Overseeding a lawn

leesimon17 · January 2022

Hi

Im looking for advice

I want to overseed my lawn this year as I suspect I have had leather jackets eating my lawn as it’s quite muddy now

but can I overseed and deal with the pests later on in the year or do i need to deal with them before I overseed ?

thanks

AnniD · January 2022

If you are planning on using nematodes, you would need to wait until the weather warms up considerably before applying.
The same applies to the grass seed, it won't germinate in low temperatures. I think the soil temperature needs to be around 9 degrees.
I would say sow the grass seed when the weather warms up, and then water in the nematodes a couple of weeks later. Apply a second round of nematodes in the Autumn.
That's what l would do, others may advise differently

Fairygirl · January 2022

What's causing it to be muddy?
Unless you're constantly on it during winter, or have dogs or similar using it, it shouldn't be that bad. Leatherjacket activity doesn't cause grass to be muddy either. You'd get holes where crows/magpies dig for them, or the grass would just look a bit brown and dead.
Is there a drainage problem, or is it in shade etc?
If none of the above, you'd certainly need to wait until temps are appropriate, for nematodes or seed, as @AnniD says.

Overseeding a lawn

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