When to mow lawn after overseeding?

I've made it my mission to improve the neglected lawn at our fairly new build mid-terrace house this year.

I scarified our 'postage stamp' lawn a couple of weeks ago and followed up by overseeding and adding fertilizer.

A long strip of lawn which is always in the shade along the base of a garden fence ended up as a bare muddy strip after scarification as it was basically just moss. I made sure this area got plenty of seed which although still looking bare appears to have germinated (in places) and is showing signs of new life. There are still quite a few seeds lying on the surface of the mud that don't appear to be doing much though. I was thinking about scattering a fine layer of soil on top to see if it will aid their germination - good idea or not?

The rest of the lawn has grown considerably and I really want to mow it. Is it too early to mow after overseeding it only a couple of weeks ago? Patience isn't my strong point and I don't want to jump the gun and undo any hard work! Hope someone can help

edit: Adding a few pictures if it helps. I know the rest of the lawn is far from perfect but its a work in progress!

The Garden



Muddy Strip



New Shoots



Rest of the lawn up close

 

Hi there, I would cut the grass when the new stuff gets to about 5/6 cms high, only take off top third at any time. A light covering of topsoil will sort out the uncovered seeds. I usually cover with a piece of plastic sheet to speed up germination.

 

I wonder if over-seeding (next year / this Autumn) with shade tolerant variety along the North side of the fence would help?

 

"It always seems slow to germinate, or is it me being impatient?"

No, you're not impatient, that is indeed the case. I think it is partly because the grass seedlings are, initially, hard to see. All of a sudden it has grown enough that you can see a sort of green-hue - a bit like algae - and then a week later its transmogrified into proper grass!

 

Hello Pip , just reading your advice for St_Davids lawn . I think a lot of us get a little frustrated on grasss seed germination time , it does seem erratic ( unless its on my driveway , where it is 100% ). I liked your tip on placing a plastic sheet over the reseeding patch. Do you lie it on flat or raise it up a smidgeon ?

 

Hi HarryS, I stick a few spikes (broken canes about 6 ins long) under the plastic to lift it off the ground. A few round the sides to hold it down, acts like a greenhouse and raises the temp and humidity thus speeding germination.

Another plus point is it keeps the birds off.