Reseeding grass? Here's how to tackle it!

Completely bare patches in the lawn or areas where the turf is just a little less thick. Sooner or later, every lawn has to deal with it, no matter how well you look after it. There can therefore be various causes. Fortunately, there is also a fairly simple - and obvious - solution: reseeding your lawn! But of course, there is a bit more to it than mindlessly spreading grass seed. So here we give you, among other things, a step-by-step plan for reseeding grass and provide you with useful tips!

Why reseed grass?

Surely everyone would rather have a beautifully even lawn than one that is riddled with bare patches? Yes, the eye wants something too! We would rather get rid of a lawn with bare patches. So aesthetic preferences are definitely a good reason to re-seed grass in your lawn.

If you see bare patches occurring in your lawn, you will notice that they often don't stay bare for long. Unfortunately, they are rarely if ever filled with grass but rather with weeds. This is because weeds grow faster than grass. In a full lawn with healthy growth, weeds, clover or moss have much less chance to grow than in a thin or bare lawn. Of course, it is not enough to top up grass in bare spots and then not look at it anymore. You need to monitor the reseeded areas closely, fertilise them and keep them free of weeds.

Discover our recovery mixtures

When to reseed grass?

Autumn:

Autumn is an ideal time to reseed grass. In September and October it is already wetter than during high summer, creating good conditions for young grass to grow. The soil is therefore moister, which immediately reduces the need for watering to allow your reseeded grass to germinate. The soil temperature in September-October is ideal for grass to grow. For reseeded grass to germinate, the soil temperature should be between 12°C and 20°C.

TIP: Barenburg's SOS (Super Over Seeding) grass seed germinates at a soil temperature of just 4°C! You can read about the advantages of overseeding/reseeding grass in winter here.

Spring:

In spring, the months of April and May are particularly ideal for reseeding grass. The temperature rises high enough so that the soil warms up enough as well. As soon as the soil temperature rises above 12°C, you can reseed grass. In addition, rain showers in April and May ensure that the grass seed gets enough water. Especially with a recovery mix, the grass will have grown enough by summer, when it will be warmer and drier.

Step-by-step guide to reseed grass

Before you can reseed grass, it is advisable to mow your lawn first. After reseeding, your lawn cannot be walked on for a while. If necessary, you can also scarify it first. This way you remove the thatch from your lawn, improve the soil structure and provide the soil with oxygen and proper drainage. Then you can start reseeding your lawn.

Loosen the bare spots with a rake. Loosening the top layer allows the seeds to make better contact with the soil. This promotes germination.
Any level differences can be eliminated by adding extra soil. If necessary, mix soil improver into the soil so that the grass seed is immediately provided with the necessary energy.
It is time to effectively reseed your grass. Follow the instructions on the package in terms of quantity per m².
Lightly rake in the grass seed without smothering it. Ideally, the grass seed should be no deeper than 1 cm below ground level.
Press the soil firmly. You can possibly use a lawn roller for this.
Then water the soil so that the supplementary grass can germinate properly.

Tip from Marcel

When reseeding grass, it is important to identify the cause of bald spots. Otherwise, you run the risk that reseeding grass will change nothing. Perhaps the lawn has been used too intensively locally, or has been damaged by a swimming pool or parasol base, for example. Pet urine can also cause (first yellow and then) bald patches.

If the soil is depleted by acidification, dehydration or locally too much nitrogen fertilisation, treatment is in order before effectively re-seeding grass. If pests are the culprit, you will also need to treat your lawn first.

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