Pick The Best Kentucky Bluegrass Seed For Overseeding

A lawn with Kentucky bluegrass blooming in its full glory is considered to be one of the best sights and sets the standards for other types of lawns to match.

Best-Kentucky-Bluegrass-seed

The extremely fine texture and color of the Kentucky bluegrass is a delight to watch but such results come with proper maintenance of the lawns.

Here we are with a complete guide on using the best kentucky bluegrass seed for overseeding which can help you to attain such a lawn which is not only beautiful but healthy too.

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Mixing Kentucky Bluegrass With Tall Fescue For Best Results

If you live in a region with a cool climate, then you will need to get suitable turf that is resistant to cold weather problems.

It has been found that grass seed mixes work well for such regions and out of them, the seed mix of the two varieties- Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue has been considered the best.

This is so because both of these turfs are high quality and give amazing results when grown together by providing for the shortcomings of each other.

About Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn Care

Even though Kentucky bluegrass is the perfect grass for lawns but it needs a considerable amount of care.

Here are some of the tips for performing proper care of Kentucky bluegrass lawns.

  • The right time to sow the Kentucky bluegrass seeds is during fall in well-prepared soil.
  • The seeds must be scattered evenly and covered with soil properly to germinate better.
  • Regular fertilization with potassium and nitrogen mixes optimizes the grass growth.
  • The Best height to mow Kentucky bluegrass blades is after they become 5 inches tall and then cut them only till 3 inches regularly.
  • Watering the seeds thoroughly 2-3 times per day is essential for good initial growth and then you can come down to weekly watering once the shoots show-up.
  • Water the tips only in the dormancy period.
  • Mix other grasses like fescue, ryegrass, etc with Kentucky bluegrass for a diverse and dense growth.

About Tall Fescue Lawn Care

Fescue grasses are generally the low-maintenance turfs that can grow in even the poorest soil with some amendments.

However, there is always a basic level of care that every lawn deserves, and let us give you tips for maintaining the tall fescue lawns:

  • Start with a basic soil prepping plan and sow the seeds.
  • Take care till they germinate with regular watering and fertilizer application.
  • Take care to not overwater tall fescue because they are drought tolerant grasses and overwatering can cause diseases like fungus in them.
  • Infrequent watering is enough for tall fescue grass.
  • Overseeding should be done around spring or autumn and in the proper manner to avoid overgrowth.
  • A yearly application of nitrogenous fertilizer is good enough for keeping fescue healthy year long.
  • Mow the grass only till 3 inches of blade height and also take care to remove the grass that has grown problematic.

Best Kentucky Bluegrass Seed For Overseeding

Growing a great cover of Kentucky bluegrass turf isn’t a day’s job and requires a lot of patience and maintenance efforts.

Overseeding is one process that is done to get a turf that never diminishes and choosing the best is an important deal.

Kentucky Bluegrass and Tall Fescue Blend:

As we have already discussed above, the blend of Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue seeds is regarded the best for overseeding lawns in the cooler climate as they make the resultant turf more bio-diverse and more adaptable to changing weather conditions.

When making this mix, the Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue seeds must be in the proportion of 9:1.

The groSMART Premium Treated Grass Seed, 100% Kentucky Blue Grass Blend – Blue Tag Certified Mix can be a great product to buy as it promises to be the highly advanced seed blend for a lush lawn.

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These seeds have patented quality fixers that impart quicker germination capability, better color, and sustainable growth capacity to the grass.

This Kentucky bluegrass mix can be blended with tall fescue for a versatile turf that will grow greatly without much nutrition and maintenance.

The GreenView 2829348 Fairway Formula Grass Seed Turf Type Tall Fescue Sun & Shade Blend is another great product to check out for this seed mix is suitable for both sunny and shady areas and germinates super quickly within two weeks.

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These seeds are weed-free and highly resistant against a variety of diseases, insects, heat, drought, and can grow well even in areas that receive a high level of movement continuously.

These seeds can cover up to 5000 sq.ft area when used for overseeding.

Other Major Varieties Of Grass Seeds For Overseeding

Here are some of the other grass varieties that you can choose for overseeding your precious lawn.

Perennial Ryegrass

These seeds are good overseeding the warm season turfs as they germinate fast and can boost the density and color of annual bluegrasses to give a soft textured grass cover.

The Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Perennial Ryegrass Mix is great for overseeding your lawns if you want the bare patches to get green again in less time.

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The seeds will give great turf in both sunny and shady conditions and are also resistant to erosion and diseases.

The Top Choice 17625 3-Way Perennial Ryegrass Grass Seed Mixture blends three grass species uniquely and boasts its weed resistance highly.

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Bermudagrass

This is a versatile grass to use for overseeding as it can grow both under sun and shade into becoming green and lush turf coat.

Bermudagrass does well in the regions with less water too.

The Scotts 18353 Turf Builder Grass Seed Bermudagrass is one great variety that you can give a try for the resultant turf is promised to be drought and heat resistant.

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The seeds germinate rapidly into becoming thicker and long-lasting grass due to their high water retention capacity that owes to the WaterSmart PLUS coating.

Annual Ryegrass

Very similar to the Perennial ryegrass, annual ryegrass is the cheaper alternative to the best kentucky grass seed and their other benefits include erosion prevention and adding a temporary cover to the patches.

The Pennington Annual Ryegrass is a good product that you can try to quickly and temporarily cover the bald patches in your lawn.

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These seeds are good to overseed the lawns with Bermudagrass and Zoysia turfs to have yearlong greenery in your garden.

You can also give a try to the TriPro Annual Ryegrass Seeds as they have a less germination period too and work great for seasonal lawn turfs.

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They are shade as well as high heat tolerant and that makes them good for a variety of areas.

Red Fescue

This grass is the best solution for those shady patches in your lawn that always give problems when you try to cultivate them.

Red fescue creeps fast to cover the bald spots and needs to be overseeded only a few times.

Some other great grass seed mixes include:

The Jonathan Green 10323 Black Beauty Ultra Mixture is a great mix of tall fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass which is tolerant to shade, sun, diseases, and drought too.

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The Pennington GL61100526630 100526630 Smart Seed is another good bluegrass and fescue mix that germinates rapidly within 10 days.

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The Ultimate Guide to Overseeding lawns

Let us now understand the process of overseeding grass lawns thoroughly.

Best Time to Overseed

It mainly depends upon the type of grass that you choose for overseeding your lawn that the right time will be decided upon.

However, the usual time that is considered best for overseeding lawns is during later summers and early fall.

The temperature of the environment and the soil both during these times are good for the germination of the grass seeds as well as the growth of the grass shoots.

Sowing seeds in these months give them ample time to germinate as well as establish themselves before the frost kicks in.

Preparations Before Overseeding

How-do-you-overseed-a-lawn-with-Kentucky-bluegrass

There are a few things that need to be taken care of before you go on to start with overseeding your lawn.

It is known to us that overseeding lawns is done to provide for the wrongs that can occur or have already happened in the turf.

Thus, the main thing to check is the health status of your lawn that will help you understand what is wrong with it and how you can fix the problems before overseeding and how overseeding can fix the problems in turn.

Some of the major problems include bad drainage, poor water retention, poor fertility, insufficient aeration, poor sunlight, thatch overdose, wrong grass planted, improper care, etc.

Testing the soil is very necessary to determine if it would be able to support the growth of the new grass seeds that you are going to plant.

Take a standard or basic soil test whatever suits your way to reveal the nutritional level, organic matter composition, and texture of the soil.

It will also help you to decide which fertilizer will be suitable for pre-amending the soil.

After the above steps, you should start by preparing the soil.

This involves thorough mowing of the grass and tilling of the soil to break the blockages that will in turn promote better air and water circulation in the soil.

In nice soil, the seeds get proper space and condition to germinate and grow.

All the thatches, weeds, and dead grass must be removed so that they don’t take the nutrition meant for the new grass blades.

As per the results of the soil test, you can also apply some good fertilizer to boost the fertility quotient of the soil.

Choosing The Right Seed

Can-you-overseed-with-Kentucky-bluegrass

Generally, overseeding is done by using the grass of a different variety to impart strength to the lawn and increase its adaptability for the changing weather conditions.

A lawn with different varieties of grasses growing together is able at coping with diseases and environmental changes better along with remaining lushly covered with turf all the time.

When going about overseeding your lawn, the primary thing to have a thorough understanding of is your ground condition and the weather.

Different grasses work for different climates as the temperature of the soil plays an important role in the germination of seeds and thus the right variety will have a suitable germination period to enable the establishment of the grass shoots at the right time.

On that note, the warm-season grasses aren’t usually preferred for overseeding until the current turf is diseased or damaged in any other way.

It’s only Bermudagrass that can be overseeded with a cool-season grass species during the fall.

The cold-season grass species are mostly preferred for overseeding the lawns and here are some of the varieties and their benefits:

  1. Kentucky bluegrass- This is a robust grass variety that can handle all pressures like foot trample, high temperatures, and droughts for very long only that it requires a bit higher care than other varieties.
  2. Perennial and Annual ryegrass- These grasses are almost similar in qualities with little differences in texture and color only.
  3. Both of them boost the lawn turf durability.
  4. Fescue grass- These are the most preferred overseeding varieties that do well when blended in a major proportion with other grass varieties as they can grow in the most varied conditions and thrive beautifully.

Other factors to keep in mind while choosing the right overseeding grass variety is the geography of the particular region where you are residing to understand the erosion levels and the look that you want to give to your lawn.

It depends that what quotient of the lawn you want to boost- aesthetics, durability, adaptability, etc.

Right Amount Of Seed For Overseeding

What-is-the-best-Kentucky-bluegrass-seed

The amount of seed that needs to be used for overseeding any lawn can usually be determined by the measurements that are mentioned on the seed mix packs.

This measurement differs in each variety as well as the lawn type that they are going to be sown in.

The basic rule of calculating seed amount for overseeding is that it keeps decreasing with every application in the subsequent year.

Here are some of the common approximate measurements that you can use for deciding the seed amount for overseeding your lawn:

  • Around 2-4 lbs of seeds do well for every 1000 sq.
  • ft towards giving a thick lawn.
  • For the special bald patches or trouble spots, use 4-8 lbs of seeds for every 1000 sq.ft.
  • For a whole lawn that has gone damaged in any way and needs total renovation, around 8-12 lbs of seeds would be apt.

The key thing to remember is that you should not plant too many seeds when overseeding any type of lawn as that can cause in the way of good grass growth like thinning, overcrowding, and competition for nutrients.

Benefits Of Overseeding

Overseeding can be a miracle to the lawns with receding turfs and it benefits the damaged lawns in various ways.

This is the prime thing responsible for the lawns that remain pristinely lustrous throughout the year and here is how overseeding helps:

  • Overseeding prolongs the life of the lawn by making up for the loss of generative qualities of the aged grass.
  • It improves the quality of the lawns as the particular grass variety adds its goodness.
  • The regeneration of laws happens faster.
  • It makes the lawn look lush in any season.
  • Good quality turfs make the lawn free of problems like diseases, pests, and most importantly weeds.
  • The overall fertility quotient of the lawn is also boosted as the grass releases nutrients into the soil.
  • The turf becomes more versatile at adapting to the weather changes as the ones that can survive the changes continue to flourish and support the other grass too.

Maintenance And Care After Overseeding

The job doesn’t end up after the seeds have been sown and proper care must be given to the seeds until the shoots show up after which you can relax a bit.

There are a few aspects of the post-overseeding care and maintenance that you must be aware of.

  1. Water is the basic requirement of seeds in their germination period and thus, they must get a regular supply of moisture no matter what the external conditions are.
  2. After overseeding, water the seeds thoroughly at least 2-3 times a day.
  3. Also, be vigilant enough to not end up overwatering the seeds as that makes them prone to diseases and molding that occurs rapidly in over-damp soils.
  4. Once the grass is established, you can make the watering irregular and dependent upon the requirement.
  5. The application of fertilizer is another important aspect of maintaining lawn health.
  6. Around 6 weeks post the overseeding, you can apply the fertilizer to your lawn.
  7. You can choose any fertilizer depending upon the results of the soil test that revealed the type of nutrient lacking in your lawn or you can also go with any basic fertilizer good for grass growth.
  8. Fertilizers like starter packs for boosting phosphorous in the soil and nitrogen-rich slow-release packs are considered good for a variety of grasses.
  9. Just be a little careful while choosing fertilizer by keeping in mind the soil composition as well as grass variety that is growing.

These were two important factors to consider while facilitating a good establishment of the young grass shoots.

Once the turf sets itself and is flowing in full glory, you can relax as grasses usually require low levels of maintenance except for some specific varieties.

Just make a normal plan for the maintenance of the lawn and follow that.

Water the grass according to the weather and watering only the tips can be enough.

Regarding mowing, take care to not cutting the grass blades too much.

The normal height up to which you can cut the blades is three inches from the ground and mow when you see that the grass is becoming drier.

Also, you should start mowing only when the grass has grown above 5 inches as that much height is indicative of the successful establishment of the turf.

FAQs

Q. Can you overseed with Kentucky bluegrass?

A. Yes, lawns can be overseeded with Kentucky bluegrass with the right procedure.

Q. How do you overseed a lawn with Kentucky bluegrass?

A. There are few things that need to be done before overseeding-

  • Remove weeds and thatch
  • Perform soil aeration
  • Fertilize as per required

Q. What is the best Kentucky bluegrass seed?

A. You can try the Scotts Turf builder Kentucky bluegrass seeds.

Q. Will Kentucky bluegrass choke out weeds?

A. Yes, it will choke out weeds after establishing properly because it grows in bunches.

Q. How do you thicken Kentucky bluegrass?

A. Feeding the Kentucky bluegrass annually with potassium and nitrogen-rich slow-release fertilizer before frost can thicken it.

Q. Is fescue or Kentucky bluegrass better?

A. Choosing the better out of the two depends upon the climate and soil conditions.

Q. How long does it take for Kentucky bluegrass seed to germinate?

A. The germination period of Kentucky bluegrass seeds is 14-30 days.

Q. Does Kentucky bluegrass need a lot of water?

A. Quality over quantity watering works well for Kentucky bluegrass where you must deeply and thoroughly irrigate them.

Q. When can I mow after overseeding Kentucky bluegrass?

A. The right time to mow is after four weeks of the overseeding to give a good time to seeds for germination and establishing.

Q. Does Kentucky bluegrass turn brown in winter?

A. No, they turn brown during the high-temperature seasons and only dormant in winter.

Q. How do you tell if you have Kentucky bluegrass?

A. You can identify Kentucky bluegrass by their canoe-shaped bent leaf tips and dark green color.

Q. Does overseeding actually work?

A. Overseeding can give good results at reviving thin patches when done at the right time.

Q. How deep are Kentucky bluegrass roots?

A. Roots of Kentucky bluegrass grow till the depth of 2-6 inches.

Conclusion

This was all about overseeding the lawns and how the kentucky bluegrass seed can serve the purpose just right for you.

We will recommend you to use the blend of Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue like the Jonathan Green 10323 Black Beauty Ultra Mixture for overseeding your lawn as the individual goodness of these grasses will give you a vibrant, durable, and appealing lawn turf that will get praises from every being who lays feet on it.

All you need to do is pick the right seed for your lawn and carefully follow the steps for an efficient and successful overseeding.

Further reading:

https://www.wikihow.com/Overseed-a-Lawn – How to Overseed a Lawn

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poa_pratensis – Poa pratensis – Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass).

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