I'm trying to improve my lawn this year, but I'm stuck on whether overseeding will naturally get rid of the weeds that are taking over. About 30-40% of my lawn is filled with weeds. Should I dig out the weeds first or will overseeding help with that?
2 Answers
It's usually best to pull out the weeds first before you overseed. After you dig them out, top dress your lawn with some fresh soil, then seed and rake it in. Just keep in mind that you can't use any pre-emergent herbicides when you're trying to grow new grass from seed.
In my experience, overseeding works better if you kill the weeds first, especially in the fall. Newly seeded grass will thrive better without competing against weeds. I’d recommend using a broadleaf weed killer like Weed-B-Gon, wait a bit, and then overseed and top dress your lawn. Just be aware that different types of weeds and soil quality can affect how well this strategy works.