Reseeding With Ryegrass

Insert your shovel 6 to 8 inches deep in the soil and pull it out. Remove the section of the soil plug and add it into a clean, dry container. Do this at three different locations in your lawn. Send these soil samples to your local county extension to have them tested for soil conditioners or amendments they lack.

Rake dead grass and thatch buildup from your lawn in May using a dethatching rake. Pile the debris in a wheelbarrow and discard.

Mix quality topsoil, peat and any soil amendments your soil lacks in a wheelbarrow. Top-dress bare areas of your lawn using this soil mix.

Run a broom rake over the soil patches to level the top and create tiny furrows. A smooth, level soil surface improves seed-to-soil contact and increases chances of germination.

Mix 4 parts ryegrass seed and 1 part seed starter fertilizer in a plastic container. Pour the seed mix into a seed spreader and distribute it into the furrows along the top-dressed soil patches. The spreader ensures even seed distribution.

Drag a rake over the furrows to lightly cover the seeds in the soil. Pour water into a sod roller until it reaches the halfway mark and then roll it over the reseeded patches to pack the ryegrass seed mixture.

Irrigate the reseeded patches lightly every day for the first two weeks. Use a sprinkler system at each corner of your lawn and let these turn in quarter arcs to ensure complete coverage. Stop irrigating the water when you see puddles forming. When the ryegrass grows 1 inch tall, reduce watering to once every 10 days.