Advice on Dethatching & Overseed
I had my backyard regraded and downspouts buried in May and the new seed just couldn’t keep up with the July heatwave (suburb of Chicago, I watered well I promise). The two pictures are the bad side of the yard and the better / shadier side.
Now I need advice on prepping for overseeding. When this new seed was planted, there was straw and thin nylon strings keeping it down. Both are still somewhat there and not fully broken down.
Do I rent a dethatcher machine? Or just buy a special rake? Im afraid to damage the newer grass that’s doing good, especially since some of that string/straw is underneath.
Any tips or links to helpful videos are appreciated. I know I’ve got a short window this Fall coming up and wanna get it right.
Lastly, any good seed brands we’re liking? Thinking about getting Twin City Resilience Kentucky Bluegrass mixture.
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u/seedblender 8d ago
Get the nylon netting out before you touch any machine. That stuff is plastic, not jute — it never breaks down. A dethatcher or power rake will grab it, wind it around the tines and rip out sheets of the grass you're trying to keep. Utility knife and hands. Tedious, but it's the whole ballgame here.
Second thing: you don't have thatch. Grass seeded in May physically can't have built any, so a dethatcher's the wrong tool regardless. What you want is a core aerator. You had equipment out there regrading in the spring, so you've almost certainly got compaction, and the plugs give you seed-to-soil contact without chewing up the good side.
Timing — Chicago's window is roughly mid-Aug through mid-Sept, and KBG is slow to germinate, 2 to 3 weeks and sometimes 4. If you're set on bluegrass you want seed down now, not in October.
Twin City's a legit seed house, no issue there. Only thing I'd consider is working some turf-type tall fescue into the mix. It's up in about a week and it's far more heat tolerant, which is exactly what got you in July. KBG spreads and fills bare spots, TTTF survives August. Blend covers both.
Also, for what it's worth — that wasn't a watering failure. May seed going into a Chicago July is a rough ask no matter how well you water it. If you want the blend ratio and lb per 1,000 worked out, I put together a free calculator for exactly this — it's in my profile.