How to seed and fill in bare and thin spots in your lawn
Spring is a great time to fill in bare and thin spots in your lawn with seed. Any area the size of a basketball will probably fill in on it’s own by the end of summer if you fertilize, water and mow properly, but for larger areas, some fresh grass seed can help speed up the process.
3 Keys to Growing Grass Seed
- Moisture: it seems obvious, but no plant can grow without proper watering. This is especially true with grass seed, as the moisture triggers the actual germination process. The secret here is constant moisture. Allowing the seed to dry out in between waterings will kill it. Grass seed germinates at different rates. Ryegrass sprouts in about 7 days, whereas Bluegrass can take up to 2 weeks … BE PATIENT!
- Seed-to-soil contact: The seed must be wrapped in soil. The soil beneath is used for rooting, and the soil above supports the young sprout as it reaches for the sky. Soil also retains moisture and heat.
- Heat and sunlight: Temperatures must be above 40 degrees at night in order for most grass seed to germinate. Ideally, temps will be in the upper 50s and lower 60s during the day. Sunlight is important because the young seedling needs to create its own food through photosynthesis so it can keep growing. The energy stored in the seed is only enough to give it an initial push.
The pictures below illustrate the seeding process. In this example, I am using Scott’s Tall Fescue blend seed and Scott’s Lawn Soil as a seed covering. Normally, landscapers use a slurry mixture of peat moss and top soil in equal parts to cover the seeds, but Scott’s now sells their “lawn soil” as a seed covering which saves you the hassle of mixing.
The lawn soil bags are $3.50 each at Menards. One bag is enough to cover an area 3 feet by 3 feet when seeding.
Here are 2 other articles that relate to this one if you care to learn more.
“Grass seed types for your lawn”
“Growing Grass in Heavy Shade”
Below are a couple updated pictures taken just 2 weeks after the above pictures. You will see the germination is very favorable.
Keep in mind that quality seed is very important!
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April 11th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
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April 11th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
[...] Here’s another article that teaches you how to seed and fill in bare spots with grass seed. [...]
April 11th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
[...] have areas that are damaged, the best bet is to saturate the spots with water, and read this article on seeding barespots in your lawn. Just remember to rake out the dead lawn areas prior to [...]
May 9th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
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