What to know about reseeding or replanting your lawn

Spring marks the return of flowering plants and warm weather, and homeowners know that spring also ushers in the return of home-renovation season.

Homeowners undoubtedly have an extensive list of projects on their to-do list this spring, and that may include helping their lawns and gardens recover after a long winter. Unpredictable weather, which can include drought and excessive rainfall and everything in between, can take its toll on a lawn. In certain instances, the best solution may be planting new grass, but homeowners can consider the following tips before beginning the process of reseeding or replanting their lawns.

• Scarify the lawn. Scarifying a lawn — a technique similar to tilling that removes moss or dead organic matter, giving grass more room to grow — can help to create a clean slate, but the timing must be right. Various lawn and garden experts, including those at BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, recommend scarifying in spring or early autumn. But don’t jump the gun in spring by scarifying before the lawn has started to grow after a dormant winter. Scarify when the soil is a little wet, and the grass is once again actively growing. Scarifying can remove any lingering weeds from last season and also pull up any moss that might have taken hold over the winter. Without weeds and moss to contend with, freshly planted seeds are in a better position to thrive.

• Work with a landscaping professional. Homeowners with manageable lawns can likely scarify their own lawns with a relatively inexpensive plug-in scarifier. However, scarifying can be a strenuous physical activity, particularly for homeowners with large lawns. In such instances, homeowners can benefit from working with a qualified landscaping professional. Such a professional can scarify the lawn and subsequently reseed or replant new grass. The latter task is not so simple, as the lawn-care experts at Scotts note that choosing the correct seed is a vital part of reseeding or replanting a lawn. Choosing seed may sound simple, but it is a potentially complex decision that requires knowledge of the existing grass, including when to plant it. Certain grasses are best planted in spring or early fall, while others are best planted in summer. A qualified landscaping professional can identify the existing grass and plan the seeding or planting around this important detail.

• Prepare to water the lawn. Watering is vital to the long-term success and health of freshly planted grass seed. Scotts urges homeowners to keep the top inch of soil consistently moist, but not soggy. That requires a daily commitment, and setting a multifunction hose nozzle or sprinkler to the mist setting once per day, or more if it is hot outside, can increase the chances that grass will grow in thick and strong. Scotts recommends keeping the top 2 inches of the soil moist until the new grass reaches a mowing height of roughly 3 inches. Once that benchmark has been reached, watering frequency can be cut back to about twice per week, but then the soil should be deeply soaked instead of misted. The soaking will help roots grow deep into the soil.

Spring is a great time for homeowners in various regions to reseed or replant their lawns. With the right approach, homeowners can enjoy a full and lush lawn throughout summer.