Whether you’re just digging into a new bag of seed, or you got a jump on the season by aerating and overseeding weeks ago, your fall lawn care hasn’t been put to bed. Newly seeded grass needs additional maintenance to germinate and grow into the flourishing landscape you want come spring. In these early weeks after overseeding, tailor your watering, fertilizing, mowing, and general lawn care habits to cultivate the seedlings into a thick, vivid green lawn.
Watering and Fertilizing
Without proper watering, new seeds will quickly dehydrate. To ensure your grass thrives, water heavily after overseeding. This will flush the seedlings into the aeration plugs in your yard and keep them moist as they burrow into the soil. Hydrate your lawn at least once a day for the first three weeks after laying fresh seed. Switch to less frequent watering after germination, focusing on penetrating the soil and soaking the roots of your grass. Fertilization is also crucial to newly seeded grass. Ask the professionals at Ace Hardware of Gray, Georgia how much fertilizer to use for your grass type; over-fertilizing often does your lawn more harm that not fertilizing it at all.
Maintaining and Mowing
New seeds need protection to establish fully. Reroute foot traffic until your lawn establishes, or lay stepping-stones to prevent sparse patches of grass in the coming years. As leaves begin to litter your yard, they will block the sunlight your grass needs in order to store nutrients for the coming season. Remove fallen leaves with a blower; a rake will tear up new grass and stagnate growth. When your sprouts reach 3 inches, they are strong enough to withstand mowing. Mow infrequently at first, making sure your blades are sharp to prevent damage to the tender shoots.
Contact Ace Hardware of Gray for all your aeration, overseeding, and landscape maintenance essentials.
