Grass plants do not live forever they deteriorate and their rate of reproduction slows down. Mature lawns often have areas of weak thin grass which allows moss and weeds to colonise the lawn.

The best defence against weeds and moss is a thick healthy grass sward. New seed should be regularly introduced into all lawns to replace the ageing plants. If you want your lawn to stay thick and dense then over-seeding at least once every 3 years is desirable.

Over-seeding with a variety of different seed species can be carried out in the early Spring and Autumn particularly after you have scarified, aerated or top dressed your lawn.

Grass Seed Germination

When sowing seed avoid sowing in extremes of temperature. Seed requires a ground temperature above 10c to germinate, shoots need several weeks without frost to survive. Grass seed requires three main conditions, soil contact, warmth and moisture.

The biggest reason for seed not germinating is lack of water, the seed bed has to be constantly keep moist. It can take an awful lot of water, especially during hot weather. A sprinkler should be set up and grass watered every day, an hour in each area at least.

The Spring and Autumn are ideal germination times.  You must select a seed that is similar to the species already in your lawn.  Aerating or spiking the lawn will assist seed germination. Pitch Perfect Lawns can provide this rejuvenation process of scarifing, aerating, seeding and top dressing, to help you develop a healthy thick lawn.