Too late to overseed lawn in CT?

[timnels]

Delayed all year to do something about this mess of a lawn my builder put in. 3/4 acre lawn is 1 yr old and patchy at best. I'd like to rent an overseeder from HD and try an get some new growth before winter. Am I too late? Also, if I can should I fertilize when I seed? What type of fertilizer should I use? I've got a fair amount of small rocks that have popped up as a result of the lack of growth and the soil is hard packed, will I trash the overseeder if this is the case? Thanks for your advice.

[trader4]

You still have a couple of weeks to renovate. I just did mine here in NJ 10 days ago. Apply starter fertilizer immediately after seeding. I'd also rent a core aerator first, since your soil is compacted. That will open it up. I've rented a slice seeder from HD before and it was OK, but it would not be my first choice. Locally, the private tool rental shops have better units. Make sure you mow short before starting.

You should also have the soil PH tested and adjust by adding lime as needed. In many areas there are state/county agri extension services that will do it. Or you can buy one of the test kits, which are OK for just PH.

Finally, one other consideration. If what you have is mostly desirable grass, then overseeding is a good plan. If you have undesirable grass, ie grass that is too coarse, disease prone etc, or more weeds than grass, then killing what's there and then reseeding is the way to go. To do that, you kill what's there with Roundup or another glyphosate, then can reseed in 7 days later. You have a large area, so hopefully you have a sprinkler system to keep it constantly wet for 2 weeks. Otherwise, you'll be at the mercy of the weather.

Make sure you find the best grass seed of the appropriate type for what you want to do. Lots of good info on seeds, etc avail at seedland.com

Good luck.

[Joseph Meehan]

You are not too late for over seeding, but I suspect it will not fix the problem.

Soil conditions, drainage, shade etc all come into play. I doubt if you can do the testing and correction work before it will be too late to seed this fall. However I suggest that is the way to go. Find out why the original seeding failed first and correct that. You can start with the Hamilton County Extension Service and see what they suggest. Don't rely on local commercial sources as they all tend to find problems that their product or service can fix.

[CraigT]

You should try out rec.gardens. Zone 5 grass planting is time is usually Sept. 15. With the generally warmer winters we're having I think you have time.