carrat-left Return to Help & Advice

What should I overseed my lawn with?

Overseeding is a great way to replenish and refresh your lawn. To get the most benefit from it you should make sure that you are overseeding with a seed that is fit for purpose.

What should I overseed my lawn with?

If you have clay soils, shaded lawns or heavy traffic and usage, you should choose a seed that will cater to those demands and needs. To overseed a lawn with fresh grass seed is an easy task to carry out, and the rewards for doing it will give you a lusher lawn in no time!

So, what should I overseed my lawn with?

Every lawn will require a different kind of seed in order for it to thrive. Knowing what kind of seed you need before you start to overseed will ensure that you get the best results possible. There are a few things you need to consider before choosing your seed: do you suffer from any shade? Do you have clay soils? Or do you need a hardwearing and tough lawn to put up with heavy traffic in your garden?

At iCANLAWN.com we have created a range of six lawn seed types, each tailored to a specific need. So when it comes to choosing the right seed for your overseeding, it shouldn’t be too hard!

Seed mixes to overseed an everyday lawn

For a lawn seed that will put up with the everyday traffic and play on your lawn, you can try our Fast Grow Family Lawn. This has been designed to withstand the everyday use of your lawn and bounce back every time! If you have a few furry friends that rule the roost in your home and garden, you might want to try our Tough Stuff Lush Lawn seed. It’s one of our toughest seeds and will put up with just about everything your dog throws at it.

If you're looking for fast-growing grass that develops into a beautifully green and hard-wearing lawn, then our All Rounder Rapid Lawn is the seed you need! This all-purpose grass seed offers an unrivalled and balanced blend of growth, thickness, and durability all year round. And it's the perfect match for garden lawns that get a lot of use throughout the year. It's also ideal for overseeding or simply repairing any wear and tear in your garden.

Specialist grass seed to overseed a shade, sandy soil or ornamental lawn

For a lawn that suffers from shade, our Shade Supreme Lawn seed will thrive in those dark spots and leave you with a lovely green lawn. If you have recently moved into a new build home, you might find that your soils are heavy in the rain and dry and cracked in the heat, this means you have clay soils. Our New Build Dream Lawn seed was created to grow in clay conditions and help you achieve that dream lawn you had hoped for. For those of us who prefer the finer things in life, you might want to try our Super Fine Luxury lawn seed. It will give you a fine-leafed lawn that’s Wimbledon-worthy!

Why should you overseed?

Our lawns are a labour of love, and they need ongoing care and attention to keep them looking their best. Even the strongest and most resilient seed can fall victim to harsh and wet winters, wear and tear, weeds, moss and lawn diseases throughout the year – never mind the threat of pests!

More often than not, we overseed our lawns because we are lawn lovers who like to look out each day and see a vibrant, thick, and luscious green lawn looking back. Overseeding is a great way to plump up your lawn and rejuvenate it back to its former glory, whilst fixing all those little issues along the way.

Aside from wanting your lawn to look aesthetically pleasing, overseeding can also help your lawn to remain weed-free, stay well-fed and stay full of nutrients. Find out more about why you should overseed your lawn on our blog post.

When is the best time to overseed?

Similar to sowing a new lawn, we recommend overseeding your lawn in spring or autumn, when temperatures are at least 10 degrees during the day and night. Soil temperatures are ideal and plenty of rain encourages your seeds to grow. While temperatures will be high enough during the summer, sometimes it can be too hot during those months, and it can be a challenging environment to grow new seeds in.

Should I mix grass seed with topsoil when overseeding?

The main reason for adding topsoil when overseeding is to level the area, which will ensure your lawn is even, visually charming, easy to walk on, and drains well in wet weather. So while you don't technically have to mix the grass seed with topsoil, it is good practice to add topsoil to uneven areas of your lawn before sowing your new grass seed. For further reading, we have a helpful guide on how to level a lawn - this guide takes you through the simple steps to level your garden lawn to perfection.

Knowing how to overseed your lawn

Make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you start the process of overseeding. While it might seem like a simple task, we have a few overseeding tips and tricks that will make your overseeding more effective and leave you with a full, thick and healthy-looking lawn once again. To help you with the process, you can follow our how-to video guide on how to overseed your lawn.

Keep up to date with our lawn care by heading over to our seasonal advice pages.