Watering Tips for Fescue Overseeding in Tulsa  

Proper watering is the most important determining factor in the successful overseeding of your Tulsa lawn. The best grass seed, healthy soil tests, and perfect timing can all be wasted if the new fescue seed doesn’t receive adequate irrigation. Water is the life source for plant systems, so it makes sense, right? Well, get your sprinklers ready because we have all the best advice for watering your new fescue lawn.  

How to Get the Best Results from Your Fescue Overseeding 

We are about to wrap up the window of opportunity for seeding tall fescue lawns now that it is October. It’s best to seed cool-season grasses, like fescue, from mid-September to about mid-October, allowing for the seed to germinate and grow before winter sets in. As the warm spring weather hits in March and April, the new fescue turf quickly develops maturity, thickens up, and develops a stronger root system, increasing the chances of surviving the Oklahoma summer heat. Using a blend of quality fescue seed is very important, especially in keeping other weeds and foreign grass types out of the turf. Aeration, to alleviate soil compaction, is vital to ensure that the seed penetrates the soil to germinate properly. The most important factor for great fescue overseeding results is proper watering.  

When to Water Your New Fescue Grass Seed 

At Green Group Oklahoma, we recommend watering new fescue seed 3 times daily for about 15 minutes per session, if possible. It’s crucial to keep the seed bed moist for at least 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks) and avoid allowing it to dry out. The goal is to keep the soil moist, but not waterlogged. You should adjust your sprinklers and watering schedule in accordance with the rainfall your area receives. After about 10 days, new seedlings should be popping up through the soil, so you can cut back to about once per day watering, for a longer duration. Watering in longer spurts allows the water to reach deeper into the root systems, encouraging deeper root growth. After a few weeks, you should be able to return to your regular irrigation schedule, while watering longer (up to 30 minutes per cycle) for deeper wetting of the soil.  

When Can I Mow After Fescue Seeding?  

After a few weeks, the seedlings should reach about 3-4″ in height, and you can carefully mow for the first time. Make sure your lawn mower blades are replaced or sharpened before mowing your new fescue lawn. Immature grass is especially susceptible to tears and mower stress caused by dull blades. Follow the same mowing rules and recommended heights as normal. Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade to avoid causing stress to your new lawn. When leaves start falling soon, it’s important to keep those raked up, so the tender seedlings will not be smothered. Using the bag on your mower to remove the leaves is a good way to keep your fescue turfgrass free of leaves later in the fall.  

Hiring a Local Professional for Tall Fescue Lawn Care in Tulsa 

The bottom line is that it is hard to over-water your fescue seedlings in the fall. We’ve seen too many cases where the best grass seed doesn’t receive the best aftercare resulting in poor growth or even dying soon after germinating. We are a team! We are happy to provide you with recommendations, tips, and guidance to make sure you get the most out of your fescue seed. That’s the difference you can expect at Green Group Oklahoma. We are a local Tulsa area lawn care provider that values customer service and education. Lawn care is a partnership, and we look forward to working with you to maintain a healthy lawn! We treat many warm-season types of grass including Zoysia and Bermuda, and provide weed control, fertilization, lawn aeration and overseeding, mosquito control in Tulsa, and more. We proudly service homeowners in Tulsa, Bixby, Sand Springs, and surrounding areas. Contact us today for a free quote!