How Much Grass Seed for Overseeding

How Much Grass Seed for Overseeding? 3 Significant Tips

Winter weather, diseases, and general wear and tear can affect the appearance of your lawn. At times, your lawn might look old or experience issues with brown patches or thinning. In this case, overseeding your lawn can be the best remedy to prevent future problems.

Overseeding helps to improve the appearance of your lawn, increase thickness, and reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides. However, this lawn care task is not easy.

Many yard owners are not sure about how much grass seed for overseeding. They end up owning a lawn with gaps and bare spots in the sod. Calculating the amount of grass seed you need for your project will help you own a beautiful and full lawn.

How Much Grass Seed for Overseeding?

The amount of grass seed required in a specific site depends on the species of grass seed and the size of the yard to be overseeded. 

Here are 3 tips to determine the right amount of grass seed needed to achieve a full and healthy lawn

1. Measure the size of your yard

To determine the square footage of your yard, you will need to multiply the length and width. For instance, if your yard measures 40 feet by 20 feet, your square footage will be 800 square feet. This will help you determine the amount of grass seed to purchase. 

2. Choose the best grass seed for overseeding

Different types of grass seed vary in terms of quantity. Thus, choosing the right grass seed for your yard can be challenging. Grass seed is expensive. Therefore, if you choose the wrong type, you will waste a lot of money. In this case, you need to determine the grass seed that will match your yard. 

The best grass seed for overseeding depends on the type of the existing grass, type of soil, and prevailing climate. Also, you can choose grass seed depending on how you want your lawn to look.

Read: Top-rated grass seed for muddy areas

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3. Determine the amount of grass seed needed for your project

As you are aware, various brands have different amounts of grass seed. The good thing is that many brands indicate the quantity of grass seed on the label. This will make it easier for you to determine the amount to buy.

If you plan to overseed every year, you may need less grass seed than performing it after several years. Also, you can use 2-4 lbs per 1000 square feet if you want your lawn to look thick. Besides, if you’re going to do a complete renovation of the lawn, you can go for 8-12 lbs per 1000 square feet.

Also: Commercial lawn aerators reviews

FAQs about the Amount of Grass Seed Needed For Overseeding

How can you determine the right amount of grass seed to apply?

It takes effort and the right amount of grass seed to achieve a beautiful and healthy lawn. The first step to take when overseeding is to measure your yard to enable you buy grass seed that will form a dense and full lawn.

But how can you determine the overseeding rate? You can refer to the seed packaging to know the amount needed for a specific yard size. Many grass seed types can be applied at a rate of 2lb-4lb per 1000 square feet. 

To calculate the amount of grass seed needed for your lawn, you need to divide the overseeding rate of the grass seed by 1000. Then, multiply the number you get by the square footage of your yard.

For instance, if your square footage is 1500 and the overseeding rate of the grass seed is 4lbs per 1000 square meters, you will need to divide 4 by 1000. Then multiply this by the square footage of your yard (1500), which results in 6lbs of grass seed required for overseeding your yard.

Which is the best grass seed for overseeding?

Zoysia Grass

A good way to overseed your lawn is to select a grass seed that is compatible with your existing lawn.
But it is good to be careful when using bargain store grass seeds. Most of these seeds are of poor quality and contain undesirable varieties.

However, there are common grass seeds that are best for overseeding.

Here are the 4 best grass seeds for overseeding

Bermudagrass

Bermudagrass is a warm-season grass that germinates fast and is tolerant to salt and drought. It grows into dense and green grass, making Bermuda a perfect choice for overseeding.

Tall fescue

Tall fescue is a cool-season grass that is dark green. It is wear-resistant, and it blends well with different types of grass seeds such as Kentucky and Bermudagrass. 

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial Ryegrass is another popular grass species for overseeding warm-season grasses. This is because it germinates rapidly and can grow with annual bluegrass.

See also: Which grass turns yellow in summer

Zoysia grass

Zoysia grass is a good option for overseeding lawn that sustains heavy traffic. Also, it can be a good choice for winter lawns. This is because of its aboveground stolons that create a dense and thick lawn that can withstand prolonged use.

Why is it important to overseed your lawn?

After several years, your lawn may begin to slow down its growth rate. This can make it look old, brown, or worn out. And because watering and adding fertilizer may not help to improve its appearance, you need to consider overseeding. 

Overseeding involves planting new grass seed over the existing turf. This process helps to fill in bare spots, make the lawn thicker, and improve its overall appearance. With this, you will not have worries about heavy rains or traffic thinning or destroying your lawn.

Also read: Grass seed protection covers

Regular care and maintenance will keep your lawn healthy. And the best way to achieve this is by understanding how much grass seed for overseeding.

If you apply the right amount of grass seed, you will ensure a full and thick lawn. It is good to note that the quantity of the grass seed will depend on the size of your yard and the type of grass seed.

In this case, you need to come up with accurate measurements of your area to ensure that you don’t purchase more or fewer grass seeds.

Author

  • Ricky

    Hi, I’m Ricky. I’ve been involved in lawn care and landscaping from when I was 15. To be honest, I didn’t like the idea of pushing mowers, collecting grass clippings, and maintaining flowerbeds at the time. But having seem the passion my parents had for gardening and outdoors and the effort they put in maintaining the health and beauty of our landscape, I couldn’t help but not only admire their hard work but also I became a part of it. As someone who loves to spend time with nature’s best, I find myself learning a lot more about gardening and outdoors on a daily basis. Not to mention I love to share the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years with my readers at We Mow Dallas. To be clear, I don’t have a Master’s degree in gardening or anything like that. Everything I’ve learned about gardening, landscaping, and lawn care spring from passion and engagement with my parents. And with a ton of free information out there, plus the ability to run tests and determine what works best for lawn care and landscaping, every day is an opportunity to learn and implement something new. My goal with We Mow Dallas is to teach you exactly how to maintain your lawn and landscape. And since I walk the talk in reality, you shouldn’t hesitate to join me in this wonderful world of landscaping and lawn care.

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