soil. It’s preferable to use the plug aerator type because it pulls out small tubes of soil. Lightly water the lawn immediately after overseeding. These little seedlings need to be nurtured during their first eight weeks of existence. If you are overseeding to improve the quality of your lawn, take a few additional steps. Right before overseeding, lightly dethatch the current grass and mow it significantly short, 1-1/2 inches, that is. Return to Regular Maintenance. It is important to make sure it is a “balanced” fertilizer for lawns such as a 27-4-6 or 20-5-15 as examples and that you take into account the … If you only get around to aerating, seeding, or fertilizing your lawn once per year, try to aim for the fall. Immediately after overseeding the lawn, begin watering. Phone You can fertilize either immediately before or after you broadcast the grass seed. Don’t Apply Herbicides Too Soon Before or After Overseeding. Potassium is particularly important for lawns, as it helps with root growth, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and cold resistance. Broadcast the seed first in one direction, for example, north to south, and then distribute it again perpendicular to the first planting. Tall Fescue. how long after overseeding before weed & feed? I live in a 5b zone--just aerated, fertilized, and overseeded this weekend. All other time by appointment only. There are two types of aeration tools: plug aerators and spike aerators. Since a healthy stand of grass will choke out weeds, keep a weed-free yard by hand pulling or spot treating the occasionally weed that encroaches your lawn. Apply fertilizer. Starters release slowly with successive watering nutrients to feed young emerging lawn grass. All other time by appointment only. The late fall fertilizer application is targeted for about when the lawn stops growing but the ground is not yet frozen. Use your liquid weed control after two mowings. However, fall fertilizer contains a higher percentage of nitrogen. There is no specific time frame for that. As grass ages, it gets sparser, thinner leaves, so it’s wise to introduce new grass seed regularly. Fertilizing. When spring rolls around again, if you already have an established lawn, then the best time to fertilize will be when grass has greened up and you’ve been able to mow a couple of times. The N portion of fertilizer is a lot more volatile than the P and K components. This may mean daily watering for three to four weeks after seeding. How To Care For Your Beautiful New Pavers In Winter, How to Decorate for the Holidays with Greenery and Plants, How To Protect Your Patio During the Winter. UMass Extension Center for Agriculture: Lawn Renovation & Overseeding, Lawn Care Academy: Tips and Techniques for Overseeding Lawns, Clemson Cooperative Extension: Overseeding With Ryegrass, Popular Mechanics: 5 Tips for a Greener, Healthier Lawn, Hancock Seed Company: Lawn Grass Seed Zone Map. A thorough gentle watering is essential to get things off to a good start. You can rent an aerating machine and do it yourself pretty easily. I recognize that RTFM is a thing but I wanted to get some observations by those who have practical experience. Don’t fertilize your seeds before they’ve sprouted (Some commercial farmers use a starter fertilizer for this, but you don’t need to). Afterward, you’ll need to water the seeded spots regularly until they establish themselves. Closed Friday thru Monday If you only have a few weedy spots -- you can either hand pull those or chemically treat that area. It is important to keep the new seed moist. Claywell holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. New grass seedlings can be damaged by herbicides if you spray weeds immediately before or after seeding. Applying a starter fertilizer at the time of overseeding is not necessary. Aeration, overseeding, and fertilizing this fall will give the roots breathing room, a solid start to filling in any sparse patches, and a good dose of nutrients to survive well through winter. A dense lawn has a better chance of choking out weeds than a sparse lawn. Begin applying regular lawn fertilizer once the grass has a good root system and is actively growing. Fax Tuesday – Thursday 9am – 4pm Tuesday – Thursday 9am – 4pm The numbers are the percentage of the different nutrients in fertilizer: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Water deeply and occasionally rather than of shallowly and often. There are two basic reasons why you overseed a lawn: for a winter lawn or because your lawn is performing poorly. The Best Time to Seed and Fertilize After 48 hours of aerating your soil, you will apply seeds and fertilizer then water on the ground. How to Fertilize Seedlings. Grassy weed seeds appreciate the same fertilizer and additional watering from your fall renovation program and flourish. The contractor who installed your lawn used a high phosphorus or “starter fertilizer” when hydroseeding your lawn. Dormant Seeding vs Overseeding. The seed, fertilizer, and water will have the best chance to get down into the holes made by the aerator if applied soon after … Solve the Problem. 03-30-06, 11:59 PM Iv got a lawn they want overseeded and they want me to apply the scotts 4 step fertilizer program.In what order should i do this?and how long to … Wait until the grass is established before applying an herbicide. It is high time to get into soil fertilizer and water. Within 48 hours after you aerate you should over seed, fertilize, and water your lawn. A fall application of Gordon’s Trimec with Uncle’s Stikit , spreader sticker or a granular application of Loveland Weed and Feed will be quickly absorbed by the broadleaf weeds and is sure to kill to the roots. Use regular fertilizer that has a higher ratio of nitrogen. Starter fertilizers release nutrients slowly, and they will supply nutrients until the grass is established and growing. And fall is a great time to control broadleaf weeds, but be careful when combining killing weeds with overseeding. First step- I just had my lawn aerated, I also over-seeded the whole lawn and added grass seed by hand in really bad (no grass growth) areas. The time of year and type of grass will determine how best to fertilize after aeration. The only argument from the lawn forum folks is that adding a bunch of nitrogen at seeding will stimulate growth in your existing grass that can crowd and compete with the seedlings. To ensure your success, follow a few simple guidelines before you overseed. While that is a commonality between both dormant seeding and overseeding, it’s the timing and intentions that are different. Seeding should be done early in the fall to allow the young plants to establish well before the first frost. Some say wait until 3-4 weeks after germination before throwing down nitrogen. Close. Aeration is necessary to allow the water and oxygen to reach the roots and soil below the lawn's surface. You’ll set your lawn up for a strong, healthy start the following spring. Try for twice daily watering, minimum, if there is no rain. Overseeding is a straightforward process. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions!” Spring-Green can help with core aeration and overseeding. Overseeding is a general concept of spreading grass seed over an existing lawn to promote thicker growth as well as fill in struggling or dead patches in a lawn. The use of a slow release fertilizer is preferable. Find out why your lawn is doing poorly by performing a soil test and then adjusting the nutrient balance of your lawn based on the results of the test. Aerating and fertilizing are perfect companions to overseeding, as long as they happen a week or two before you overseed. Wait until the grass is established before applying an herbicide. If the seed has not had time to establish, the frost may kill it. If you fert at the time of of seeding then i would go with the SCU coated stuff. If you were fertilizing, aerating, and overseeding your lawn in the spring, you’ll want to make sure you do it again in the fall. Overseeding After Aerating Your Lawn If you have gone to the trouble of aerating your lawn you really should take full advantage of the situation and I feel adding fresh grass seed to your lawn is a good idea after … I know there is differing views on when to fertilize. Spring can work, but you have to get the timing right. The seed, fertilizer, and water will have the best chance to get down into the holes made by the aerator if applied soon after … It’s best to aerate your lawn early in the fall to ensure the roots have time to absorb as many nutrients as they can before the first frost. Then move into a watering routine as best you can. Fertilizing in the fall helps grass roots grow stronger and absorb as many nutrients as they possibly can to make it through the winter. Walk the spreader across the lawn in one direction and then again perpendicular to the first application. You do not have to water for hours and hours. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Overseeding starter fertilizer and fall fertilizer both have high percentages of phosphorus to promote healthy root growth. There are a few ways to seed your lawn, but there are important considerations to keep in mind for all seeding. All other time by appointment only. Fertilize the lawn about six weeks after you sow the seed. Before you seed, you should make sure your lawn, or the areas you’ll be seeding, is de-thatched so the seeds are contacting the soil directly. Although the process for the two approaches is different, the fertilizing techniques are basically the same. Unfortunately, mistakes can be all too easy to make— and could cost time and money, with little return. If you want to use it after the grass is seeded, wait until you have mowed your lawn four times, which will generally occur within six to eight weeks after seeding. Tall Fescue. Your best bet is to fertilize your newly seeded or overseeded lawn with Scotts® Turf Builder® Starter® Food for New Grass directly after seeding. Keep the area moist until the grass sprouts, and then slowly reduce the watering frequency. Continue to mow the grass to a height of two inches for the remainder of the season. Nitrogen and phosphorus are two very important nutrients when fertilizing seedlings. You can resume your normal watering schedule of longer, less frequent waterings after these first few days. Seed in early spring or early fall (spring plantings are at risk from hot and dry conditions over the summer). Go in with 18-34-12 (50% SCU) 2-3 weeks after seeding and then once you have mowed it 1 or 2 times hit it with something like a 30-010 (50% SCU) and you can then do weed control. That’s why it’s smartest to wait around a week, or more if possible, to allow the new seeds to settle. Also, what kind of fertilizer to use when overseeding? Mother Nature will take care of … Then, scatter around … Understanding starter fertilizer and fall fertilizer will help you when determining how to fertilize … The only difference between roto-tilling before overseeding and before planting a new lawn is the depth: overseeding requires only tilling about 1 or … It is important to note when you overseed your lawn. To keep your yard healthy, follow a maintenance schedule that includes feeding your lawn in the fall and spring. If you give in and re-fertilize too early, the nutrients will not be absorbed by the roots, and you can have runoff that, as we already mentioned, can make its way into the water supply or harm water-dwelling creatures. Most any of the commercially available fertilizers will work well on your Tall Fescue Lawn. Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions!” Spring-Green can help with core aeration and overseeding. If you apply an herbicide, you’ll have to wait 6–8 weeks to overseed. Fertilize in early spring (after a mild winter), late spring or early summer (after a cold winter), late summer and fall. A: Yes, now is the best time to fertilize while the holes created by the aeration are still open, allowing access to the root system and before the cores start to break down. The most important aspect of overseeding (whether you do it in the fall or earlier in the season) is providing enough water to prevent the seed from drying out. LANDSCAPE DESIGN • BUILD Don't do any weed control until you have mowed several times or you may take out the young seedlings! Later in the fall, closer to the first frost, you’ll want to spread some slow-release granular fertilizer. Within 48 hours after you aerate you should over seed, fertilize, and water your lawn. Posted by 5 years ago. During the several weeks following your aeration and seeding service, proper maintenance is extremely important to ensure the success of seed germination and establishment in your cool season lawn. Applying a fall fertilizer before the six to eight weeks are up can cause burnt grass. Bottle claims that you can seed after 2 weeks at 1.5x the seed density recommended by the seed manufacturer. Archived. You can apply seed to these spots by hand or with a drop spreader. After aeration and seeding, you’ll want to follow up with fertilizing your lawn. Always make sure to use the correct fertilizer treatment for the appropriate season. (One additional). Grass seeds need to have direct contact with the soil to germinate, and they need to be kept damp for a couple of weeks. There’s still some thin spots that I plan to put down more seed, but overall it’s coming in nicely. Once the weeds are withered and dying, mow the lawn short, and as in the case of winter overseeding, rake the lawn with a metal rake to break up the soil surface so the new seed will be in contact with the dirt. A fertilizer mix of 24-0-10 is a good one for fall in Moline. Overseeding After Aerating Your Lawn If you have gone to the trouble of aerating your lawn you really should take full advantage of the situation and I feel adding fresh grass seed to your lawn is a good idea after … However, there are several things you need to pay attention to before and after you sow the seeds to ensure successful growth. If in doubt, skip the application. If you apply an herbicide, you’ll have to wait 6–8 weeks to overseed. How Long After Fertilizing Can I Overseed? Closed Friday thru Monday You can do them all at the same time. In this way, how long after overseeding should I wait to fertilize? Natural Ways to Kill Dollarweed Without Killing Grass. Also known as reseeding, this cultural practice is not only applied on small, brown patches of dirt but can be also on the whole lawn itself. This alleviates compaction better than spike aeration, which just pokes holes into the soil. Use the recommended rate for your selected seed when overseeding. 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