To do the overseeding job as described in the other segments of this section you will need a number of tools and some supplies. We have examples of all those things in Yardener's Tool Shed. At least you can get some idea of what you need if you plan to shop locally.
1. Dethtach If Necessary -Thatch must be removed because grass seed will not germinate if it is not in direct contract with the soil. See Controlling Thatch.for how to deal with thatch. Dethatching Rakes in Tool Shed.
2. Kill Weeds - First you need to deal with the weeds in the lawn whether you need to kill everything or just kill weeds and leave the grass alone. For examples of herbicides for lawns click below.
3. Mow Grass Short - You need a mulching lawn mower to do this job properly. If you have a bagging attachment, then it is good to collect as much as you can; you still will need to rake up afterwards. For a selection of mulching lawn mowers click below.
4. Rake Up Remaining Debris - Even if you bagged the grass with your lawn mower, you will still need to rake up what is left because grass seed will not germinate unless it is in contact with bare soil. A heavy duty grass rake is the tool for this job.
5. Buy Grass Seed - You need grass seed for the environmental conditions of your yard and you need enough to cover the area you are overseeding.
6. Spread The Grass Seed - You can spread your seed with either a hand spreader, a (drop)spreader, or a rotary spreader.
Hand Tools For Spreading Grass Seed
7. Optional - Cover The Grass Seed - Grass seed will germinate without any covering material however some yardeners prefer to add an 1/8 inch of either top soil, compost, or Canadian sphagnum peat moss.
8. Optional - Add Organic Fertilizer - When you are overseeding in the spring or the fall you may wish to make an application of organic granular lawn fertilizer. This would then count as either your spring application or your early fall application. The Tool Shed offers a number of organic lawn fertilizers.
9. Watering The Newly Seeded Lawn - The grass seed can never be allowed to dry out, even once.
