Sowing lawn seed | Seeding Lawn | Turfgrass planting

Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener

Installing a new lawn isn’t easy, but the reward you get from doing it properly is well-worth the effort! And once your lawn bed has been amended, leveled, raked and rolled, it’s time for the main event: seeding or sodding. Which method you choose depends a lot on the grass you want to grow: Not all turfgrasses can be planted from seed (many warm-season grasses, like St. Augustine grass, can only be planted with plugs or sod), and not all varieties of turfgrass are available as sod (which is particularly true if you want a mixture of grasses).

Large areas of turf should be seeded with a drop spreader. Its flow adjustment should be set to deliver seed evenly at the coverage rate recommended on the seed package.

If you’re able to grow your turfgrass-of-choice from seed, that’s great news! While seeding requires some work, vigilance and patience, it’s far cheaper than the other methods. And when it’s done correctly, the resulting grass is highly reliable. Best of all, a seeded lawn tends to be very sturdy because it grows by rooting itself firmly into the seedbed.

Sow warm-season grasses in spring and cool-season grasses in late summer or early autumn, depending on your climate zone. The amount of seed you’ll need depends on the type of turfgrass you’re growing, and the appropriate rate will be indicated on the package (likely in pounds per 1,000 square feet).

Before you start seeding, make sure there’s no wind and that the soil has been moistened to a depth of about 6 inches by watering for several days before planting. You can seed by hand, but if you suspect that you’re not getting even coverage, you may want to opt for a more predictable method and rent a drop spreader or cyclone seeder.

Drop spreaders are like fertilizer or mulch dispensers: They drop seed as you push the seeder along in lines equal to the width of the spreader. Adding some vermiculite into the mix can help spread the seed better. Rotary or cyclone seeders spew seeds in a circular pattern and are generally less precise. With either type, make two passes at right angles to ensure good coverage.

After the seed is dispensed, rake it lightly into the top 1/8 inch of soil, then smooth out the surface, or topcoat the surface with a quarter-inch layer of mulch. (A long-tined leaf rake is perfect for both jobs, first with the prongs down to rake in the seed, then flipped on its back to smooth the soil.)

Next, you need to water, but do so very carefully – this step is make-or-break for your newly seeded lawn. Too much water applied with too much force will cause your evenly distributed seeds to flow together in rivulets or congregate around tiny pods of water. You want complete control over your watering, so do it by hand with a hose. Keep your new lawn moist until the grass seeds germinate, sprout and emerge from the soil. Germination times vary by grass type, but your lawn should be up and growing sometime between 1-3 weeks.

You’ll save yourself a lot of heartache if you take the time to cordon off your newly planted area, using cord tied with bright cloth flags to stave off both two- and four-legged intruders. If pets or children are an issue, low plastic fencing might be an even wiser choice. Of course, this won’t do much to keep the birds away, but the truth is our feathered friends are bound to eat some of your seed, even if you’re nearby to startle and drive them away. You can only trust that following the seed-supplier’s instructions will mean you’ve sown enough seed to yield that handsome lawn you’re dreaming of.

Congratulations – you’ve crossed the lawn-installation finish line! All that’s left is to water and wait for your new lawn to grow in – and then enjoy it!

Sowing a New Lawn

Sowing Lawn - Step 1

A rotary hand spreader makes a good application device for seeding a lawn. Fill the spreader with seed and adjust the flow-rate control as recommended on the seed package. Make two passes over the area, the second at a right angle to the first to ensure even coverage.

Sowing Lawn - Step 2

After sowing, roll the seed into the soil surface to ensure good contact. Topcoat with a ¼-inch layer of mulch, then roll again. (This helps hide the seed from birds and protects it from washing away before it germinates.)

Sowing Lawn - Step 3

Gently water the planted seed using a misting nozzle. Saturate the soil and keep it constantly and evenly moist for the first 10 days, or until germination.

Facts

There’s another way to seed large areas: Hydroseeding is a one-step process employed by commercial landscaping companies to “blow” a mix of grass seed, fertilizer, fiber mulch and water onto a seedbed. The mulch protects the seed from drying out, and the fertilizer gives it a quick start. If you’re trying to cover difficult slopes, hydroseeding is a good option.
Installing a new lawn is the perfect time to put in an inground irrigation system.

Tips

Every lawn develops dead spots over time. If the cause is a care issue (like a failed sprinkler), make necessary repairs to fix the problem before attempting to reseed.
Let your grass seedlings reach 3-4 inches tall before you mow it the first time. And then, cut no more than ¼ or ½ an inch. Leave the clippings behind to decompose, and give a shot of nitrogen fertilizer to your restored lawn. Finally, water well after mowing.

Next Steps

Repairing Dead Spots in Your Lawn
It happens to the best of homeowners: dead spots in the lawn. Whatever the cause, these dry, lifeless spots in an otherwise thriving lawn can ruin the overall look and value of your yard. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. Learn how to fix these problem areas in your turfgrass.
New Turf: A Lawn Way to Grow
Planting a new lawn takes time, planning and a hefty amount of work. But if you do it right, you can be rewarded with a gorgeous green carpet for years to come. Here’s a look at how to get there.
The First Pass Over New Grass
No matter if you planted seed, sprigs or sod, your new lawn will be sensitive to its first mowing. Learn how to mow it right to help ensure that dense, green carpet you’re hoping to run your toes through!

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Priority Seeding (Sowing Your New Lawn)