Benefits of Fall Overseeding for Tall Fescue Lawns

If your lawn is made up of cool-season grasses like tall fescue, you’re probably all too aware that summer isn’t a kind season. The sun and the heat can leave your fescue lawn looking patchy. Unfortunately, cool-season turfgrasses like tall and fine fescue don’t spread, so those bare spots will stay that way unless you overseed. Lucky for you, though, fall is the best time to overseed your lawn. Read on for more tips on how to care for your North Carolina fescue lawn and keep it looking lush and strong.

Why Fall is the Best Time to Overseed Your Lawn

The cooler months of autumn are the perfect time for fescue overseeding. That’s because fescue, a cool-season grass, needs a drop in temperature to germinate and put down a strong root system. Warm-season grasses experience the greatest growth in summer heat, but cool-season fescues flourish when the air cools. In North Carolina, many homeowners have a mix of cool-season and warm-season grasses to ensure healthy coverage throughout the year. But after a taxing, hot summer, the cool-season fescue will need a kickstart to get it growing again. This is why early fall is the optimal time to overseed your tall fescue lawn. When soil temperatures begin to lower, that’s your cue to prepare for overseeding. The cool temperatures stimulate the grass, which is then ready for seed germination. 

Key Benefits of Overseeding Fescue Lawns in the Fall

So, do you have to overseed in the fall? Not necessarily, but if you plan to overseed fescue in the first few weeks of autumn, you’re far more likely to get the desired results.

Thicker, More Resilient Tall Fescue Lawn

The cooler weather encourages rapid growth for cool-season grasses like tall fescue. Plus, fescues are bunching grasses, which means they grow in large clumps, giving a thicker and fuller appearance. Once established, your fescue lawn will look healthy and full through the spring.

Improved Resistance to Weeds

Lawn weeds need space to grow, and they’ll seize on any opportunity when a bare patch appears in your lawn. If you see empty spots, you’ll want to get them filled right away. Preventing weeds is much easier than dealing with them once they’re established, so overseed to eliminate areas where the grass is thin or nonexistent. A thick, lush lawn does more than just look attractive — it helps crowd out the weeds. 

One note of warning: Do not overseed a lawn that has recently been treated with pre-emergent herbicides. This will hinder the germination of the new grass seed.

Better Drought Tolerance

We’re no stranger to dry seasons in our area, but a full tall fescue lawn can withstand drought better than some other cool-season grasses. However, patchy fescue grass is much more susceptible to drying out, especially in late summer. Overseeding addresses this problem by filling in gaps and giving the soil a blanket of turfgrass that keeps it moist.

Better Recovery From Summer Stress

As mentioned, summer is hard on our North Carolina lawns. Even warm-season grasses may struggle through droughts and extreme heat. Overseeding in the fall allows your lawn to strengthen itself before the winter sets in. The new grass growth you get from overseeding will protect your soil and ensure both warm-season and cool-season grasses reap the benefits.

Can Be Mixed With Other Seed Types

You don’t have to stick to tall fescue or other cool-season grasses. There are many different types of fescues, and most play well together. It’s also very common to find North Carolina landscaping with a mix of warm and cool-season grasses for thick, lush greenery for the majority of the year. At Eastern Turf Maintenance, we use high-quality seed blends that will thrive in the local climate. 

Overseeding Fescue and How to Prep the Lawn

If you’re ready to get started breathing new life into your lawn, there are steps you need to take to overseed your lawn with fescue and other cool-season grasses.

Test Your Soil

Everyone’s lawn has a different soil makeup that is totally unique. While North Carolina lawns have some soil characteristics in common, the minerals and nutrients found in yours will likely be different than your neighbor’s. Knowing the soil makeup and then making the right soil amendments is key to your overseeding success.

Choose the Right Fescue Seed

You already know you’re looking for a cool-season grass seed, but which type is the right type for your lawn? Refer back to your soil test, as that can help guide you in making your decision. Remember that tall fescue is thicker and bunchier than fine fescue. You want to choose a high-quality seed for your lawn, with a low (preferably zero) percentage of weed seeds and a high (85% or more) germination rate. Cheaper is not better when it comes to grass seed.

Aerate the Lawn

Aeration should be part of regular maintenance for your lawn, and planning it for fall, and to coincide with overseeding, will give you the best results. Core aeration is most effective if you combine it with overseeding, as that process removes plugs of soil and creates divots perfect for dropping seed. These pockets protect the new seed and help it germinate. 

Mow and Prep Your Lawn

Take a close look at the layer of thatch on your lawn. If it’s extremely thick, you’ll want to dethatch before you go any further. You can loosen up some minor thatch simply by raking. For more thatch, you can rent a power rake, combine dethatching with core aeration, or seek professional lawn care for core aeration near the Triangle area. Once the thatch is taken care of, mow the lawn to around 1.5 inches. At this point, you’re almost ready for overseeding.

Overseed Your Fescue Lawn

Use a drop-style spreader (not a rotary spreader) to distribute grass seed across your lawn. Most of the time, you only need half as much for overseeding as you would with seeding an empty, new lawn. The typical recommendation for overseeding is around 3-4 lbs of seed for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Water the new grass seed regularly and keep the seedbed consistently moist until you see seedlings sprout. You may also wish to cover the lawn with hay or grass clippings to mulch over the seeds and give them greater protection. Remember not to walk on the new seed for at least a month. Do not apply herbicides or chemical weed control until the grass is established.

How Professional Lawn Care Can Help With Fall Fescue Lawn Overseeding

Overseeding seems like a simple solution to rejuvenated lawns limping along after the summer heat. However, to get the best results, you need to ensure every step of the process is done correctly. It can make a big difference when you call in the professionals, like the experts at Eastern Turf Maintenance for fall overseeding. Our team offers comprehensive Triangle lawn care services to take care of your whole lawn all year long. Contact us to get a quote today!