Overseed
Overseeding is simply sowing grass seed into existing grass to make thin lawns thick—or keep them from getting thin. New grass fills in between what's already there, creating a thicker, lusher feel and look. Routine overseeding is the pro secret to a great lawn.
Mowing actually helps make your grass grow thicker because the tip of each blade contains hormones that suppress horizontal growth. When you cut the lawn, you remove these tips allowing the grass to spread and grow thicker near the roots.
Keep a consistent watering schedule year-round to ensure grass always looks its best. But even if you've been neglecting your lawn, getting back into a watering routine will give you green grass fast. Water grass two to three times per week. Allow the water to soak about 1 inch deep into the ground.
If the grass is dormant, then watering it regularly and properly may revive it. This is why it is important to know if the grass is dormant or just dead. Dead grass cannot be revived by simply watering—it requires reseeding, fertilization, and several other processes to restart growth.
The best fertilizer to thicken grass must contain Phosphorus. It's an essential nutrient that helps to stimulate root growth and enhance plant vigor and soil tests have revealed it is greatly needed in our region.
Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn When Needed
Water and nutrients need to reach lawn roots in order to lead to thicker and greener grass. Over time, lawns can become compact, whether it's from traffic or harsh weather, limiting this easy access of water and nutrients. The solution is annual aeration.
It's easy to forget about your lawn in the fall, when it kind of seems like lawn care season is over. But those turf roots are still hungry. Fertilize in the fall and you give those roots nutrients to grow nice and deep now, with some leftover for a healthy start — and thicker grass — next spring.
Adequate nitrogen is crucial for lush, healthy, green grass. However, there can be too much of a good thing. The general rule of thumb is this: you should apply no more than one pound of nitrogen for every thousand square feet of lawn, and you should do so no more than twice per year [10].
Hard or Compacted Soil
Because when your soil is hard, oxygen, water, and nutrients have trouble getting to your grass' roots, which can lead to a thin lawn. Consider aerating your lawn, which is a process of perforating the lawn with small holes to let water, air, and nutrients pass through.
If you're watering your grass properly, but it's pale green or yellow instead of dark green, your turf is most likely nutrient deficient. Yellow lawns generally lack key nutrients such as iron and nitrogen.
Keep Your Lawn Thriving
Epsom Salt is not just a good fertilizer for flowers or vegetables. If you want your front yard turf to look lush and stay healthy all year long, spray the lawn with an Epsom Salt solution once a month. This treatment helps grass seeds germinate and develop into strong blades.
Out of our top picks, the ones with the highest nitrogen content (and the best ones for turning your grass dark green) are Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food (32% nitrogen), GreenView Fairway Formula Spring Fertilizer + Crabgrass Preventer (24% nitrogen), and GreenView Lawn Food (22% nitrogen).
Applying lime to lawn adjusts your soil's pH, creating slightly acidic dirt that will make your lawn thrive. Whether you want to learn how to apply lime yourself or know what it would look like for us to apply lime for you, read on! Fuller, richer, greener grass is in your future.
Acidity levels can work against your best efforts, and in the process, you can spend a surprising amount of money just to wind up disappointed. Adding lime to your soil may help your grass grow faster and thicker. Not only just this lend itself to a lush lawn, but one that's robust enough to fight off problems.
The solution is annual aeration, overseeding, and topdressing. This practice breaks up the soil and enables the lawn to breathe. Also, those small holes aeration creates can provide the perfect access for overseeding in thin, bare areas. An additional topdressing application then further boosts soil health.
In general, you'll want to fertilize your grass during its peak growing season, which is during the fall for cool-season grasses and spring for warm-season grasses.
Even though lime includes calcium and magnesium, which are essential nutrients for healthy plant growth, it's not a substitute for fertilizer. Lime's primary role is to alter soil pH and offset soil acidity, which can improve the availability of plant nutrients.
Core aeration should be performed every one to two years on lawns that receive heavy foot traffic. Otherwise, aerating every two to four years on home lawns is sufficient. Soil plugs can be left on the surface of the lawn. They will decompose in a couple of weeks.
Two months before the first frost is the best time. Fewer weeds and fewer active lawn diseases occur during the fall therefore your grass will not have to compete for access to sun and water. Sunlight begins to increase during fall as the tree leaves begin to drop.
Like you, your lawn needs the right nutrition to stay healthy. Without the right balance of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients, your lawn will likely start to thin and become patchy. If you suspect malnutrition, pick up a soil test from your local lawn and garden store and test your soil.