Challenged by a patchy lawn? It’s time to weigh the merits of overseeding vs. slit seeding. What’s the difference? Overseeding is spreading seeds over existing grass, while slit seeding involves precise machine-guided planting.
But which one should you go for? Overseeding is cheaper and great for both small and big lawns that just need a boost. It’s something you can do yourself with basic tools like a spreader. On the flip side, slit seeding tackles severe lawn issues and requires more specialized equipment.
Overseeding vs. Slit Seeding: Key Differences
While overseeding is the common choice for most homeowners, if your lawn’s condition isn’t great, you might need to think about slit seeding. Let’s take a look at each method.
Overseeding
Overseeding is basically spreading new grass seed all over your existing lawn. It’s a good way to fill in areas where the grass has become thin or damaged. All you need is quality grass seed and a handheld or broadcast spreader, which you can easily rent or buy from your local garden center or home improvement store.
Overseeding Process
- Soil Preparation: Rake and loosen the top layer of soil before spreading new seeds. (Check out our complete guide on “How to Prepare Your Lawn For Aeration and Overseeding.”)
- Seed Distribution: Evenly throw seeds over your lawn by hand or using a spreader.
- Keep Watering Your Lawn Frequently: Keep the lawn moist so the new grass seeds can grow well. (Here is our article “How Often to Water Grass Seed”)
Depending on your lawn’s current state, you might have a few extra steps, like testing the soil, aerating, tilling, or adding a layer of topsoil. Want to know more? We uncover it all in our guides:
- “How to Overseed a Lawn in 8 Simple Steps”
- “9 Aeration and Overseeding Mistakes to Avoid (Simple Tips)”
- “How to Aerate and Overseed Your Lawn”
- “5 Clear Signs You Need to Overseed Your Lawn”
Overseeding Advantages
- Cost Effective: It’s cheaper than slit seeding.
- Easy to Do: It doesn’t require a lot of expertise, making it more DIY-friendly. You mostly just need to prepare the soil correctly, spread the seeds evenly, and ensure they get sufficient water.
- Fixes Thin Patches: Overseeding is effective in maintaining and improving the density of your already mostly healthy lawn, choking out potential weeds.
- Less Damaging: Overseeding involves spreading grass seed over an existing lawn without turning or slicing into the soil. So, it is less disruptive to the existing grass compared to slit seeding.
Overseeding Drawbacks
- Requires Good Soil Contact: For seeds to germinate successfully, they need good contact with the soil, which isn’t always possible when you’re simply throwing seeds over the existing grass.
- Less Effective for Major Lawn Renovation: Not as effective as slit seeding for lawns with large bare patches or that need complete renovation.
- Higher Seed Waste: More of the grass seed may be wasted or eaten by birds compared to slit seeding.
- Lower Germination Rate: Seeds spread on top of the soil may not germinate as well as seeds planted in slits.
- More Watering Needed: More initial watering and maintenance may be required until seeds germinate.
Slit Seeding
Slit seeding, also known as slice seeding, involves using a special tool called a slit seeder. This large equipment has numerous rotating metal blades that create small holes or slits in soil, with a seed hopper on top. As the slit seeder moves along, it drops grass seeds straight into slits (at about 1-inch depth), making a good, direct contact with the soil.
This approach is recommended when you’re dealing with lawns that need complete renovation or have large areas with significant bare patches.
First off, a lawn expert will check out your lawn to see if it really needs slit seeding.
Slit Seeding Process
- Soil Preparation: Clear the lawn. Remove leaves and any waste before you start.
- Slit Seeding: You will need a slit seeder, which cuts slits and plants seeds at once.
- Maintenance: Once sowing is done, regular watering is necessary.
If you’re interested in learning more about slit seeding, check out our articles titled:
Slit Seeding Advantages
- Better Seed-to-Soil Contact: Cuts grooves directly into the soil, allowing better seed-to-soil contact.
- Effective for Major Lawn Renovation: Slit seeding is more effective than overseeding for lawns with large barren patches or those that need complete renewal.
- Even Seed Distribution: Seeds are distributed evenly and precisely by the slit seeding machine.
- Faster Germination: As seeds have better access to water and nutrients, they sprout faster than in traditional overseeding.
- Superior Protection: The seeds don’t require extra topsoil to protect them from environmental elements and birds.
- Better Results on Sloped Lawns: Seeds stay put in the slits and don’t slide downhill as easily – advantageous on slightly sloped lawns.
- Thatch Break-Up: The blades simultaneously Break up any accumulated thatch, providing your yard with improved airflow and water absorption.
Slit Seeding Drawbacks
- More Expensive: Slit seeding is more costly than overseeding as it requires specialized machinery or hiring a professional contractor.
- Requires Expertise: If you’re undertaking a DIY project, using the slit seeder can be complicated, leading to uneven results with clumps or bare spots if not handled properly.
- Potential Lawn Damage: Slit seeding machines are likely to cause minimal damage to your existing grass because they cut into the soil, disturbing the roots of current grass (in case resurrecting areas where there are still healthy patches).
- Less Effective on Compacted Soil: It may not work as well if the soil is very compacted – aeration may be needed first.
Choosing Between Overseeding and Slit Seeding
Still trying to decide if overseeding or slit seeding is right for your lawn? It’s pretty straightforward. If your lawn has a few thin spots, then overseeding is the right choice. On the other hand, if most of your lawn is bare or damaged, you might want to consider slit seeding.
If you’re comparing these methods in terms of their complexity, traditional overseeding is much more approachable and carries lower risks of error, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Slit seeding, on the other hand, requires more expertise due to its machine-dependent process and potential lawn damage if not done properly.
Some additional things you might need to consider are:
- Costs: Slit seeding involves using specialized machinery or potentially hiring a professional contractor, which makes it more expensive than overseeding. You can expect to pay around $0.08 to $0.18 per square foot for slice seeding the lawn. (Here is our pricing guide on How Much Does It Cost to Seed a Lawn in 2024?)
In contrast, traditional overseeding with aeration costs between $0.08 to $0.25 per square foot but provides lower germination rates (15% – 30%) compared to slit seeding (up to 90%).
- Time: If you’re considering overseeding your lawn, it’s a pretty simple task that you can do yourself. It could take about 3 hours to cover an average-size yard. But if you think the lawn needs more serious help and are contemplating slit seeding, remember that it’ll probably take a bit longer as the process is somewhat complex.
FAQ About Overseeding vs. Slit Seeding
Aerating before slit seeding can be beneficial if your lawn is showing signs of compaction and poor water penetration. However, with good soil conditions, aerating might not be necessary since the slit seeder itself creates small openings in the soil for seed placement.
It depends on your lawn’s condition. For lawns that are in relatively good shape but could just use a bit of a fill-in, overseeding should suffice. However, if your lawn has significant damage or large bare patches, slit seeding is more effective as it ensures better seed-to-soil contact, which promotes quicker and more successful growth.
The best time to overseed or slit seeding your lawn is typically in the fall. During this period, the soil is still warm from summer, but the air is cooler. This offers a perfect environment for seed germination. Additionally, there are fewer active lawn diseases and less competition from weeds during fall.
If you can’t do it in the fall, spring is your second-best option (especially for warm-season grasses).
Mow the Stress Away With Pro Help
At the heart of it, the difference between overseeding and slit seeding boils down to their method and purpose. Overseeding is less expensive and good for small lawn fixes, using simple tools like a spreader. Slit seeding costs more and needs a professional but is better for big lawn repairs with lots of empty spots.
If you’re lost between choosing the best method or unsure how to do it, a local lawn care pro can take the worry off your shoulders. They provide both overseeding and slit seeding services, including prep work and follow-up like proper watering and mowing.
Main Photo Credit: Elena Elisseeva / Shutterstock
