DON’T SOD! RE-SEED!

For a fraction of the cost of new sod, we can overseed your existing lawn. If you have a previously established lawn and have been contemplating new sod or roto-tilling to bring it back to life, consider overseeding instead.  For a fraction of the cost of sod, you can have a lawn with significantly more advantages than sod.

What is Overseeding?

Overseeding is the process of planting grass seed directly into existing turf, without tearing up the turf or the soil. An investment in over seeding pays off with a thicker, more beautiful lawn.  Lawns tend to thin out with time. Most sod growers advise to over seed every two years to keep fescue lawns thick and healthy, and to avoid the expense and disruption of re-sodding a yard.

For successful overseeding, it is critical that seeds be placed into contact with the soil, whether seeding into live or dead turf. Seeds scattered on top of live or dead turf with a broadcast spreader rarely produce a decent strand of turf.  Seed to soil contact is what grows grass.  This can be accomplished with  a lawn “slit seeder”,  and a lawn aerator.  Both supremely useful for lawn renovation machines.  Slit-seeders combine vertical mowing with seeding. As the machine goes across your lawn, it opens the soil and deposits seed directly into the soil opening. Seed is metered at a predetermined rate; half the desired seeding rate is dispersed in  one direction and the other half on a second pass perpendicular to the first. These machines have an incredibly high success rate for seed taking root and growing.  Seeds are protected and nearly guaranteed protection from sun, birds by being packed firmly into the soil where, once it grows, it will remain in place.

Overseeding service includes a 5 step process

1) Power Raking / Dethatching

The first step is to dethatch the lawn using a power rake.  The thatch will be raked, bagged and hauled away.   This step is not necessary for all lawns and will be required if thatch is more than 1/2 inch thick. This can be checked by cutting a plug out from the yard and measuring the thickness of the  thatch layer.

2) Lawn Aeration

For the aeration step, we go over entire yard twice in different directions with a core lawn aerator.  This will loosen the soil, break up thatch and have an additional place for the seeds to germinate.

3) Mechanical Overseeding

We will go over the entire yard twice with a slit-seeder machine (mechanical overseeder).  Two passes in an X pattern distributing half the seed in each pass laying 99.9% weed free premium Kentucky blue grass at a rate of 4lbs per pass for 8lbs per 1,000 sq ft.

4) Lawn Rolling

For new lawns, we go over the entire area with a lawn roller to ensure seed to soil contact.

5) Fertilizing

The final step is to apply a starter fertilizer (high in phosphorus) over the entire lawn at  a rate of 1.5  lbs per 1000 square feet.

Pricing:

Overseeding costs for the entire 5 step processes listed above as well as checking your sprinkler system for proper coverage and setting your sprinkler clock for the appropriate watering schedule for the new seed is .16 cents per square foot with a minimum charge of a $150 for lawns under 1,000 sf.

Call for pricing for lawns greater than 5,000 square feet.

Example of how to calculate your cost:

If you would like your front and back yard overseeded and your front yard measures 20′ x 30′ = 600 square feet and your back yard measures 2o’ x 50′ = 1000  square feet,   your total square feet would be 1600 sf. and your cost would be:

1,600 x .16 = $256

Estimates:

Due to the overwhelming requests for lawn overseeding estimates, we do not offer free on-site estimates.

If you are unsure how to calculate the cost  and would prefer someone to come out to give you a lawn overseeding estimate there is a trip charge of $45.  This will also include a 30-minute lawn evaluation.  If you have the overseeding service done then this $45  trip charge will be subtracted from the overseeding cost, costing you nothing for the trip fee.

Lawns that are not recommended for Seeding:

1. Lawns that do not have a sprinkler system or a good working sprinkler system.

If you have a sprinkler system that needs repair please give us a call and we will be happy to come by to make repairs or provide an estimate. If you do not have a sprinkler system we offer complete sprinkler system installations At very competitive pricing.

2. Lawns were you will have dogs. 

If the lawn that you would like seeded will have dogs then it is not recommended to have that lawn seeded. Some small dogs are fine but for larger dogs it’s difficult to get seed to grow where there is large dog traffic.

What to do before overseeding:

Lawn will need to be mowed to a height of 1.5 inches to reduce competition from established grasses.  The clippings must be bagged as they will get in the way of the seed making contact with the soil.  This can be done by the homeowner or we will be happy to do this the day of overseeding for an additional cost.

Your sprinkler system must be in good working order.  Turn your sprinkler system on and check each zone for proper water coverage. If you would prefer us to do this we do offer a sprinkler turn-on/tune-up service.  Click here for service details on sprinkler start-up/tune-up.

What to do after overseeding:

  1. Adequate water must be available from seeding through germination.  This is an absolute must. Water the newly seeded area 2-3 times daily without fail setting your sprinkler clock to water 5-8 minutes per watering.  You are not soaking the soil, you are just avoiding letting the seed, once moistened, from drying out.  If you let the seed dry out for just one day, you can lose up to 40% germination; not a pretty  picture.   As newly germinated seedlings begin to growth, decrease the watering frequency and increase the duration to encourage rooting.
  2. Do not mow for 6 weeks.  Before mowing install a new or newly sharpened blade on your lawn mower.  A dull blade will rip the new seed from the soil. If you would like us to do this call us at 719-460-1728 or email [email protected]
  3. Fertilize 6-8 weeks after the overseeding has been done.  This is a very important step for the new hungry seedlings.  If you would like us to do this call us at 719-460-1728 or email [email protected]
  4. In late November apply a winterizer fertilizer to create good root growth for next year.   If you would like us to do this call us at 719-460-1728 or email [email protected]