It's been awhile since I checked in with our friend Dan at MowGreen.com - working to promote an offset to carbon pollution through environmentally friendly lawn care practices.
Dan reminds homeowners that fall is overseeding time, and keeping grass dominant is great weed control. When looking for one of the best products for fall overseeding, MowGreen.com likes Pearls Premium Ultra Low Maintenance Mix - ranked best for slow growth, less water and fertilizer.
To successfully overseed a lawn before winter, MoeGreen.com suggests mowing the lawn first, and performing some aeration in the form of little light raking makes sense for seed contact with soil for quick rooting.
A little soil and or fertilizer with the overseeding helps it get established fast. But Dan says be sure to keep the newly seeded area moist for a week or more for germination, then wet and dry (repeat) to get established for another week.
Additional fertilizer is often recommended to help boost overseeding (Dan likes the Chickitey Doo Doo brand). And it's good to follow up with an application of certified non-GMO, organic corn gluten after new grass seed gets rooted for weed control and fertilizing.
If you are in New England and haven't limed lately, Dan says your PH is likely acidic and more hospitable for weeds than grass. Nearly all his clients' lawn tests show that lime is deficient.
Healthy grass likes neutral, or alkaline PH, not acid, so give your lawn some lime if you haven't lately. Even if you do no overseeding or corn gluten, lime in the fall makes sense.
Compost top dressing of a quarter to a half inch is a good investment when overseeding to help the seed have soil contact for a quick start. And it also helps maintain a healthy soil biology.
And think about composting if you don't. Dan says corrals, pits, and compost containers on your property are the best way to deal with yard and food waste. Turn it into fertilizer on site and skip the hauling and bagging!
