How to Overseed Tall Fescue
Tall fescue is a cool-season turfgrass that requires little maintenance to give you a thick, green lawn. During the summer, tall fescue can become thin in spots, leaving clumps of grass scattered throughout the lawn. Overseeding, also called reseeding, gives you a lawn full of thick grass until next summer when conditions become dry and hot again. Overseeding with tall fescue should be done in the fall, from mid September to mid October. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Lawnmower
- Rake
- Lawn aerator
- Starter fertilizer
- Tall fescue seed
- Drop spreader
- Hose
Instructions
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1
Measure the length and width of your lawn and multiply to get the approximate square footage of lawn. Reseed with 2 to 4 pounds of tall fescue seed per 1,000 square feet of lawn.
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2
Mow the grass to 1 to 2 inches high and use the rake to remove grass clippings and debris.
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3
Aerate the lawn by pushing the aerator across the width of the lawn, as if you were mowing, then use the aerator to do the length of the lawn.
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4
Spread starter fertilizer evenly over the entire lawn.
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5
Follow the recommended settings on the bag of seed to adjust the spread rate on the drop spreader. Fill it with half of the tall fescue seed.
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6
Broadcast the seed with the spreader, starting along one edge of the lawn, overlapping the wheel marks on each pass for even distribution.
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7
Spread the remaining seed moving at right angles to the direction of the first pass. Rake the lawn to knock the tall fescue seeds onto the soil.
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8
Water the grass until moist. Water regularly to keep soil moist for two to three weeks after overseeding the lawn.
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Tips & Warnings
Thoroughly soak the lawn two days prior to overseeding to prepare the soil for aeration.
Use a 6-inch screwdriver to test the moisture content of the soil prior to aerating. If it sinks in easily, the soil can be aerated.
Lawn aerators can be rented from a garden or tool rental center.
Do not reseed a tall fescue lawn if a pre-emergent herbicide has been used in the past four months.
Do not spray pre-emergent herbicide on the lawn before overseeding with tall fescue.
