Now's the time to... Re-seed our lawns from the hot, dry summer

We have heard it from many customers... this summer was incredibly tough on our lawns. So many of us are now looking at brown patches in the lawn and wondering what to do next. Will this grass come back? When should I re-seed the bare spots?

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Here is what we recommend this Fall when it comes to grass seeding:

Is my lawn really dead? Grass is meant to slow growth and will fade in color during periods of extreme conditions. As a result, you may notice at least some of your areas coming back to life now that we move into September with cooler days and more frequent rainfall. We typically recommend that you keep a close eye on the troubled areas of your lawn and if they look to be recovering on their own, then you may not need to reseed those spots afterall! Typically a couple of weeks more will give you a definitive answer on areas that are in question. If they remain brown and continue to look life-less, then reseeding is in-store! Please continue reading for tips on reseeding this Fall.

Here are the steps for reseeding your lawn…

1. Prepare the soil. Remove dead turf and kill or pull weeds in the areas of concern. It is important to have “seed to soil contact” so all of the dead grass will need to be removed to ensure a nice bed of soil for seed germination. Make sure that the top 1/2″ to 1″ of soil is loose and loamy so that the tender roots of young plants can find water and nutrients. This step is very important, and we can not stress that enough!

2. Apply grass seed, mulch and fertilizer. Use top quality grass seed mixes, like those from Scotts and Jonathan Green. Sprinkle the grass seed moderately, sort of like “sprinkles on a cookie!” Mulch and fertilizer are optional, but recommended for the best results. We suggest that you try spagnum peat moss as the mulch. This product is the main ingredient in potting soils, so it is lightweight, inexpensive, and very moisture retentive! Fertilizer should be the last application. You will want to use a starter fertilizer or a fall fertilizer as long as it does not have any weed control in it.

3. Water regularly. This step is not easy and where most people lose the battle with new grass seed. It is important to water for quick germination and continued growth until the seedlings have a chance to deepen their roots. You will want to water about 20 minutes a day. We suggest that you do this in the morning, so that the water will help the grass get through the heat of the day.

And that’s it! After about 2-3 weeks, you should be looking at a pretty nice lawn that will slowly thicken in over another week or two. Now is a great time to seed since the ground is warm and we haven't seen the leaves starting to fall, however, you can really perform this work all the way through October as well. After that, your results will sort of depend on the weather, so if it is getting too cold in November, you might want to hold off until spring.

Thanks for reading,

Derek Satterfield

Rollier's Hardware

Phone: 412-561-0922

Email: info@rolliers.com 

Address: 600 Washington Road
Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228

Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm and Sun 10am-5pm 

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