With spring just around the corner, gardening expert Michael Griffiths has urged green-fingered Brits to overseed their lawn using his simple steps for vibrant, green grass
As we approach spring, green-fingered folk are being urged to head outdoors and overseed their lawn to guarantee healthy grass for the upcoming season.
Lawn seeds are known to germinate best in the spring, as conditions are moist but the soil temperature is warm, reports the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The gardening site explains that sowing seeds is a cheaper alternative to purchasing turf, and can also provide impressive results if executed correctly.
Fortunately, gardening expert Michael Griffiths has shared his step-by-step guide for sowing seeds in March or April. Taking to TikTok, under the username @themediterraneangardener, the grass guru said: “Before you start, you ideally want to scarify and aerate your lawn, but as a minimum you want to mow it.”
According to Boston Seeds, scarifying your garden helps to remove the build-up of thatch and moss from the lawn’s surface, encouraging healthy growth for grass seeds. In the viral video, Michael carried this out with a rake, before aerating the soil with a garden fork.
The aeration process works by puncturing holes in the ground to allow air, water, and nutrients to be passed into the soil. The expert explained that mowing your lawn will “let you see the areas in need of overseeding”.
During this step, perennial weeds will often become visible as these are usually found growing amongst the grass. “You want to get them up now and fill the holes that are left behind,” Micheal warned.
He then filled the remaining hole with earth, before moistening the soil in the areas that require overseeding. Micheal then applied grass fertiliser onto the lawn, which promotes strong, dense growth. He continued: “You can plant grass seed immediately after applying the fertiliser, just make sure there is no weed or moss killer in it, as this will also prevent the grass seed from germinating.”
When it comes to choosing the right grass seed for your lawn, the expert suggests choosing a seed that is right for your garden conditions. Those who own a general-purpose lawn that contends with regular foot traffic, children and pets, the RHS recommends a blend of perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, red fescues and browntop.
Homeowners with a luxury or fine lawn, meaning fine-leaved turf grasses that are less robust, should use a blend of Chewing’s fescue, strong and slender creeping red fescue and browntop, the gardening site adds. Meanwhile, the RHS explains that hard fescue, strong and slender creeping red fescue and browntop should be used on shady lawns.
Micheal continued: “Shake the box and spread the seed, a light covering is fine. You should still be able to see the soil through the seeds.” Finally, make sure to water the lawn everyday until the grass has established and protect from traffic for around two to three weeks. The seeds will start to grow between seven to 10 days later, Michel concluded.
Viewers flocked to the comments to share their questions, as one user quizzed: “How to stop birds just eating the seeds?” To which Michael responded with: “If that’s a problem you can light a small amount of topsoil over it to cover the seeds. It needs to be light though as too much will stop germination.”
Another asked: “How long do you wait to cut it again?” The gardener explained that you should wait “until it’s already 5cm tall.” Finally another queried: “How long should you wait to seed after a moss killer treatment,” and Michael replied with: “I would give it around two weeks.”
