Why you should overseed your lawn
Renovate and repair your lawn
Whether a partial renovation is needed, bare spots need to be patched, or a thinning lawn needs a bit of restoration, overseeding a lawn is a must for repair.
Prevent spring weeds
Many people overseed to help fix a thin lawn, but pros are overseed to maintain a healthy lawn and prevent thinning in the first place. This replaces dead grass and grows a more dense grass canopy, which is good for looks and weed resistance.
Introduce better grass
It’s also an opportunity to introduce more resilient and high-quality grass. Diverse grass blends boost your lawn’s ability to resist disease, prevent erosion, and retain stormwater for a more eco-friendly backyard.
When should you overseed your lawn?
Cool-season grasses can be seeded in the spring or fall when daily average temperatures consistently hold between 55 and 75F. The best time to seed is fall, followed by spring, when daytime temperatures average in the low 70s. Avoid seeding in summer.
If grass can be seeded, warm-season grasses can be seeded when daily average temperatures consistently hold between 70 and 90F. The best time to seed is late spring to early summer, followed by mid-summer. Avoid planting in the fall.
How to overseed a lawn
Get right seed for your lawn
Now is your chance to strengthen your lawn by selecting a grass seed blend suited to your lawn use and climate—from pets and drought to shade tolerance.
Find the perfect seed for your lawn with our Seed Finder Tool.
Mow your lawn a bit shorter
Adjust your mower blade one notch lower—nothing drastic—to help seeds reach the soil more easily. In most cases, you can mulch grass clippings as usual.
If your grass clippings are large enough to prevent seeds from getting down to the soil, rake and bag them with any excessive thatch or debris in the lawn.
Sunday Tip:
What about mowing after the fact? If you watered right after seeding (which, hint, you should!), wait until the lawn is dry to mow so you don't track seed off. Besides waiting for drier grass, there's no need to wait before mowing after overseeding.
Spread your seeds uniformly
Overseed grass seed uniformly across your lawn. Want the exact seed rate? It's 2 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. for overseeding.
You can spread seeds by hand or use a spreader if you have one handy. Most seed bags include a seeding chart on the label for the specific seed mixture.
Sunday Tip:
Psst. Brush up on our best tips for how to plant grass before overseeding!
Keep soil moist
Watering is critical to helping grass seed establish in your lawn. Keep seeded areas moist until at least 60% of the seed has germinated.
Depending on your climate, light and frequent watering is best for newly planted seeds. Many areas in the northeast or midwest may not have to supplement water, while drier areas like the Texas panhandle may need water daily until seeds germinate.
Let the grass grow
Keep off any sensitive newly seeded area until grass sprouts—particularly in bare or thinning areas. Even after grass grows, it’s still pretty vulnerable until it thickens and it's first mowing.
When you need to, fence off areas from curious pets or active kiddos.
What if I miss the window to overseed?
For warm-season seeds, you may need to wait until next season. Stick to patching bare spots.
However, you're in luck if you have cool-season grass. The typical overseeding and bare patching window usually ends in northern and transitional zones in early October—but if you miss the window for overseeding, hold tight! If you wait until it’s cold enough to prevent germination, but before you get snow or ice cover (usually late October to early November), you can frost seed instead. The seed will hang out over the winter and sprout in the spring.
Happy seeding!
Cited sources
Overseeding athletic fields and lawns. Cornell Extension.
Seeding your lawn this fall? University of Minnesota Extension.
