Overseed question

Discuss how to and whether you should renovate your lawn
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Pway
Posts: 771
Joined: May 29th, 2014, 5:42 pm
Location: Piscataway NJ
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Overseed question

Post by Pway » July 2nd, 2014, 6:10 pm

Hi, learning a lot for you folks. I would like to overseed this fall. I have about 25,000 square feet of lawn so a renovation isn't something I feel ready to tackle. My lawn is a northern mix of the usual grasses from 50 years of Scott's sun and shade. While a dark green would be appealing if I did a full renovation, I read with interest several comments saying that a dark grass would not be attractive in patches or an overseed situation because it would stand out. I think I agree and have a mid green color overall in my lawn now. I'd like to get a lighter or mid green that matches, KBG for spreading and look, a leaf toward finer blade, disease resistant. I have irrigation so drought resistance is less of an issue. I was looking at the NTEP data and thought Bedazzeled, Blue Note, or America would work. Any suggestions on these or others to consider? Also, it sounds like some of the web sites are getting mixed reviews, are there recommended sellers? Thanks for the thoughts and suggestions.

bpgreen
Posts: 3871
Joined: January 3rd, 2009, 2:28 am
Location: Utah (Wasatch Front)
Grass Type: Western, Streambank, Crested wheatgrass in front (with blue grama added in the heckstrips), sheep fescue in back; strawberry clovetr in both
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
Level: Experienced

Re: Overseed question

Post by bpgreen » July 2nd, 2014, 11:33 pm

If you've been using the sun and shade mix, you've got a mix of KBG and fescue now, and you may have some rye in there, also.

Do you have bare spots in the lawn? If so, how big are they? I'd think they should fill in on their own, unless they're big. To match your current lawn, you should probably use the sun and shade mix. Using elite cultivars will give you dark green mixed in with what you have now.

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HoosierLawnGnome
Posts: 9591
Joined: May 22nd, 2013, 5:59 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Grass Type: Blueberry KBG
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Overseed question

Post by HoosierLawnGnome » July 2nd, 2014, 11:46 pm

I'm with bpgreen - I think consistency looks the best. YOu can maximize it's green color with the right soil and feeding levels, and get it to fill in nicely - there are some GREAT NoMix lawns out there.

If you're wanting to go for something beyond a NoMix, as I kinda read in your thread - you can overseed - but it can be a big challenge too. You can end up with camoflauge from more KBG in one spot than another etc, which is what I have in my back yard and why I'm renovating it.

Everybody thinks I'm crazy. I'm ok with that. Discerning eyes know what I'm talking about though.

Pway
Posts: 771
Joined: May 29th, 2014, 5:42 pm
Location: Piscataway NJ
Grass Type: Northern Mix
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Overseed question

Post by Pway » July 3rd, 2014, 8:19 am

thanks BP and Hoosier. Yes, I'm concerned about the darker colors of the elite KBG. I was hoping to get some of the benefits of the new cultivars (better disease resistance, better shade tolerance) without introducing a dark green that would look camoflauge, as you mention, Hoosier. That's why I was looking at some mid-green cultivars but I'm not sure if that makes sense. I do have KBG, tall fescue, fine fescue in a shade area (that I hate so I was hoping a shade tolerant new KBG could overtake it in time) and rye. I put some "box store" seed down last year and came up with some very unwanted grasses that were in the bag (poa bulbusa and triv, among others). So my next question, and thanks so much for the help, is are there any really good northern mixes and have some of the benefits of the new cultivars but might blend in better? Thanks!

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Dad&theDuke
Posts: 754
Joined: September 17th, 2012, 10:59 am
Location: South New Jersey
Grass Type: 90% TTF-10%KBG
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Re: Overseed question

Post by Dad&theDuke » July 11th, 2014, 10:33 am

VERY, VERY, VERY WELL SAID. I have camoflauge too. The worst is looking at your lawn when wearing polarized sunglasses. The Rye spots just jump right out.

HoosierLawnGnome wrote:You can end up with camoflauge from more KBG in one spot than another etc, which is what I have in my back yard and why I'm renovating it.

Everybody thinks I'm crazy. I'm ok with that. Discerning eyes know what I'm talking about though.


tlinden
Posts: 2260
Joined: May 11th, 2014, 5:22 pm
Location: RI
Grass Type: Bewitched, Blue Velvet, Prosperity
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Re: Overseed question

Post by tlinden » July 11th, 2014, 11:09 am

I might just round up the odd spots over time and call it a weed. Wife already thinks im crazy trying to kill poa and nimblewill. She sees it all as grass anyways lol

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