When Should You Overseed Fescue?

Features

• Fescue is a cool-season grass, and as such, it grows best when the weather is cool and damp; in the summer, fescue may go dormant and the formerly green blades will turn an unappealing shade of brown. However, in the winter, many types of fescue remain green, even when covered with snow. Fescue grasses are well suited to northern regions, but they must be watered frequently during the summer to remain lush and attractive. In the South, fescue is frequently combined with heat-tolerant grass seeds to create a healthy, attractive spread of year-round greenery.

Overseeding

• Overseeding is the process of scattering grass seeds over an existing lawn. In general, it accomplishes one of two things: it either creates a combination of cool-season and warm-season grasses within a single setting, or it helps rejuvenate a struggling lawn. In either case, it is best to overseed fescue during its most active growing periods -- spring or fall. In most cases, fall is preferable, as the cold winter weather helps to ensure adequate germination rates the following spring.

Procedure

• To overseed a lawn, homeowners should mow the grass short, then use a garden rake to collect and remove any clippings or debris. Scatter the seeds, spreading 5 to 10 lbs. of new fescue per every 1,000 square feet of yard, then water the lawn to wash the new seeds down between the blades of existing grass; you can also rake the lawn to accomplish this.

Seed Selection

• When renovating a lawn by overseeding, the area should be reseeded with grasses that have comparable cultivation requirements. New, improved fescue cultivars tend to have more advantages than old-fashioned varieties, however, before switching seeds, double-check to ensure all grasses planted in a single yard have similar growing needs.