Question
Hello, I live in Maryland on 5 acres of part grass and mostly weeds. I haved used a well named company to ariate and overseed a couple years back and there application did very little to improve my lawn/field. I paid a lot of money for this service, made my complaints and service was applied again. Both times the company said they were going to overseed in Sept. and they arrived both times in late Nov. I figure I can do as good a job as they did so I'm going to take stabe at it. When is the best time of year to overseed and best method? Thank you, Jerry  

Answer
Jerry, in Maryland November is probably too late to seed a new lawn.

The industry standard to plant a lawn from seed is to aim for the time that your zone reaches the best temperature range for rapid germination and development.  For cool season grasses in cool season zones, temperature ranges of 60 to 85 degrees are perfect.  You want to shoot for 8 good weeks of grass-friendly weather after you plant.  And around here, that's just the kind of weather you get around mid-August - in Maryland, maybe a week earlier, which would be about now.

By waiting until November, your grass guys were putting your new grass through very cool temperatures.  The seed probably took forever to germinate.  As the temperatures dropped, the grass struggled to get established.  Plant in late fall and you're competing with weeds.  You'll never achieve a thick, pure lawn by waiting to plant in November.

You can compensate somewhat by adjusting the rate of seed application.  If you want Kentucky Bluegrass, you usually put this down 2 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. -- but for each week that you sow late, raise the seeding rate by 2 lbs.  This will at least help to resist any weed invasions and avoid a thin grass stand prone to weeds.  Note by the way my guess is that the seed guys are including Annual Ryegrass in the seedmix.  It comes up nice and fast and then, kaput.  Result is a weak, thin lawn by spring.

Now if you wanted to put down sod, you would make adjustments for the established root system - so you can plant Sod in November.  More people by the way buy sod to plant a new lawn than any other method, nationwide.

Are you fertilizing at all?  Fertilizer will help speed up the time it takes your new grass to become established.  Use a balanced fertilizer, 2 lbs Nitrogen per 1000 sq.ft., when the seed is first planted, and then again between 4 and 6 weeks later.  

More important, what have you done to increase the fertility of your soil?  Have you been collecting the grass cuttings, or do you keep them on your lawn to return Nitrogen to the earth?  Do you use pesticides that destroy the microbial life in your soil, making decomposition impossible?  Do you use grub killer to destroy grubs, or are you using progressive methods - beneficial nematodes and Milky Spore disease - to support the balance that Nature needs to keep fungus under complete control and your soil in tip top shape?

Watering properly is essential.  Special vigilance during the first week is essential to a successfully germinated lawn.  Make sure the soil doesn't dry out and you're in business.  

Jerry, I don't know where these guys went to school, but if they are sowing seed in November - every year - and it isn't working, you ought to demand they do it right.  Just once.  See how it works out.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding any or all of the above.  Good luck with your lawn.