How to Reseed Your Lawn (DIY)

Introduction

Create a Healthy Lawn by Starting Over

Let’s get this straight right from the get-go: A healthy lawn doesn’t get taken over by lawn diseases or weeds. So if it looks like you’re raising weeds instead of grass, that’s a sign of a more serious problem. And that may mean killing off the grass and starting over by reseeding your lawn.

It’s a big reseeding lawn project that’ll take several weekends and may cost you up to 25¢ per sq. ft. for equipment rentals, soil conditioners and seed. If you’re willing to spend more, you can lay sod instead of planting seed, but don’t skip the soil testing and remediation steps.

Evaluate Your Lawn

Killing everything and starting from scratch shouldn’t be your first option. Instead, start with spot applications of weed killer, dethatching and core aeration. Hydroseeding is another option to try and boost your lawn. But if you still see more than 60 percent weeds at the start of the next growing season, your lawn is too far gone to save. Your best option is to kill it all and replant.

When to Plant

There are good and bad times of year for starting a project like this. In cold climates, plant new grass seed in early spring as the lawns are just coming out of winter (early to mid-April) or late summer from about mid-august to mid-September. In warm-weather climates, plant in late spring/early summer. if you’re not sure, contact your local extension service to get planting advice from a turf expert.

Are you ready for a fresh start? Just follow our guide for how to plant grass seed on an existing lawn and you’ll be the happiest homeowner on your block.

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