Lawn Re-Seeding Tip Sheet Grass, like any other living plant, will thrive when planted properly in the right  location. Many of us think grass seed will grow by simply throwing it on the lawn and walking away. For winter seeding, this is mostly true. But for fall or  spring seeding, not so. Here is a step-by-step way to successfully re-seed your  lawn. Spot-Seeding Bare Spots 1. Take a steel rake and loosen soil. 2.  Apply seed with applicator or by hand at the rate of 4/5 seeds per inch  (freeze grass seed overnight for faster germination). 3. Dampen down daily until seed germinates (a light application of straw is optional). 4. After germination, deep water the new grass once a week (to the equivalent of 1") during dry  periods. 5. Mow as soon as new grass  reaches 2 1/4" or more. Cut to a height of 2". Raise mower 1/2" after four  cuttings of new grass. Seeding New or Reseeding Existing Lawn Let's  discuss some "Don'ts" before we cover the "Do's". Don't rototill the soil. This process causes the soil to  settle unevenly, wakes up thousands of weed seeds that will compete with the new grass (and it's a lot of unnecessary work). Don't apply topsoil to overall area unless you spread it to a depth of 4 to 6 inches to entire area. Use topsoil to fill in any low areas. Settle the new topsoil with irrigation or rain before putting down your seed. Re-loosen the top soil with a steel rake to break up the crust, then put down  your seed. Don't even read any further unless you can keep new seed dampened down daily till germination (assuming no rain on a given day). Try the  winter seed method if this seems like too much trouble! Now the "Do's" - please read  carefully. Do kill all existing vegetation in area to be re-seeded.  Weeds and other vegetation should be watered well prior to application of  herbicide. Healthy weeds die faster. In the fall, allow 3 to 4 weeks to retreat some weeds that re-grow after initial treatment. Old law should be between 2" to 3" tall when treating, especially true with nutgrass. Great vegetation killers  that are safe to use are Round-up and Finale. Do rent a seed slitter or verti-slicer. Set the blade to cut a 1/2" slit. Run the machine east to west and north to south (checkerboard).  Most machines come with a seed box. If so, set the seeder to drop 4-5 seeds per inch of soil. For Turf Fescue and Turf Rye, make another couple of passes  northeast and southwest. Do freeze your seed overnight. It can even stay frozen until you're ready to apply. Do it now before you forget. Do wait until old vegetation starts to turn yellow or  brown. Then use a verti-slicer or verti-cutter. Move machine east to west and south to north. Do criss-cross. For sloped areas, move machine horizontally  across slope. All slits should be 1/2" deep in soil. Do fertilize with a starter type fertilizer (example:  9-18-18). Do not mix seed and fertilizer together in the same applicator hopper. Apply fertilizer first. Do lightly water grass seed daily (assuming rainless days) to keep seed moist until germination. Then water once weekly the equivalent of  1" of water, and/or rain. Continue to water as above during dry and hot  weather. Do mow your grass as soon as it reaches 2 1/4". Mow at 2"  and mow often. The more cuttings, the quicker the new grass matures. You will get a few new weeds. Do not apply week killer till you've given the new grass  three cuttings. Do use good grass seed. If you're going to do all the  above steps, don't mess everything up with so-called bargain seeds. Check the  seed label for purity, weed seed content, and inert ingredients.