Too little seed and you get a patchy lawn. Too much and seedlings compete with each other and die off. Enter your lawn area and seeding type to get the right pounds-per-thousand rate.
Lawn Area
sq ft
Rate: 8 lb per 1,000 sq ft
New Lawn
Scenario: You're starting from bare dirt on a 5,000 sq ft backyard.
Result: At the new lawn rate of 8 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, you need 40 lbs of seed. That works out to 8 standard 5 lb bags.
Overseeding
Scenario: Your existing 5,000 sq ft lawn has some thin patches and you want to thicken it up.
Result: At the overseeding rate of 4 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, you need 20 lbs of seed. That's 4 bags of 5 lb seed.
For a new lawn, use 6-8 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. For overseeding, use 3-4 lbs per 1,000 sq ft. These rates work for most common seed blends like Kentucky bluegrass, fescue, and perennial ryegrass mixes.
Fall (September-October) is ideal for cool-season grasses. Spring (March-April) works but you'll compete with weed germination. Warm-season grasses (Bermuda, Zoysia) should be seeded in late spring or early summer.
Seed is 80-90% cheaper but takes 2-3 months to establish. Sod gives an instant lawn but costs $0.35-$0.85 per sq ft. Seed offers more variety choices. Sod is better for slopes where seed would wash away.
Kentucky bluegrass: 14-30 days. Perennial ryegrass: 5-10 days. Tall fescue: 7-12 days. Bermudagrass: 10-30 days. Keep the soil consistently moist during germination -- light watering 2-3 times daily.
Want to learn more before you start your project?
Read the full guide →
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