3. Because of the way St. Augustine grows, it can be hard to get good seed contact with the soil without scalping and damaging the existing lawn. I raked all the dead grass off and I am considering overseeding now without aerating. The best way to reinvigorate your lawn is to overseed it. When you are overseeding for winter coverage, you may put down seed in early fall, but it requires quite a bit more management and irrigation to get the seed to take off. Thickener: Overseeding can thicken your worn out and weak lawn with new grass, including multiple varieties. For most species, spring is the best time to overseed the turf. This one step will do more to improve the quality of your lawn than almost anything else you can do. Below you will find the benefits that come with overseeding your lawn. I don't know if I'll have enough time until it gets cold for seed to grow if I seed at the end of the month. Overseeding is the process of adding grass seed to a lawn that already has existing grass. Also, Brown Patch is a common problem in St. Augustine lawns, especially if they are over-watered. To reduce the competition from the established turfgrass, mow the lawn at a height of 1.5 to 2 inches. The concept of overseeding lawns as part of a regular maintenance has been around for years, but it is still new to many homeowners. A newly seeded lawn develops stronger roots than older grasses and a lawn that's been oversown will also be less prone to weeds as denser lawns have less area for weeds to take hold. So, bring the lawn down to a length of an inch or so and remove the cut clippings, to ensure that the new seeds come in contact with the soil otherwise they will not germinate. Overseeding the lawn has a lot of benefits. It can help fill in the bare spots, strengthen the current grass, and help with any pesky weeds. The best time for overseeding your lawn is determined by the type of seed. We never recommend overseeding St. Augustine lawns. First, it recruits new grass populations to increase the density of turf cover. Overseeding also helps new grass retain its green colour longer in the drier months. When the lawn becomes crowded with turf, it will reduce the chances of weeds invading in empty spaces. In Iowa, late summer (mid-August to mid-September) is the best time to overseed a lawn. Lawns are roughly 4 years old, not sure how thick thatch is but I think there is some. Aerating creates holes in the grass and soil through which water, oxygen, and vital nutrients can reach the new grass seed and the roots of the existing grass. When to overseed depends on where you live. The soil is still warm in the early fall, which is necessary for seed germination, and the cooler air temperatures and rainfall at this time of year are better for grass growth. Will the germination rate be too low without aerating first? How do I overseed an existing lawn? How to Overseed a Lawn … This is important as allowing weeds to grow over the lawn invites pest problems. You don't have to break up your lawn or soil. https://gardensquared.com/what-is-the-best-time-to-overseed-a-lawn It can help prevent weeds from taking over your lawn. Overseeding a lawn in fall is ideal if you’re growing cool season grasses. When to Overseed a Lawn. Before overseeding, aerating the soil is very important, so that the seeds have the place to get nestled inside the soil cozily. Because the goal is to get new grass to grow among mature grass, specific steps must be taken when overseeding your lawn. Overseeding a lawn means planting grass seed directly into your existing grass. A dense stand of grass can be established by overseeding -- sowing grass seed into an existing lawn. For best overseeding results, a lawn must be prepared thoroughly beforehand, with special care taken for growing conditions. Overseed your lawn in New Hampshire in early fall (mid-September to mid-October) to give seeds a month or so to become established before the first frost.