How to reseed my lawn

[weekendDIY]

I have made a couple of post with questions over the past couple of days and have gathered alot of good info. Thanks to all.

Does this sound like a good plan?

I plan on buying some Ortho Weed-B-Gone to try to kill of my Wild Violets and crab grass.

I want to overseed the yard, I live in Central NJ, and my lawn is a mix of grasses. Should I just buy a premium blend of grass seed from Home Depot (Scotts or Lesco)? Home Depot will also rent me a drill seeder (I assume it is an aerator) or an overseeder (I assume is a slice seeder). The guy at home depot said the "gas powered overseeder" will tear up my current lawn. Not sure if he knew what he was talking about or not but can somebody point me in the right direction? How should I go about seeding my lawn?

Thanks for the help.

[olderthandirt]

Buy the blend, and slice seed it in. water, water, water till it germinates

Mac

[Rtom45]

But don't overseed too soon after you apply weed killer. Usual recommendation is about 6 weeks after. You can shorten this a little if you are willing to pay extra attention to your lawn after you seed it.

[weekendDIY]

Slice seed - I assume I can get one from a tool rental place? Will that tear up the current lawn? Is there anything that I have to be aware about (patern, overlap, etc)?

Watering - I have a spinkler system that runs every 2 days for 20 minutes per zone. I know I will have to water it every day but does 20 minutes sound right or is that too much

Timing - I live in Central NJ, when is the latest that I can get the seed down?

[mc1169]

If you read my current thread called "Heavy Clover Problems" we talk extensively about fall lawn renovations. All of your questions will be answered.

[weekendDIY]

MC1169 - Thanks for the info on your thread. There was alot there that helped. I do have one question -

I plan on doing the Weed-B-Gone tonight for the Wild Violets. How long do you have to wait after that to aerate and seed?

[gml9]

I've heard of people on here slit seeding and fertilizing the day after the spraying the lawn to kill. I'd wait 3-4 days(personally) to make sure I killed the lawn by waiting to see it brown. Hope this helps. Post your results in the pic forum(before/after).

[weekendDIY]

Thanks gml9. I figured I was going to wait until at least next weekend to seed

I have been recommend to aerate and seed my lawn by some and others have suggested slice seed my lawn. Which is better to do to why? Is one easier to do for a novice like myself? Is there anything to be careful of?

[muddstopper]

Spraying WeedBeGone and seeding next week will result in seed that will not germinate. Due to the time of year I would suggest either a total lawn kill using roundup or similar glyphosate product or skipping the weed killing all together until next year. Next spring you can worry about the weeds as most of them will be dieing or going dormant at the first frost, which for you will probably be within the next 4 weeks, (mid Oct).
Good results can be had overseeding using an areator or slit seeding. My personal preference is broadcasting and then using an areo-vator to work the seed into the soil. If you go the slit seeding route I would suggest making two passes over your lawn with the second pass at a 45* angle to the first pass. This will help elimate the appearance of seeding in rows.

[weekendDIY]

muddstopper - you are the first person to say not to use the Weed-B-Gone and to reseed this fall. Why is that, espically since I did the Weed-B-Gone tonight.

My plan was to Weed-B-Gone tonight than again in a week. I was than going to wait another 1-2 weeks and aerate and seed which would put me at the end of the month or 1st week of October. I can skip the second Weed-B-Gone and reseed in 2-3 weeks. What is the latest that I can put the seed down?

[gml9]

I was referring to killing the entire lawn with Roundup when I mention, "killing it" not weed b gone. You can definately use roundup and seed......ask others here...or do a search.

[weekendDIY]

gml9 - I knew RoundUp and seeding is fine but muddstopper said that Weed-B-Gone and seeding is a bad combo. Did more digging on the Weed-B-Gone and it appears that it affects Bermuda grass. Since I live in NJ I don't have any Bermuda grass. I also called Ortho and they said wait 3 weeks after Weed-B-Gone to lay seed.

What is the latest in the year that I can put seed down in NJ?

[lawnboy30]

I am a landscaper in Northern NJ. At this time of year, I would not spray any weed killer down. Start by core aerating the entire property, overseed with a fescue mix, throw some peat moss over top for added measure and water, water, water, in about 8 days grass should germinate. You can then lime your property in late october. Latest to seed and see results would be in next 3 weeks. any later and you should wait until the spring.

[weekendDIY]

lawnboy30 - Thanks for the input. Problem is I did the weed killer (weed-B-Gone for wild violet) Monday night. Ortho says wait 3 weeks which puts me at the weekend of Oct 2-3 (1-2 days short of 3 weeks). Sounds like I am cutting it close. Should I not even bother with the seeding? If I do seed should I still put down a starter fert?

[bushtrimmer]

Weed killer should be active in the lawn for more than a couple weeks, hence hampering germination of new grass seed.
Slice seed now and worry about the weeds next year. Slice seeding will 'tear up' the yard by pulling up some of the thatch to the top of the grass but it puts the seed where it should be for best germination. Might look like sh*t but long term is good.
When spraying violet, its best to put in a couple ounces of Dawn dishwashing soap to help break through the waxy barrier on the leaf. I think Dawn is one of the few that uses a true adjuvant which is best to break through the wax.

[weekendDIY]

But the weed killer is already done. It went down Monday 9/13. If I wait 3 weeks, Oct 2-3, is that long enough to wait but still give the seed enough time to germinate before it gets too cold?