# Mowing existing lawn/overseed



## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Hey guys,

I overseeded my existing lawn last Wednesday, scalped prior. The existing lawn is now approx 4", it's getting long. At what point should I cut and if the answer is to cut now, bag or no bag? My concern with bagging is that it's been cool and overcast here so the lawn is thick and a little moist at all times... will the clippings be too thick and clumpy? or should I just wait till next wed (5 days) and give the seeds 2 weeks of germination??? Thanks in advance.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

I would go ahead and mow and bag it. You don't want the clippings to smother the new grass. When you mow, don't do tight turns. Do 3 point turns. It's a hassle but there will be less chance of tearing up the grass. I would also mow it lower as well, maybe 2". Try to mow later in the day so the sun can dry it a bit and hopefully help firm up the surface.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Suburban Jungle Life said:


> I would go ahead and mow and bag it. You don't want the clippings to smother the new grass. When you mow, don't do tight turns. Do 3 point turns. It's a hassle but there will be less chance of tearing up the grass. I would also mow it lower as well, maybe 2". Try to mow later in the day so the sun can dry it a bit and hopefully help firm up the surface.


Thanks thats exactly what I will do. Im going to use my push mower and not my rider, less weight etc......


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

Just curious, did you apply starter fertilizer at time of seeding?


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

@ForsheeMS yes I did, and Milo


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

This is exactly why I recommend no nitrogen at seeding. The nitrogen kicks in a few days before the seeds germinate causing the existing grass to go nuts. By the time you start seeing the new sprouts the old grass needs to be cut.

What I've found is by cutting short you send the existing grass into shock for a week or so and get very little growth. This gives the seeds time to germinate and get up to the same height as the existing grass. I usually go from 4" to 2.5" and drop seed. First cut is at 2 weeks (this is for TTTF) and the seedlings are almost as tall as the existing grass somewhere around 4". It gets cut back to 3" and I'll then hit it with a light dose of nitrogen after that first cut.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Just trying to help. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. One last thing, make sure your blade is razor sharp for that first cut.


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## Suburban Jungle Life (Mar 1, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> This is exactly why I recommend no nitrogen at seeding. The nitrogen kicks in a few days before the seeds germinate causing the existing grass to go nuts. By the time you start seeing the new sprouts the old grass needs to be cut.
> 
> What I've found is by cutting short you send the existing grass into shock for a week or so and get very little growth. This gives the seeds time to germinate and get up to the same height as the existing grass. I usually go from 4" to 2.5" and drop seed. First cut is at 2 weeks (this is for TTTF) and the seedlings are almost as tall as the existing grass somewhere around 4". It gets cut back to 3" and I'll then hit it with a light dose of nitrogen after that first cut.
> 
> I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Just trying to help. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. One last thing, make sure your blade is razor sharp for that first cut.


 :thumbup: I do this too!


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

@ForsheeMS

I appreciate the feedback, that's exactly what happened. I had my overseed plan up here a few times and was told I was good, never really considered mowing knowing I was going to scalp down to 1.5 at seed down, i thought i was good. My TTTF should be up to about 2", it's the KBG I'm worried about sucking up. Unfortunately I dont think I have a choice, I need to re-open the existing grass.


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## SPB903 (Aug 8, 2018)

Ok, I mowed with success.... it doesnt appear Ive disturbed any seedlings, I avoided the larger bare areas and the new grass held strong. My lawn is looking dark and thick even though it still needs work. I put down a blend of TTTF, KBG and PRG 9 days ago. Like I said I also applied scotts starter with meso and Milo, both at bag rate. Ive been watering via my sprinkler system but have recently backed off with the cooler temps coming in. What are my next steps from here?? I do have some compacted areas with minimal growth at this moment that Im concerned about. I took someone elses advice here and used a pitch fork to poke some holes in the compacted areas.


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## rockinmylawn (Mar 25, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> *This is exactly why I recommend no nitrogen at seeding. The nitrogen kicks in a few days before the seeds germinate causing the existing grass to go nuts. By the time you start seeing the new sprouts the old grass needs to be cut. *
> 
> What I've found is by cutting short you send the existing grass into shock for a week or so and get very little growth. This gives the seeds time to germinate and get up to the same height as the existing grass. I usually go from 4" to 2.5" and drop seed. First cut is at 2 weeks (this is for TTTF) and the seedlings are almost as tall as the existing grass somewhere around 4". It gets cut back to 3" and I'll then hit it with a light dose of nitrogen after that first cut.
> 
> I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Just trying to help. Trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way years ago. One last thing, make sure your blade is razor sharp for that first cut.


I wished I would have known about this advice before laying down the 10-10-10 right after overseeding.
two weeks in & after lots of rain from the edges of Hurricane Florence, my legacy grass is now @ 4" & my new grass that I can see on the bare spots are @ 2".

Not sure what is happening growth wise within the legacy grass.

My plan is to just cut 1" & hope for the best in there while going AROUND the bare spots that are still trying to catch up.


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

If bare are at 2in, you should be ok.

ForsheeMS has posted this sound recommendation multiple times. We need to write an overseed guide for next year.


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## Bkell101 (Jun 25, 2018)

g-man said:


> If bare are at 2in, you should be ok.
> 
> ForsheeMS has posted this sound recommendation multiple times. We need to write an overseed guide for next year.


Please do! Maybe I'll do better next year 😞. I also made the mistake of not mowing low enough + adding starter fert and milo at time of overseed and ended up with the same conundrum of old grass 6" long and new baby grass not quite 2".

Will you guys with significant experience and expertise make an FAQ after outlining a solid plan?


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

@g-man

Just finished the overseed guide. Was going to do this a while back but have been really busy. Hope this helps some folks out. If you see any mistakes let me know and I'll fix them.

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6250


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## rockinmylawn (Mar 25, 2018)

ForsheeMS said:


> @g-man
> 
> Just finished the overseed guide. Was going to do this a while back but have been really busy. Hope this helps some folks out. If you see any mistakes let me know and I'll fix them.
> 
> https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6250


@ForsheeMS - thank you!


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