Brilliant-looking green lawns do not happen overnight. They require time, water, and fertilizer to grow.
However, sometimes that’s just not enough.
Even the best South Florida lawns need a little help. In those situations, it might be time to overseed your lawn.
So, is overseeding bad? The short answer is no.
Lawns come in different varieties. Some grasses need lots of sun and will turn brown if they don’t get enough, while others like it shady.
Still, others are just hardy and can handle lots of conditions.
Over time, this variety changes as older grasses die out and newer grasses grow.
Overseeding adds even more variety to a lawn and can make it look better as well as bring it back from damage.
I know that we don’t love mowing as much as we love laying on the couch and binge-watching Netflix, but a little extra work can go a long way.
Stick around for a few more facts about overseeding and lawn care.
Table of Contents
Can you overseed too much?
Seeding a lawn is good for the environment.
Covered in grass, the soil is protected from erosion and evaporation.
According to research done by Prof. Jamal M. V. Samani of the University of Tarbiat Modares, grass cover is an economical way of limiting soil and water loss.
This makes watering efficient because most of it soaks into the ground instead of escaping into the air.
In my opinion, the most important part of overseeding is what it can do for you.
The more grass, the better.
There are a few different reasons why you might want to overseed your lawn.
The most common reason is to fill in thin and bare spots caused by old and dead grass.
But, sometimes you might overseed just because you want to freshen up your lawn and add a new type of grass.
An overseeded lawn can look incredible.
But what if you overseed too much? Is that even possible?
The short answer is yes.
Overseeding can be a disaster if you overdo it.
You might end up spending hundreds of dollars on seed only to have it all blow away!
If you overseed too much, you might end up with a lawn that has very little nutrients due to too much new growth.
This will make it weaker and slow-growing.
Is overseeding bad?
Rethinking your lawn maintenance can be intimidating, but it’s also really important.
Cementing yourself into a time-consuming, expensive lawn care contract is not sustainable.
Weeding through the many maintenance choices can be difficult, but if you’re finding that overseeding is an idea your mind keeps coming back to, then maybe it’s just what you’ve been looking for!
Frequent and proper lawn seeding can improve your turf’s overall health, make it more drought-resistant, and make fertilizing easier on your wallet.
I know what you might be thinking: won’t overseeding just make a bunch of weak grass plants that I’ll have to trim all the time?
Absolutely not!
Overseeding is a very common practice that involves planting new grass seed on top of an existing lawn to fill in thin spots or bare patches.
When done properly, you can greatly improve your lawn’s health to better withstand drought and diseases, while requiring little fertilizer.
Studies show that overseeding is effective in controlling weed infestation, reducing the need for applying pesticides in areas where children and pets play.
If I had to guess, I’d say that most of us are guilty of overseeding our lawns.
Whether it’s because we want to make sure they stay green and lush, or we want to make sure we won’t see any brown patches in the summer, overseeding is something most people do.
However, there are some situations where it may not be the best idea.
The intention of overseeding is to thicken the existing lawn.
But there are several potential problems with overseeding; some of them include:
Wasting money on additional seed and weed killers when your problem could simply be that you’re keeping your grass too short.
Possible damage to your existing turf from having too many different types of grass growing together, which weakens the lawn’s root system and reduces drought tolerance.
The seed is not growing properly because you’ve been overfertilizing or over-compacting the soil.
Instead, try these other methods:
Avoid mowing your grass too short, letting it grow to the appropriate height of approximately 3 inches.
Water your lawn during times of drought, but don’t over-water; let the soil dry out between waterings.
Occasional core aeration will help reduce compaction and improve root growth by allowing oxygen and nutrients to reach the roots.
Don’t fertilize more than once every three months and try not to use weed killers unless you’re sure that weeds are actually your problem.
Using a combination of these methods will result in a healthy lawn that requires very little maintenance and produces beautiful, green grass for years to come!
Avoid throwing grass seed on the ground for it to grow
Flowering plants are beautiful to look at, but they’re not the only ones that can benefit your landscaping.
I’m sure you would rather have a flower garden, but the grass is better for the home.
While grass isn’t as pretty as flowers, it can protect surfaces like your driveway, patio, and house foundation.
Cement paint is notorious for flaking off with weathering and general wear and tear.
Grass can keep this from happening, by protecting the cement and keeping the water away.
Seeding your lawn at the appropriate time is beneficial for grass growth, but, contrary to popular belief, it won’t help your lawn grow if you just throw grass seed on the ground.
Grass seed is a living organism, and it’s a little too much to expect that every seed will sprout in your backyard.
Caring for grass seed is similar to taking care of a pet; you need to make sure someone is checking in on it and giving it the basic necessities in life.
Making sure your grass seed has all the necessities is a surefire way to make it sprout and become a beautiful lush lawn.
