Overseeding in Zone 6A

[Architect97]

Hello all,

I have been getting more and more into lawn care recently. I travel for work, but that has slowed down and may cease altogether soon.

I live in St. Louis, MO, Zone 6A, and would like to learn more about this. I am beginning to read the articles on the site, as well as ask some questions. Since it is now mid-October, I would assume the time to overseed has passed?

If I could still overseed, what are your recommendations for types of grass? I have seen info that states Ryegrass, Bentgrass, Bluegrass, Fescue and Buffalograss are good for my zone. I am unsure what type of grass I have now, other than at one time, it used to be predominantly Zoysia. My main goal is a consistent looking lawn (in terms of height, color, thickness) and relatively low maintenance, with strong weed and drought tolerance. Right now I have a ton of weeds and even some bare spots, which I believe is from dog urine.

I would like some info regarding overseeding this late in the year. If I can do so, would you be so kind as to give some tips such as watering frequency (specifically for overseeding - I understand deep and infrequent after the yard is established), type of fertilizer, aeration, Milorganite or not, things of that nature. I would love for this to begin strong next year, if I'm not too late.

I did add some Milorganite about a month ago. I have fertilized and spread some insecticide this summer also (our bugs are pretty bad - mostly mosquitoes, but some others, too). My watering regimen has been lacking, I'll admit, but I will change that if I am able to overseed this fall or at least begin fresh next year.

Thank you in advance for any help! Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!

[Marinegrunt]

Welcome to the forum. Be sure to continue browsing. There is a ton of great info here. Be sure to check out the articles page too. Just click the "home" bottom and you'll see them.

It's pretty late in the year to be over seeding. I live up in zone 5 (between peoria and bloomingron, il) and our average first frost is October 15th. I would guess yours is about a week later? That's not much time for the grass to mature in order to survive winter.

I would spend time reading the forum this winter and plan on doing something next fall. If your main goal is a consistent looking lawn you may just want to do a reno next fall and start fresh. It will be hard to have consistent color when you don't know your current grass and then also throwing something else in the mix. There's nothing wrong with doing so but you won't accomplish your goal that way.

There's a member here named STL. I'm sure you can guess where he's from. He'll be able to offer better advice than what I can and if it's worth risking seeding this late. I'm sure he'll notice your post.

[bpgreen]

@marinegrunt--Between Peoria and Bloomington? I grew up in Morton, went to high school in Peoria and lived in Peoria for a number of years before moving to Utah.

@Architect97--I'm probably the resident expert on native grasses. I'm replying because you mentioned buffalo grass.

If you want a lawn that's really low maintenance, buffalo grass could be a good choice. Once it's established, you shouldn't need to water it. Ever. I live in a semi-arid area, and if I had gone with buffalo grass, I wouldn't need to water it. And you get far more rainfall than I. And you also shouldn't need to fertilize it. And if you're ok with a lawn that is about 4 inches tall, you probably won't need to mow.

I think it makes an attractive lawn (although I don't currently have any). But it's not going to give you a dark green lawn like a traditional turf grass will. If you decide buffalo grass is what you want, do not go with a seeded variety. Buffalo grass pollen is tough on people with allergies, and the seeds are burrs, so it's not really fun to walk in. Sodded and plugged varieties don't produce seeds or pollen, so they're much better choices. Sod can be pretty expensive, so plugs are used more often.

Blue grama is often mixed with buffalo grass (both in nature and in lawns). Blue grama is available as sod, plugs or seed. As far as I know, even the sod and plug varieties produce seed heads, but the pollen isn't as bad for allergies, and the seeds are really small (almost like dust). The seed heads will generally be taller than the 4 inches of the turf. You can either mow them, or leave them be. Mowing encourages tillering, but leaving them be can promote spreading via new plants from the seeds.

I've got a fair amount of blue grama in my lawn, and I like the looks, but I'll admit that it doesn't compare with a KBG lawn.

Blue grama and buffalo grass are both warm season grasses, so it's far too late to seed, but you may be able to sod or plug.

[STL]

Welcome neighbor! If you want to learn about lawn care, you definitely came to the right place.

For the record, there is a much more experienced and knowledgeable member in our area, Bernstem. Reading up on his posts about our area will be very helpful.

If I could still overseed, what are your recommendations for types of grass? I have seen info that states Ryegrass, Bentgrass, Bluegrass, Fescue and Buffalograss are good for my zone. I am unsure what type of grass I have now, other than at one time, it used to be predominantly Zoysia. My main goal is a consistent looking lawn (in terms of height, color, thickness) and relatively low maintenance, with strong weed and drought tolerance. Right now I have a ton of weeds and even some bare spots, which I believe is from dog urine.

You may not have missed the cut off to overseed and have it establish well enough, but youre getting really close.

Honestly, if it were me, I would hold off until next year and first focus mainly the decisions regarding the above quote. If uniformity and consistency is top priority, finding out what you have now is going to be key. Overseeing cool season grass into zoysia will not achieve that primary goal. Color/texture, growth habits, and dormancy are going to be the biggest difference.

Then consider what specifically you mean by low maintenance and how much effort you're willing to put in initially, short term, and long term. Same with drought tolerance. No irrigation? Once a month? Etc. That'll also help point you in the right direction of grass type. I recommend looking into tttf, a mix of tttf and kbg, or the sticking with zoysia. Green is your guy on the natives

For reference, established zoysia is probably the lowest maintenance but you'll have a tan dormant lawn for several months and the color and feel won't be as nice as tttf or kbg. Keeping the zoysia, you'll either need it to spread, which could take a long time, you'll need to buy sod, which can be expensive, or plant plugs. If you want a cool season grass, you're probably going to want to kill the zoysia. You'll have more success doing that in the summer and then seeding in August/September.

Other than that, also get a soil test going with logan labs.

[Marinegrunt]

@marinegrunt--Between Peoria and Bloomington? I grew up in Morton, went to high school in Peoria and lived in Peoria for a number of years before moving to Utah.

I know Morton well. That's where we do most of our grocery shopping. All we have is a small IGA. My wife and I both have relatives in Morton. With the age range of both my wife's cousins and mine I bet there's a good chance you know one of them.

I grew up in Metamora and lived there until I left for the Marine Corps right after I graduated. We now live in a small town directly south of Morton. My wife grew up and teaches here.