Does overseeding work on an established lawn in the spring by simply spreading the seeds on the lawn and raking them in and watering as needed or is it more complicated than that, requiring mulch or soil spread on top. Does it work or do most of the seeds sprout without establishing.
Thank you.
Dennis
It works if your turf is real thin. slice-seeding it in works much better tho. Don't apply any crabgrass preventer if you intend to seed.
On an established lawn, I'd wait until late summer/early fall which is the optimum time. You have cooler temps, and twice as long for the grass to get established before getting into the summer hot months. Because of cooler temps, less water is reqd and its easier to keep it wet while it germinates. You also have a lot less competition from weeds to deal with. Early spring is the second best time, and the earlier the better.
Either time you do it, IMO, just throwing seed around is a waste. Given what good seed costs, it's more cost effective to rent a slice seeder, which will cut grooves, put the seed in contact with the soil. You will get much better germination, which is what you want. Spreading seed around, you're likely gonna keep doing it several times, spending more money and a lot more labor.
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