How to Overseed A Tall Fescue Lawn in Cumming, GA

Tall fescue lawns may thin out over the summer, and your yard may appear clumpy. Thankfully, fall is the season for overseeding and getting your Fescue back to a solid green turf. Here are some steps on how to overseed your tall fescue lawn.

Step One: Don’t Use Pre-Emergent Herbicides!

Before getting too involved in a tutorial on overseeding, it must be said that you should NOT use a pre-emergent herbicide prior to overseeding. Fall is the time to apply pre-emergent herbicides on cool-season grasses, and it will prevent weed seeds from germinating. However, it also stops grass seed, so don’t plan on overseeding and using herbicide in one season.

Step Two: Test Soil

It is also helpful to test your soil prior to reseeding, so you can amend the soil and get a good pH level prior to seeding. Georgia clay (ultisol) tends to be acidic, which means you may need to apply some lime amendments in order to get to a 5.8 to 6.5 pH. Make sure to test multiple areas in your yard, so the seed is successful throughout your lawn. Other nutrients may also be necessary such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. Your soil test will give you clear instructions on what should be done to make a perfect growing environment for your new fescue. Fertilizer or organic composts can be used to supply these nutrients.

Step Three: Mow

You lawn needs to be freshly mowed in order to create an ideal place for seeds to reach the soil to grow. Longer lawns may prevent seeds from scattering evenly resulting in uneven coverage.

Step Four: Rake/Dethatch

A lawn free of debris will create a better bed for seeds, so raking, dethatching, and removing any leaves or sticks is ideal.

Step Five: Aerate

It’s a good time to aerate your tall fescue lawn anyway, and this will also help your seeds grow because it will make the ground less compact, so roots can grow easily.

Step Six: Spread Quality Seed

The seed you use when overseeding should be either blue or gold tag certified as quality seed that is pure and free of weeds. Use a spreader calibrated for your lawn and your seed wants, so your spread is even and thorough enough to provide coverage for the thin areas in your lawn. Like aeration, seeds should be spread in multiple directions to get good coverage.

Step Seven: Cover the Seed

Some people cover their seed with straw, but this is risky and can introduce weeds. Instead, cover it with mulch. A thin, 1/4” layer of mulch will allow all of the grass to grow through it. If you use a compost spreader, it will have the added effect of pushing the seed down a little into the soil.

Step Eight: Water

Until the seeds have germinated, the ground must remain consistently moist, so you have to water once or twice a day. This is crucial for seed germination, so it will have to be done for up to two weeks before resuming a regular water schedule.

When to Overseed Tall Fescue

Fall is the time to reseed fescue because it is in its peak growing season, but it will have another in the spring. If you miss your fall planting, you’ll have another chance then.