Underhill's Lawn Care Tips - Sodding & Over Seeding

We will let you know if your lawn can be rejuvenated by OverSeeding and Top Dressing or whether you require a complete Re-Sodding. We will let you know the expectations of success for either method, and provide you with a quotation to do either service properly so you can begin to enjoy a beautiful lawn again as soon as possible. And most importantly , we can begin to care for your lawn from then on to keep it in tip-top shape. The following are some of the benefits of each service:

Sodding:

To properly re-sod a lawn we will strip out the old or damaged grasses and haul this away. Then new top soil will be added to level out any depressions as required and to ensure the new turf roots have good growing conditions. We will apply a root promoting fertilizer within the soil. New #1 Kentucky Bluegrass sod will be laid, rolled smooth, fertilized lightly on top and watered thoroughly. Provided you maintain regular watering over the next couple of months, you will have a perfect lawn for the balance of the season. we recommend new sod if your lawn was severely damaged or thinned to the point where over seeding will not be enough to adequately restore the turf. If your yard is extremely shaded, even after pruning, we will recommend using a shade tolerant sod mix, which utilizes more Fescue varieties in the seed mix. Although there are no grass varieties that will grow completely in heavily shaded conditions, this sod will last longer.

If your lawn has some problems which have caused the turf to thin or dieback - we can fix it! First we will determine just what caused the problems and take steps to correct this. Maybe the lawn was destroyed by White Grubs or Leatherjackets (or Raccoons and Skunks digging up your lawn to feed on any of these grubs). If so, we must begin to control the insects so you do not get further damage on your new turf. Perhaps the turf had thinned out because of shade from your tree. If so, we can prune these trees to allow more sunlight down to the turf. Maybe the damage was from Chinch Bugs, Dollar Spot Disease, or Dog Spot "Disease". Whatever the problem, we can diagnose it, then take proper corrective steps before we rejuvenate your lawn.

OverSeeding & Top Dressing:

We may determine that your lawn can be restored by first Aerating the existing turf to loosen up the rootzone and the soil surface. This helps to encourage better seed germination as the soil core plugs dissolve and mix with the seed. We may suggest to De-thatch the existing turf to loosen and open up a dense thatch layer before seeding. Then we would overseed the entire lawn with a premium seed mix, with heaviest applications where the lawn is the thinnest. we cannot over emphasize the importance of using only the best seed varieties. Unfortunately, there are a large number of inferior seed varieties packaged for retail sale. Even though the bag may say "kentucky bluegrass", you may not be getting a quality, certified variety, and the growth of this particular seed (or lack of growth) will definitely stand out in comparison to the rest of the lawn. We use a number of different seed mixes, depending upon the condition and circumstances of your lawn. Most lawns will do just fine with a proper Kentucky Bluegrass Mix. Some lawns will do better with a mix heavier in Perennial Ryegrass seed varieties which are enhanced with naturally occurring "ENDOPHYTES" which resist feeding by Chinch Bugs and other surface insects. Finally, we will top dress the seeded areas with peat moss to retain as much moisture on top of the seed during initial germination. Depending upon the condition of your lawn to start with and the weather conditions during germination, we may recommend a follow-up overseeding to ensure maximum results.