Gardeners told to follow simple steps to overseed your lawn before end of March (2025)

A gardening expert has shared his top tips to perfect your lawn come summer

As we bid farewell to winter, avid gardeners are being urged to get stuck in and reseed their lawns in time for when summer rolls around. The esteemed Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has observed that spring presents prime conditions for grass seedlings, due to moist ground and rising soil temperatures.

Experts at RHS suggest that seeding may be a wallet-friendly alternative to turf, potentially producing the outcome of the perfect lawn if done correctly.

Gardening expert Michael Griffiths is offering a helping hand with his straightforward guide aimed at achieving peak seed sowing in March. Taking to TikTok under the username @themediterraneangardener, he dishes out a key tip: "Before you start, you ideally want to scarify and aerate your lawn, but as a minimum you want to mow it."

Supporting the need for scarification, Boston Seeds emphasises its critical part in clearing away thatch and moss, thus enabling sturdy grass seed growth.

In a popular TikTok video, Michael demonstrates the process using a rake and then proceeds to aerate the land with a garden fork. He says that aeration is essential as it produces openings in the ground that allow air, moisture, and nutrients to seep into the earth's depths.

Michael says that cutting the lawn low shows which spots may require more seeds, reports the Mirror.

This process also tends to expose perennial weeds, which often lurk among the blades of grass. "You want to get them up now and fill the holes that are left behind," Michael says.

Michael then suggests starting with filling any gaps with soil and dampening dry patches prior to overseeding.

He then recommended the application of a grass fertiliser to encourage robust growth, noting: "You can plant grass seed immediately after applying the fertiliser, just make sure there is no weed or moss killer in it, as this will also prevent the grass seed from germinating."

When it comes to choosing the most suitable grass seed, Michael suggests selecting a variety that matches the specific conditions of your garden.

For those with lawns often used by children and pets, he endorses a blend recommended by the RHS -perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, red fescues, and browntop - for its resilience.

For the luxury or finer lawns that feature delicate turf, the RHS recommends blends consisting of Chewing's fescue, strong and slender creeping red fescue, and browntop.

In shaded gardens, Michael relays the RHS's advice of a mix including hard fescue, strong and slender creeping red fescue, and browntop.

Michael concluded by guiding enthusiasts on seeding: "Shake the box and spread the seed, a light covering is fine. You should still be able to see the soil through the seeds."

He then emphasised the need for daily watering of the lawn until the grass takes root and recommended keeping it free from foot traffic for about two to three weeks. He noted that the seeds should start to germinate within seven to 10 days.

After Michael's gardening tips video went live, viewers flooded the comments section with questions. One viewer, concerned about birds eating their newly sown seeds, asked: "How to stop birds just eating the seeds?".

To this, Michael responded with a handy tip: "If that's a problem you can light a small amount of topsoil over it to cover the seeds. It needs to be light though as too much will stop germination."

Another viewer sought guidance on when to mow the new lawn, asking: "How long do you wait to cut it again?" Michael advised waiting until the grass reaches 5cm in height.

A further enquiry was made regarding the use of moss killer, with a question posed: "How long should you wait to seed after a moss killer treatment," to which Michael replied with a recommendation saying: "I would give it around two weeks."