SEEDING OR RESEEDING YOUR LAWN
Top Seeding Packages
A top-seeding package from Organo-Lawn is a four-step process.
Whether you are reseeding your lawn or starting from scratch, our process will help your grass seeds take hold, grow quickly, and stay healthy.
- Step 1 – Core Aeration: We start with a thicker than normal lawn aeration. Core aeration alleviates soil compaction, opens up holes in the ground, and brings dirt to the lawn’s surface.
- Step 2 – Humate Soil Conditioner: An application of Humate soil conditioner is applied over the entire lawn. Humate has been scientifically proven to increase grass seed germination by as much as 25% and foster new seedling growth.
- Step 3 – Rain Maker: Our water retention polymer called Rain Maker is a polymer that will help sustain a proper amount of moisture in the soil for a successful grass seed germination.
- Step 4 – Grass Seed: Finally, we apply the grass seed to the lawn. We have three options of grass seed types to choose from.
- Emerald III Turf-type Tall Fescue – The ideal grass type for Colorado lawns and is three different types of tall fescue grasses.
- Supreme Lawn Mix – A very high-quality seed mix of predominantly bluegrass seeds.
- Ecological Turf Mix – A fine fescue seed mix designed for low-maintenance areas.
- You will need to make sure the sprinkler system is set up to be watered properly. This is a very important step, and a sprinkler audit with Organo-Lawn will ensure that the sprinkler system is set up to water for ideal grass seed germination.**
- Patience is required because the lawn will need 6-12 weeks to fully establish. A top-seeding takes time and consistent lawn watering.
**Disclaimer: This top-seeding package is guaranteed only if Organo-Lawn performs a sprinkler audit on your system within two weeks of the seeding package.**
Important Note: With proper lawn watering the grass seeds will germinate and the lawn will become thick and lush. Please note that proper lawn watering is required for 3-8 weeks for successful grass seed germination.
Services Included in a Top-Seeding Package:
The first step of the top-seeding package is a thorough core aeration.
The second step of a top-seeding package is applying humate soil conditioner.
We add rain maker to our top-seeding package to help with watering.
The final step is to apply the grass seed to the lawn.
Example of a Top Seeding – Click on an Image Below to Enlarge
3 Weeks After Seeding
4 Weeks After Seeding
The seeds begin to grow out of the aeration plug holes.
5 Weeks After Seeding
The grass in the plugs is becoming thicker and distinct clumps of grass are developing.
11 Weeks After Seeding
The grass is thickening up and becoming more lush.
Emerald III Turf-Type Tall Fescue is The Best Grass Type for Colorado
Emerald III Turf-Type Tall Fescue is the best grass type for both shady and sunny lawns
Emerald III Turf-type Tall Fescue grass seed is the ideal grass type for almost all of Colorado’s conditions. Boulder and Fort Collins area lawns thrive when seeded with Emerald III grass seeds. Turf-type tall fescue does extremely well in areas of full sun or full shade. Emerald III will tolerate the high pH soils of Boulder and Fort Collins. Emerald III grass also has very strong rhizomes and will bounce back from heavy foot traffic or heavy use. After the grass seed is established, the turf will perform well in both hot-dry conditions and cool-moist conditions.
Organo-Lawn believes that this grass seed blend is the best seed type for Colorado’s wild weather and hot and dry summers. Emerald III fescue seed can also tolerate heavy shade areas like underneath deciduous trees. It’s also highly recommended for anyone starting a new lawn because it will require 33% less watering than bluegrass lawns.
Emerald III Turf-Type Tall Fescue Characteristics
- With proper lawn watering, tall fescue grass seeds take 16 days to germinate from seed.
- Tall fescue is a thicker-bladed grass, however, because it is a “Turf-Type tall fescue” it is soft on the feet and does not have the ugly clumpy look that some unimproved tall fescue grasses produce.
- Tall fescue is a very shade-tolerant grass and can grow in full sun or up to 80% shade. Compare that to bluegrass which can only tolerate 30% shade.
- Tall fescue roots can grow up to 3 feet deep in ideal conditions and usually about 12” deep in the Colorado soils in and around Boulder or Fort Collins areas.
- Tall fescue has very strong rhizomes (grass roots) and therefore it is an excellent selection for high-traffic areas because it can repair damaged areas very quickly. This quality makes this grass type ideal for people with dogs or young children.
- Tall fescue can grow very fast and may require more frequent mowing (once per week) than fine fescue grasses.
- Tall fescue is a clump grass, which means it grows in lots of small clumps. If conditions are good all these clumps appear as a nice full thick area, if conditions are bad (drought) the fescue will reduce to smaller clumps and this will make the area look patchy which is a good indication of drought stress.
- Tall fescue is not drought-proof and will die if not watered (i.e. zero water for 1-3 months), but is very drought-tolerant and uses about 1/3 less water than bluegrass.
- Tall fescue is tolerant to many lawn diseases like Necrotic Ring Spot and Ascochyta/Dollar Spot.
Emerald III Turf-type Tall Fescue:
Grass Seed Mix
33 1/3% Jaguar II
33 1/3% Mustang
33 1/3% Rebel II
Photos of Emerald III Turf Type Tall Fescue
Supreme Lawn Seed (Bluegrass Mix) is a Good Grass Type for Colorado
Supreme grass seed is ideal for sports turf or to match an existing bluegrass lawn.
Supreme Lawn grass seed mix is a blend of selected fine-textured lawn grass seeds that form a dense, uniform sod with outstanding deep dark green color, excellent durability, good heat and drought tolerance, strong winter hardiness, and nice lawn disease resistance. Supreme Lawn Mix incorporates the features of the Allblue bluegrass blend, then adds Creeping Red Fescue which tolerates the poor soil conditions found in Boulder and Fort Collins area lawns.
Supreme lawn grass seed is an extremely high-quality Kentucky blue-grass seed type that is ideal for Colorado lawns and used by grass seeding companies for lawns with adequate sun. It is a fine-bladed grass, with a deep dark green color, excellent tolerance to foot traffic, fair heat and drought tolerance, good winter hardiness, and is disease and fungus-resistant.
Bluegrass’ major drawback is its poor ability to establish in heavily shaded areas. Bluegrass needs about 70% sunlight throughout the day to stay healthy in a Boulder or Fort Collins area lawn. If a homeowner has tried numerous times to seed an area of the lawn with little success, chances are there isn’t enough sunlight for the bluegrass sod or grass to sustain in that area. For shady areas, Emerald III grass seed would be the best option for an area that does not receive as much sunlight.
Bluegrass is the most common grass type in Colorado lawns. This is because bluegrass is easy to sod and is virtually drought-proof. Even though bluegrass requires more water to stay green, if a bluegrass lawn receives zero water, the bluegrass lawns will go dormant. When water becomes available again (even if it is one year later) a bluegrass lawn will come out of dormancy. Bluegrass is virtually drought-proof.
Bluegrass Lawn Characteristics
- Bluegrass grass seeds take 23 days to germinate from seed.
- Due to strong rhizomes (roots that grow underground and then produce another blade of grass), bluegrass is very good at filling in bare areas and is more durable to foot traffic. Therefore, bluegrass is a good selection for sports turf, lawns with heavy dog traffic, or lawns where children play.
- Bluegrass lawns require more water to stay green than fescue lawns, but bluegrass lawns will not die if it goes into a severe drought. Bluegrass lawns will go dormant and turn brown quickly if water is reduced. Therefore, bluegrass lawns are drought-proof, but fescue lawns are more drought-tolerant.
- Bluegrass will not grow very well in full shade. Bluegrass lawns need 70% sun per day to stay healthy.
- There are over 100 different cultivars of bluegrass. The bluegrass in the Supreme seed mix is selected for its high tolerance to heat and drought stress and its overall health and color.
Supreme Lawn Grass Seed Mix
Bluegrass Seed Blend
70% Kentucky Blue, Allblue20% Perennial Rye, Four-Play
10% Creeping Red FescueII
Ecological Grass Seed Mix (Fine Fescue) is a Good Grass Type for Non Irrigated Areas
A grass type designed for low-maintenance areas!
Ecological Seed Mix is a grass seed mix we recommend for use in non-irrigated and low use turf areas around a house. Ecological seed is a quick establishing, dense, low growing turf that requires less mowing, water, and lawn fertilization than bluegrass or turf-type tall fescue grass seed blends. This grass seed mix is very fine textured, can be used in open sun, and yet has good shade and drought tolerance. It tolerates poor soil conditions and low soil fertility. This grass mix is not recommended for high traffic areas or athletic fields. This grass seed option is rarely used in residential lawns and is more widely used in areas like septic tank leach fields, berm areas, and non-irrigated sections of lawns. We use this mix as part of our lawn seeding services for low foot traffic lawns. Ecological grass seed mix is a much better grass seed choice for use in Boulder and Fort Collins area lawns compared to buffalo grass which is a warm season grass.
Fine Fescue Grass Characteristics
- Fine fescue takes 16 days to germinate after we have performed our lawn seeding services.
- The blades of the grass are strong, but the rhizomes of fine fescue are not very strong and therefore do not tolerate foot traffic very well.
- After established, fine fescue requires less frequent lawn mowing, less lawn fertilizer, and less water to stay healthy compared to bluegrass lawns.
- Fine fescue is not drought-proof and will die if left without water for a long period (1-3 months with zero water).
- Fescue grass is a clump grass, which means it grows in lots of small clumps. If conditions are good all these clumps appear as a nice full thick area, if conditions are bad (drought) the fescue will reduce to smaller clumps and this will make the area look patchy, which is a good indicator of drought stress.
Ecological Grass Seed Mix
Fine Fescue Seed Blend
20% Hard Fescue20% Chewings Fescue
20% Creeping Red Fescue
25% Kentucky Bluegrass
15% Perennial Ryegrass
When Should a Lawn Be Seeded?
Ideal Times to Seed a Lawn in Colorado:
- April 7th – May 20th
- August 10th – September 1st
Top Seeding Season in Colorado:
- Spring: April 7th – May 31st*
- Fall: August 10th – September 15th*
*We guarantee the germination of the grass seeds if the top seeding package is performed between these dates and Organo-Lawn performs a sprinkler audit within two weeks of the seeding package. Fall top seeding packages are guaranteed except for weather events like frost or major snowstorms that kill the newly germinating grasses.
Schedule an Expert Lawn Evaluation
Organo-Lawn is your local professional lawn care expert and can set up a seeding program for your lawn. Call today to talk to one of our professional lawn care technicians. (303) 499-2000 Boulder or (970) 225-9425 Fort Collins
FAQ – Over-Seeding a Lawn
When is the best time of year to seed a lawn in Colorado?
In Colorado, the highest germination percentage occurs between August 10th– September 1st. This is because the soil temperatures are ideal for seed germination and the nighttime temperatures are gradually getting cooler. If you would like to seed in spring, April 7 – May 31 is the best time to seed a lawn in the spring.
When can a lawn be seeded after applying weed killer?
This depends on what type of weed killer was used. It is best to read the label of the weed killer that was applied before seeding a lawn.
Is Kentucky bluegrass shade tolerant?
No, bluegrass needs about 70% sunlight throughout the day to stay healthy. If you have tried multiple times to seed a lawn under a tree with little success it may be that there isn’t enough sunlight for the bluegrass to sustain in that area. A better grass type choice would be turf-type tall fescue because it can tolerate up to 80% shade.
Is turf-type tall fescue ugly?
No, turf-type tall fescue is a type of tall fescue that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and soft on the feet compared to unimproved coarse tall fescue. Turf-type tall fescues do not have the ugly clumpy look that some unimproved tall fescue grasses produce. Turf-type tall fescue is a very shade tolerant grass and can grow in full sun or up to 80% shade. Turf-type tall fescues can tolerate heavy foot traffic because they have very aggressive rhizomes and deep digging roots. Tall fescues require 33% less water to stay healthy and green compared to bluegrass.
Are fine fescue grasses drought-proof?
No, fine fescue is drought tolerant because it needs about 33% less water to stay green compared to a bluegrass lawn, but fine fescue is not drought-proof and will die if left without water for a long period of time (1-3 months with zero water).
What type of grass is the ugly clumping grass that grows in lawns?
Unimproved tall fescue grass is a clump grass, which means it grows in lots of ugly clumps. Unimproved tall fescue is ugly and unsightly and often rough on the feet. Turf-type fescue is aesthetically pleasing and soft on the feet.