Just wanted to share what I’ve been doing to patch up my Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) lawn. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with the results so far and plan to do the same next fall without the dethatching.
Story time: This spring, I noticed that my front yard had patches of fescue grass popping up everywhere. I tried to kill all the fescue by spraying non-selective herbicide, which left my lawn covered in brown spots for a while. I thought I’d reseed the bare spots, but as I dug out more and more patches (my neighbors must’ve thought I was digging for treasure), I realized there was way more fescue than I thought.
Since I didn’t have the time or patience to redo the whole lawn or lay new sod, I decided to overseed with TTTF (tall fescue). I figured it’d look a bit rough for a while, but better than starting from scratch.
Here’s what I did starting mid-August:
- Cleaned up the yard, getting rid of debris.
- Mowed really short.
- Dethatched to get to the soil.
- Aerated the lawn.
- Added about 1.5 cubic yards of compost mixed with peat moss.
- Spread GCI TTTF seed using a broadcast spreader.
- Added starter fertilizer.
- Rolled a thin layer of peat moss over the top.
- Watered a lot (and yes, the water bill hurt).
Given that we had a ton of heat (90+ degrees) for weeks, I’m pleased with how things turned out. The last few photos were taken in late September. The new TTTF patches haven’t grown much yet (around 3 inches), but I’m excited to see how it blends in next season.
Maybe I’ll have a career in landscaping after all. 
Note: I usually don’t dethatch my lawn as it can stress it out, but since I was mixing in the TTTF, I wanted the best soil contact possible.
@Lennon
Looking great!
@Lennon
Peat moss works as a soil amendment but isn’t the best for covering seed. It can cause problems down the road that other options don’t.
Peat moss isn’t great to use.
Ellison said:
Peat moss isn’t great to use.
Careful, that’s a hot topic around here.
Ellison said:
Peat moss isn’t great to use.
Oops, I said it again!
Ellison said:
Peat moss isn’t great to use.
After finishing this project, a friend told me about the environmental concerns with peat moss, so I won’t be using it again. It’s strange that the bot didn’t mention that part. Anyway, thanks for the heads-up. I’ll stick to a thin layer of topsoil next time 
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Looking for tips on overseeding your lawn? Check out this guide here.