Improving a lawn
 

Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Improving a lawn
 

"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Just tossing the seed does little from my experience. You have to scratch
the surface a bit for best results. Go to the Scott's web site.

Improving a lawn
 

dean wrote:
Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Waste of time and money. You need to address why it is thin. If the
conditions are right for a good lawn it will not be thin. If the conditions
are wrong, putting more seed there will not change things.

Get a soil sample tested, and take a look around. Heavy shade or
shallow tree roots or poor compacted soil etc. can cause the problems.

Work intelligently. Don't just through fertilizer or chemicals or seed
at the problem. Define the problem first.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Improving a lawn
 

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Just tossing the seed does little from my experience. You have to
scratch the surface a bit for best results. Go to the Scott's web
site.

Not to say that going to their web sight might not be a good idea as it
may, but remember that they are a commercial site and they are going to tend
to offer solutions that sell their product. In the case of Scott I have
noticed that in recent years they have gotten far worse at this. As I
recall the EPA has been after them for several years to clean up the mess
they have made at their Ohio headquarters.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Improving a lawn
 

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Just tossing the seed does little from my experience. You have to
scratch the surface a bit for best results. Go to the Scott's web
site.

Not to say that going to their web sight might not be a good idea as it
may, but remember that they are a commercial site and they are going to tend
to offer solutions that sell their product. In the case of Scott I have
noticed that in recent years they have gotten far worse at this. As I
recall the EPA has been after them for several years to clean up the mess
they have made at their Ohio headquarters.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Improving a lawn
 

Overseeding is very common. You'd do it good by renting a verticut machine
and using that along with the overseeding. But it's not totally necessary.

--
Steve Barker




"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

Improving a lawn
 

Just throwing seed down is very ineffective and considering what seed
costs, a waste of
money. To do a 1/2 acre, I'd rent a slice seeder. It has discs that
cut a series of grooves
about 2" apart, and then drops seed from a hopper. That results in
excellent germination.

But, you should also consider what you have to start with, what the
soil composition is, etc.
For example, if you have hard compacted soil, then that needs to be
addressed. Or if the PH is
off, that should be fixed. Or if you have mostly crappy, coarse,
weed type grasses, then it
would be better to kill it all off and establish a new lawn with
qualtiy seed. Best time for that is
Fall. If you do it now, it's harder, more competition from weeds,
more water with increasing temps, etc

Improving a lawn
 

On Apr 13, 2:42 pm, "Kewless" wrote:
On 13-Apr-2007, "dean" wrote:

Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.

A lawn will recover (and grow thick and lush) if it's allowed to
recover! One of THE most common mistakes in caring for a lawn
is that folks tend to set their mowers way, WAAAY too low. Now,
I'm not saying this is what you're doing, Dean. But if by chance
you are... Please, stop now and give your lawn a break, will ya?
; )


A lawn filling in on it's own is true to some extent. But a lot
depends on what kind of grass
he has. If it's bluegrass, it can spread. If it's a clump type
grass, like fescue,
it won't fill in larger bare spots.


I fertiize once a year, rarely seed, and never water. And yet I
consistently have one of the greenest lawns in the neighborhood.
Why? Because I refuse to cut too short and damage my lawn's
root system. It makes a world of difference.

Improving a lawn
 

Kewless wrote:
On 13-Apr-2007, "dean" wrote:


Is it possible to just throw a bunch of grass seed onto an existing
lawn, one that is not worth starting again from scratch, but that
could use thickening up?

Would I have to throw some soil down on top? I need to be able to
continue cutting it every week. I have around 1/2 acre to do.


A lawn will recover (and grow thick and lush) if it's allowed to
recover! One of THE most common mistakes in caring for a lawn
is that folks tend to set their mowers way, WAAAY too low. Now,
I'm not saying this is what you're doing, Dean. But if by chance
you are... Please, stop now and give your lawn a break, will ya?
; )

I fertiize once a year, rarely seed, and never water. And yet I
consistently have one of the greenest lawns in the neighborhood.
Why? Because I refuse to cut too short and damage my lawn's
root system. It makes a world of difference.

Right on! If the lawn is a little thin, without large dead areas, the
best result for the money might be to fertilize. Proper watering and
mowing do a great deal to keep a lawn healthy and free of weeds. After
it is fertilized, it should fill in on it's own; then, treat once for
broadleaf weeds (not in hot, dry weather).

If the soil is very hard packed, you might need aeration. A soil test
at the extension service can show significant pests or chemical problems.