The short answer to “When do I over-seed my lawn” is Spring or Fall, or both.
The particular climate zone that you live in will cause a variance to the ideal time frame, but here in the lower mainland BC:
- Spring months that are the most ideal are April, May and June.
- Fall months that are the most ideal are September, October and November.
If you plant too early or too late in the year you risk damaging the seeds should the temperatures dip too low in the evening.
If you plant in the high heat of the summer months, it will be hard to keep the soil moist to germinate the seeds and harder for them to take root. This may cause many of them to be eaten or blown away.
With a quality seed mixture, it will in most cases take anywhere from 5-20 days for the various strains of grass seed to germinate so remember to factor this in.
You will want to be able to water every day for that period for about 15 to 20 minutes. It is best to not rely on the rain because in most cases it does not saturate the soil enough for a proper germination result.
Do you have watering restrictions?
Be aware of the restrictions in your area. If you are seeding and there are current restrictions, there is a permit that you can get to allow you to water. You can just google “watering restrictions Vancouver” (replace Vancouver with whichever area you live), to find out how much the permit is and where to get it. Here is the one for Surrey: https://www.surrey.ca/city-services/4976.aspx.
If you still see seeds after the maximum amount of germination time, there are a few things that could have gone wrong:
- The seeds did not receive enough water (this is by far the most common)
- Temperatures were too low or too high
- The seeds may have been stored incorrectly and become damaged
- The seeds may be old inventory
Once or twice a year for over-seeding?
If your lawn is near perfect, then once per year is fine. This will help to replace grass that dies out over time, choke out the weeds, and keep the lawn looking great!
Twice per year is recommended if your lawn is struggling at all. The more space you have, the more other things that will grow in those areas.
Is Spring or Fall better to plant grass seeds?
Either is fine. They both have their benefits. Spring is the primary growing season, so quite often things will germinate quicker and easier, however, that is when the weeds really like to grow as well. If you are power raking first and it is Spring, make sure you seed immediately – if not you have just primed your lawn for everything else to grow. You have a little more leeway in the Fall because there are fewer weed seeds blowing around all over the place.
Additional tips that will benefit your seeding endeavours:
- Know what types of grass seeds you are planting! Certain plants grow better in certain areas, which is probably why I don’t see many banana trees around BC…
- Use a high-quality seed mix that is weed-free.
- If you are over-seeding regularly that is awesome! Just remember that you are over-seeding, not seeding. If you are throwing too much down all of the time you will build up a lot of thatch which can cause mould, bugs and disease. Too much high nitrogen fertilizing can cause this as well)
- Cover the seeds with about 6 mm (¼ inch) of high-quality topsoil (again weed-free and meant for top dressing). This will help keep in moisture and stop a lot of the seeds from being eaten, blowing away, or pushed around when you are watering.
- Make sure your soil is good and has the nutrients that the lawn and seedlings like. If you have moss, then you probably have a high pH level and should add some lime. Use a fertilizer that will help the seeds to grow.
We at MyLawn.Care have taken all of this into account and blended lawn Care Packs specifically to perform in the BC lower mainland, so that you do not need to worry about this and can just spread the Care Pack and enjoy the results!
If you would like to hear more on another topic, or have any questions on the above, feel free to comment below or email us at [email protected]. We are here to help!
He cuts high which I think has seed sown not hitting the ground below but I don’t so much over seed where there is decent grass, After he power rakes there are bald spots that need be seeded. This is where the lawnmower can pick up seeds and loose dirt that is bagged and goes in recycling bin. Thanks for the tips re grass seed
Try putting some top soil over the seeds. I hope that helps!
I pay a gardener to cut grass once a week. By the last cut in the fall and before the first cut in the spring the ground is pretty cold. If I re-seed while cuts are going on – their lawn mower eats the seed.
If he is cutting it shorter than 2.5 inches then that will be your primary problem to correct first! When lawns are cut very short they require a LOT of maintenance to stay healthy (think golfcourse).
When you lay seed, you will want to know what type of seed it is so that you know it will perform. Seed in the store for the most part is like food used to be. Remember when things just said “sugar” and now they have to list what TYPE of sugar? Seeds will quite often say “Kentucky bluegrass” for example, but that is a grass variety, not an actual strain. The actual strain has a name like Mercury Kentucky Bluegrass or Jackrabbit Kentucky Bluegrass and they will have stats. You will also want to know how long the germination period is so that you can keep your lawnmower guy off it for that period. They are all different! Additionally if he is mowing lower than about 3″ and bagging it on top of that, he will definitely be sucking up all of your seeds!