Now Is The Time To Over Seed Lawn Borders And Curbs

One area of a lawn that can often frustrate gardeners is that which borders garden beds, paving areas, and curbs. Grass often thins out in these areas for a number of reasons, one being the amount of water and fertilizer they receive. When watering, there are two problems, especially if hand watering, the first is the habit of only watering the central area in front of us – the furthermost and closest areas generally get the least water. The same is true for fertilizers, especially if we are applying it by hand.

Curbs and paving areas generally receive a lot of traffic as well, and you’ll be surprised at how often people step off onto the grassed area, if it it’s only for a step or two. When over seeding in these areas, it’s often a good idea to use a grass mix that includes low maintenance traffic friendly grasses. Fall is the best time to thicken these areas in your lawn. You can also try to thicken and thin areas under trees, especially if they are (or have) dropping their leaves. These trees are starting to go dormant for the winter (which means less competition for water and nutrients) and, with fewer leaves to obstruct the way, will allow more sunlight through.

To over seed these narrow areas, use a lawn seeding tool to prepare the way. Sow your seed generously across the prepared area then water lightly. Try to keep all foot traffic away from these freshly seeded areas until the seed has germinated and developed a solid head of grass.  You may only need to mow this area once before winter sets in, however, this will encourage the new grasses to sink deeper roots.

Those thin areas are a constant problem and will most likely require repairing every fall. Get a good thick lawn growing now and it should maintain that thickness until next summer – that’s when it will start to thin out again. If you have a good lawn repair tool on hand,  then you can thicken any weak areas as soon as they appear, otherwise, keep plenty of seed on hand for next fall.