Can I overseed my lawn now? While patching small areas can be done most anytime, I don’t recommend putting down seed over a large area past about the first week of October. With winter dormancy approaching by mid-November, (grass stops growing above ground) there may not be enough time for the new grass to develop strong enough roots which may not allow it to survive a harsh winter. Also, the type of grass seed used can affect this time frame, the longer the germination time, the less time it has to get established. Germination times range from ryegrass with 7 days to bluegrass with 28 days and fescues in the middle with about 14 days. 

What to do if you miss this window? The experts will usually suggest a late February overseeding. February? Yes. When you seed at this time you allow Mother Nature to do all the hard work. At that time of year the sun is higher in the sky. This allows for daytime thawing and nighttime refreezing of the ground. This cycle is repeated almost daily resulting in the seed being pulled below the surface. There it will stay until the ground gets warm enough for germination to take place (55°). It will just naturally grow when the time is right.

So my advice is to proceed to succeed and wait to overseed.

Trivia Answer: They are always “raisin”.