A year can be a long time, and it’s even longer for your lawn or sports turf. That’s why your Bermuda or Zoysia starts to look a little tired at the end of the year. That’s where overseeding comes in. Overseeding is like a shot of espresso for your lawn: just a little bit of extra effort will keep your grass green and awake all the way into Spring!
“Overseeding,” despite its intense name, actually requires significantly less time and seed than the base seeding of your lawn.
First, mow your lawn short. Overseeding involves casting the new seed directly on top of the existing lawn, so we want to make sure that we give that seed the best possible chance to reach the soil. Use a spreader to disperse the seeds across your lawn, for the best, most even results. The resulting seed will come up quickly, filling in dead patches and refreshing the green color to your lawn or sports turf.
But what kind of seed should you use? Believe it or not, it probably won’t be Bermuda or Zoysia (even if that’s what kind of grass you have). Hancock Seed offers three varieties and blends that make for great overseeding options. Browse through the features below to get an idea which product works best for you!
Hancock’s Ryegrass Seed
Hancock’s Ryegrass Seed is our basic, Gulf annual rye. Although coming with very small seeds (190,000 per lb.), this variety produces a dense, extensive root system. It will pop up quickly after seeding.
Simply put: If you want to stay on a budget during the overseeding process, Hancock’s Rye is the way to go. Rye seed is more affordable than the most popular lawn seed types, and it does an efficient job of keeping lawns green when the cold weather moves in. One warning, however: Rye’s disadvantage is that it can’t take as much of a beating as other blends. If you don’t plan on playing too many Fall and Winter football games on the lawn, our standard Rye will do the trick.
Hancock’s Perennial Ryegrass Seed
Uh-oh...we saw your eyes widen when we talked about heavy-use lawns up above. Getting a good value on overseeding materials shouldn’t come at the cost of playing on your lawn! That’s why we developed Hancock’s Perennial Ryegrass Seed. This blend of seeds offers the relative discount of Ryegrass Seed, coupled with the more stress-resistant elements of other blends. Hancock’s Perennial Rye has placed in the Top 10 for salt and wear tolerance during studies done by the National Turf Evaluation Program.
This is a popular product for those looking to overseed public parks, green spaces, sporting venues (such as soccer and football fields), as well as golf course fairways and tee boxes.
A note for our Florida neighbors, however: The Florida climate does not allow this blend to perenniate.
Hancock’s Turf Type Tall Fescue
When people talk about overseeding, they generally talk about Ryegrass. At Hancock, we’re happy to think outside the box, as long as it works. And Hancock’s Turf Type Tall Fescue works very well.
This is a blend of fescue seeds that provides a verdant, dark green, and can stand with the toughest for its resistance to wear. So why aren’t more people overseeding with Fescue? It all comes down to price. A 10 lb. bag of Turf Type Tall Fescue costs $16.00 more than the same size bag of Rye. Note, however, that this blend is also a perennial—which means you’ll get more bang for your buck. Many will find that spending a few extra dollars now will pay off in the years to come.
A note for our Florida neighbors, however: The Florida climate does not allow this blend to perenniate.
There is no “wrong answer.” Anyone managing a lawn or athletic fields should make a decision based on what works for them. There is one definite “right” answer, however: No matter what seed you choose, overseeding is an essential step in keeping your grass green and lively throughout the cold months.
