Why Overseed?

Our Over-Seeding service will help to thicken your entire lawn with the highest quality certified grass seed available.  We carefully select the types of seed that is best suited for your lawn based on its environment, traffic and other conditions.  We look at NTEP trials (Seed rating trials conducted through premier turfgrass researchers)  to determine the highest rated seed, that will produce the best results in our service areas.  It will help to thicken up those areas that are really thin and not looking their best.   This service is included in our Chemical-Free Package or can be purchased separately.  Ideally, it should be combined with Core Aeration for better germination rates.

WHO NEEDS IT?

HOW OFTEN?

Over seeding should be done every year in order to successfully integrate stronger, healthier, more disease and insect resistant plants into your lawn. Should be done in spring or fall unless adequate irrigation is available regularly.  Ask your LawnSavers Plant Health Specialist for their advice.

BENEFITS

Thick lawns increase natural weed resistance.   Creates a more insect /disease resistant lawn by integrating stronger cultivars of grass enhanced with endophytes into your lawn.  It will help reduce previous damage and small bare spots. The result is a greener thicker lawn –Sooner!

PROCESS

We broadcast custom blended, specially selected, certified seed mixtures during early spring after the threat of first frost has passed, or in the early fall allowing enough time for seed to become established.
Seed must be watered regularly (sometimes 2-3 times per day in order to ensure succesful germination.  Heavy and thorough raking by the customer wil help to ensure greater seed to soil contact.  If you have bare spots, it is essential that you loosen these area with a hard-tooth rake down at least1-2 inches to allow better root formation.
Perennial Ryegrass will germinate within 7-10 days once soil temperaturs reach Celsius
Kentucky Bluegrass can take up to 28 days to germinate under ideal conditions.

PRICE

Starting at $59.95 for 1000 sq.ft. and $99.95 for up to 4000 sq.ft.

 
GROWING PESTICIDE FREE TURF GRASSES
Introduction:
Maintaining turf grass, without the use of any pesticides, is an increasingly important
concept and practice. Yes this policy is mainly based on non science, superstition and
ungrounded fear; but to the believers those concerns are real and we must accept and live
with the concept. We need to provide the best possible seed mixes and seeding practices
to live with this concept. A fast starting thick and healthy turf provides the best natural
weed control. Listed below are seeding practices that should help to provide quality weed
free and disease free turf maintained without pesticides:
Providing Crop and Weed free Seed:
This is an obvious choice. We all know that most weed competition for turfgrass comes
from weeds already in the existing soil. But our customers never quite believe that
truism. So promoting the benefits of crop and weed free seed is something that we can
easily do. The weeds that particularly need to be avoided are the weedy perennial grasses
like bentgrass, Holcus, Poa trivialis and Poa annua. Broad leafed annual weeds are of
less concern.
Higher initial Seeding Rates:
Higher seeding rates mean quicker establishment which means less weed establishment
and competition. The best way to prevent weeds is never to let them get established in the
first place. Weed competition from turfgrass planted at a high seed rate is the best way to
accomplish this. As a general rule, using 50% higher seeding rates will increase the
establishment rate and initial density by nearly 50%. The “Law of diminishing returns”
eventually sets in but there is no doubt that higher seeding rates are beneficial for initial
weed control.
Plant the Best new Varieties:
This concept seems to be a logical sales tool to sell higher margin grasses. The newest
varieties usually have outstanding disease resistance and can tolerate lower cutting
heights, increased wear and maintain excellent quality. They will not thin out and allow
weeds to become established. Also newer varieties of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue and
many fine fescues are endophyte enhanced to provide natural insect and disease
resistance. Seed is relatively cheap. It makes no logical sense to plant genetically inferior
varieties. Once poor varieties are planted it is very difficult and expensive to upgrade the
turf.
Plant in Late Summer if Possible:
Weed competition is much less severe in the late summer and early fall than in the spring.
The weeds grow more slowly and most will die off quickly due to mowing pressure or
the first frosts. Spring establishment will still be necessary at times. Using dormant
seeding techniques for early spring establishment is very effective. The turf seed will
germinate and establishment more quickly than most weed seed in the soil and the newly
developing turf can stay ahead of the soil borne weeds.
Using Transitional Ryegrasses as “Nurse Grasses”:
This concept is not in wide usage yet in Canada but is worth consideration. A quick start
that leads to a thick turf quickly is an excellent natural weed control. Kentucky bluegrass
is the most desirable grass in eastern Canada. But it is a slow starter and faster starting
crop and weed species can get started ahead of it. If 20% Transitional ryegrass was
planted with the seed there would be rapid coverage and less weed competition and also
less chance of soil loss due to erosion. Within a year the transitional ryegrass would be
gone leaving just the KBG. Transitional ryegrasses can get “Stemmy”, coarser and
upright in the summer as they die out. But they will soon be gone and only the desirable
perennial turf will remain.
Over Seeding More Frequently:
Over seeding is cheap and effective. Thin turf leads to weed problems. Over seeding fixes
thin turf so more frequent over seeding is desirable. Spot over seeding is also to be
encouraged. Using a “Divot mix” of seed combined with sand is very easy to apply and
will quickly heal in bare or damaged turf areas. A thin area needs to be over seeded and
fixed fast, before weeds can get started.
Use the Best Possible Seed Mixes and Blends:
Genetic diversity needs to be stressed. Using the best combination of species and
varieties is most important. A combination of the best varieties of perennial ryegrass, fine
fescues and Kentucky bluegrass will go a long way toward eliminating disease pressure.
What affects PR will not affect KBG. And the fine fescues and even more diversity while
still providing a very attractive turf cover.
Using Best Management Practices:
Best management includes more than just seed. It is beyond the scope of this article to get
into a detailed discussion of the best turf management practices. But managers have to
incorporate IPM principles, enrich the soil, and mow, aerify, fertilize and irrigate
properly to maintain the healthiest turf possible. It has to be stressed over and over that a
thick healthy turf is the best weed and disease control available. Weeds will not get
established in a thick healthy lawn. If a few weeds are noted the best practice is to pull
them out immediately and over seed the bare areas with a “divot” mix.
Accept Some Imperfections:
When we purchase organic fruits and vegetables we know that sometimes they will not
be as “pretty” as the non organic produce. At the same time we cannot expect non
pesticide lawns and turf to always look like the turf of the Augusta National Golf Club
where the Masters Golf Tournament is played. An attractive functional turf surface can
be expected. But it may not always be as “pretty” as a pesticide treated turf surface. We
are not in a beauty contest. We want safe, functional healthy turf with minimal weeds.
Source: Pickseed.com Pepin Report 17-Nov-2005