This is going to be my approach this coming spring; based on Mishmosh's recommendation from here on the blog.

Good Luck!

See attached link:

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thinking-ahead-to-2019-help-is-needed-dsvw-vd~5559660?n=10[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/thinking-ahead-to-2019-help-is-needed-dsvw-vd~5559660?n=10)

GLE2011- thanks for the input. So in summary, you are doing a starter fertilizer with pre-em in Early April, then another pre-em in April(didn't follow his statement about 6 weeks and dimension)? Starter/Pre-em is then followed by milorganite once a month starting in late april through October? When mishmosh says you can do without overseeing in spring, does he mean that the grass you had going into winter will fill in on it's own? Thanks for confirming the above- it looks like we are in the same boat this spring! All the best!

I believe Scott's Halts has Dimensions in it, I am going to apply it six weeks after the first application on the Starter/pre-emergent. I am not going to apply Milorganite in July or August, then start up again in September.

I hope this helps.

Hopefully mishmosh will chime in and elaborate.

Any pictures? Any new seed or overseeding will probably not look it's best or even satisfactory in the same season it was seeded--especially if using KBG or FF which is commonly used in MA. I would judge results at the end of spring. As long as you don't have large bare areas, overseeding in spring is a losing proposition, especially if you have hot summers and seeding KBG. I think you are much better off with fertilizing and weed control.

My experience agrees with mishmash in that after seeding, it won’t be particularly apparent for a few months of growing. The new seedlings are tiny and threadlike and aren’t particularly visible. At least here in NH, last fall was good for seeding grass because it was warm without being hot, and had regular rain.

Mishmosh, would love to share photos but the site is not allowing me to upload for some reason (tried from laptop and from phone and tried with original size photos and smaller files as well). Will keep trying- thanks for the continued guidance here!

79suren, the site takes a while to resize and upload photos, from seconds to several minutes, depending on connection speed. When the grayed out initial picture gets full color, then you can load another photo or hit submit.

Thanks NH! I’ve included photos of the spots causing concern (in foreground of first photo) and a close up. As you can see the area is relatively shady and shade seed was used. Also dealing with moss in areas of the lawn. Thanks in advance for any further guidance!

I think the foreground area with the stepping stones and closeup area could use some overseeding. The nice thing about partial shade is that it doesn't get beat up in the summer so at least newly germinating grass has a better chance. Don't know how shaded that area is but even fine fescue or poa trivialis will be a little thin if it's fairly densely shaded. Got the makeup of that shady mix?

To hold back crabgrass, try to get some tupersan. A pre-emergent safe for seeding that was used before mesotrione became the standard for seeding. Mesotrione would not be a good choice because it is harmful to fine fescue and poa trivialis. Some shady mixes have tall fescue but imho, just not good for deep shade.

Mishmosh, thanks again for the continued guidance. I believe the landscaper used shade mix either by Pennington or Jonathan Green Black Beauty. Could you recommend seed for the bare areas which happen to be the shadiest of the lawn? Lastly, based on the recommendations above and on another post where you've provided guidance, my plan is as follows. Seed bare areas again and top dress with compost (when is the best time to put seed down in MA?). Starter Fertizilizer and Tupersan for weed control (could you confirm when this should be put down and any recommendation on brand?). Milorganite spread liberally multiple times over the course of spring/summer/fall (again, could you confirm the best times/frequency for application?). As a sidenote, I do have irrigation. What do you think is best for the watering schedule for new seed and once established, what would you suggest for normal watering schedule for the rest of summer/fall? Again, I am in Massachusetts (about 15 miles west of Boston) for reference. Thanks so much and sorry for the exhaustive request for detail but hopefully this will be my last time bothering you!!!

79, because of the shade, I'd overseed with a fine fescue mix or even just a single variety like Wendy Jean creeping red fescue, provided that area is not perennially wet. If it is low-lying drainage area that is wet most of time, no desirable grass will grow and an improved poa trivialis (roughstalk bluegrass) would be my recommendation.

You probably don't need starter fertilizer and can just go with Milorganite and Tupersan. You may have to reapply the tupersan after 4 weeks. For most of spring, moisture for seeding is not usually a concern so I wouldn't anticipate much need for irrigation, at least until May. You would do well to drop seed now. Going forward, just bear in mind that shady areas require less fertilization, and fine fescues require less as well. Shady areas also look less dense no matter what but if you can grow a healthy stand, that's an accomplishment.

Thanks again, Mishmosh. So seed bare/sparse areas now (after this present snow melts and the ground is exposed again). When would you suggest I apply Tupersan and what would be dates to use Milorganite?

I would think your area is like mine. Pre-emeregent beginning of April (or when you see Forsythias bloom) and you can probably put down Milorganite around the same time. Tupersan is not as good as regular pre-emergent so I would only use that in portions you plan to overseed this spring. Use regular pre-emergent for the rest of the lawn.

@mishmosh Thanks again for all the guidance here- very much appreciated. As pre-em time is hopefully around the corner, I wanted to know if you had any recommendation for Tupersan products? I'm having a bit of difficulty finding what exact brand/product to put down to minimize weeds in the areas that are being overseeded with grass.

Thanks again!

Suren

I've used Lebanon 4.6% Tupersan.