How to Reseed a Lawn With Weeds
Weeds are plants that grow where they are not supposed to. They usually thrive when conditions are poor for healthy grass, but their growth is stunted when you take the proper steps. If you have a weed problem, choke the weeds out with a thick healthy turf produced after reseeding your lawn. The best time to reseed is in the fall, but spring is fine too. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Weed and feed fertilizer
- Lawn mower
- Power rake
- Seed broadcaster
- Turf seed
- Straw
- Water
- Fertilizer
Instructions
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Fertilize your lawn and kill weeds simultaneously with a weed-and-feed fertilizer. The best time to apply weed and feed is autumn. Using a weed and feed more than once a year can damage the turf you want to keep. Allow the fertilizing herbicide to soak into the lawn for two weeks.
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Mow the lawn to the lowest recommended height for your area and grass type, which is usually 2 inches to 4 inches tall. You can contact your local extension office from the United States Department of Agriculture and ask what the recommended mowing height is for the variety of grass in your yard.
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Reseed your lawn. Remember to power-rake your lawn to remove dead undergrowth and to aerate the soil before seeding. Broadcast the new turf seed over the bare spaces where the weeds were, and cover those patches with straw. Water the soil and keep it moist while the seeds germinate.
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Spread a starter fertilizer after the grass sprouts. This is the last time you need to fertilize until the following year. Most yards in northern climates only need fertilizing once, though they might need a second application if the grass starts to brown. In more southern climates, you might need a third application in the beginning of the summer.
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Water your lawn so it gets an inch of water each week. Leave a tuna can on the lawn during the week, so you know, once it is full, your lawn has gotten the inch of water. Soak the yard a few times throughout the week, rather than getting it damp every day. This is better for the grass, and worse for most weeds.
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Mow your lawn so the grass is on the long side of the recommended cut height. Longer grass allows less sunlight to reach the soil which keeps many types of weed seeds on the ground from sprouting.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not use a pre-emergent weed killer before you reseed the lawn. Pre-emergent weed killers keep every type of seed from taking root, including the turf you want to thicken.
