Sowing and Overseeding Your Lawn

Dreaming of a green, dense, and uniform lawn? The key to success lies in two essential steps: sowing and overseeding. Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to revitalize an existing lawn, the right techniques make all the difference. Follow our guide to learn how to sow like a pro and transform your yard into a true carpet of greenery!

The Importance of Sowing and Overseeding Your Lawn

Having a healthy, dense lawn is no accident. In addition to regular watering and mowing, it's crucial to sow and overseed your lawn to ensure its beauty and longevity.

With good preparation and quality seeds, you can sow your grass. Over the years, it's normal for certain areas of the lawn to need reseeding.

Why Sow and Overseed?

• Improve lawn density and resilience: A dense sowing smothers weeds and prevents their proliferation. In addition, a thick lawn is more resistant to foot traffic, diseases, and bad weather.
• Repair damaged areas: Time, insects, animals, and various activities can damage your lawn. Overseeding helps fill in sparse or dead areas and restore a uniform carpet of grass.
• Introduce new grass varieties: New seeds often offer better resistance to diseases, drought, or shade. They can also be chosen based on the amount of sun and soil type of your yard.
• Enhance your lawn's appearance: A dense, uniform lawn is simply more aesthetic. By choosing a seed blend tailored to your needs, you'll get a lawn you can be proud of.

Analyze the Soil and Lime as Needed

Soil analysis helps you determine the soil type, its mineral content, and its pH. The pH must be adequate to ensure optimal mineral availability for the lawn. The ideal range is between 6.0 and 7.0 for optimal growth.

• A soil that is too acidic (pH < 6.0) requires the addition of lime.
• A soil that is too alkaline (pH > 7.0) requires iron or aluminum sulfate, or sulfur.

To learn more about your soil, see how to take a sample and bring it to your retailer.

Choose Your Seeds

We recommend using our premium BOTANIX lawn seeds and fertilizers to meet your needs.

• Select a blend based on the sun exposure of your yard.
• Prefer a blend containing endophytes that deter certain insect pests.
• Use seeds with mycorrhizae for a lawn that is more resistant to heat, drought, and insects.

Sowing a New Lawn

Sowing is an economical solution that allows you to choose a grass blend perfectly adapted to the sun exposure of your yard.

1. Till the soil and correct any nutrient deficiencies.
2. Remove weeds as needed.
3. Spread 15 cm (6 in.) of good quality soil.
4. Level the soil by raking the surface until it is uniform.
5. Lightly flatten with a roller.
6. Spread Sod and Seed fertilizer to facilitate grass root development.
7. Sow by hand or with a spreader. Cross your yard in two perpendicular directions.
8. Gently rake the soil with a leaf rake to lightly cover the seeds with topsoil.
9. Water regularly 1 to 2 times a day for 20 to 30 minutes. The soil should remain moist during germination, which is about 2 weeks. The spray should be gentle to avoid washing away the seeds.
10. Mow the lawn when it reaches a height of about 10 cm (4 in.). The ideal cutting height is 7.5 cm (3 in.).

Sowing in Spring: Waking Up Your Lawn

Spring is an excellent time to sow, as the cool daytime temperatures and mild nights promote germination. This time of year is ideal for repairing damage caused by winter and preparing your lawn for the warmer months.

1. Aerate the soil with a fork or a lawn aerator.
2. Clean up your lawn: Rake and remove dead leaves and debris to allow air to circulate and the soil to warm up.
3. Add a layer of topsoil to bare areas for better growth.
4. Sow the grass seeds and water generously, then regularly until the grass has fully sprouted.
5. Apply a starter fertilizer rich in phosphorus to stimulate root development of the young sprouts.

Sowing in Fall: The Ideal Time

In Quebec, late summer and fall are the best times to sow and overseed. Cooler nights, morning dew, and still-warm soil provide optimal conditions for germination and deep rooting. It's the perfect time to densify your lawn and prepare it to face winter.

1. Aerate the soil so it can properly absorb water and nutrients.
2. Mow the lawn shorter, to about 5 cm (2 in.), so the seeds can easily reach the soil.
3. Pull out weeds.
4. Topdress: Spread a thin layer of Marine Compost (about 3 mm / 1/8 in.) over the entire surface to enrich the soil.
5. Sow according to the seeding rate indicated on the package.
6. Keep the surface moist for 15 days. Water lightly every day to avoid washing away the seeds.
7. Apply a fall fertilizer rich in potassium to strengthen the roots and increase cold resistance.

Repairing Patches

When the lawn is damaged in certain areas, you can repair the patches locally to restore a uniform carpet of grass.

1. Diagnose the problem: Before sowing, check the cause of the damage. The presence of white grubs, other insects, or diseases may require specific treatment to prevent the problem from returning.
2. Mow the lawn to 5 cm.
3. Rake the yellowed or damaged lawn.
4. Pull out or locally treat weeds with an herbicide that systematically penetrates the plant to dry it out.
5. Spread a layer of repairing soil of 1.25 cm (1/2 in.) thick over the entire surface.
6. Spread Sod and Seed fertilizer to facilitate grass root development.
7. Sow according to the seeding rate indicated on the package.
8. Keep the surface moist for 15 days. Water lightly every day to avoid washing away the seeds.