Planting a Lawn From SeedSeeding is the traditional way (and certainly the least expensive method) to grow a new lawn. It is also one of the trickiest because so many things can go wrong, from seed that doesn’t germinate to a run-in with a flock of hungry swallows. If you choose this method for growing a new lawn, give your lawn the best chance possible by being exacting in each step of the seeding process.
Everything starts with the seed. By shopping carefully for your seed, you take the first steps toward maximizing the seed’s potential. The next trick is to make sure the seed is set down in the right way and the right place. Drop spreaders are best for this. Because they drop the seed directly below the hopper, it’s easier to tell where the seed is going, and to know exactly where to overlap the rows. It’s common on larger lawns to use a broadcast or rotary spreader because the width of each row will be three times or the more the size of drop spreader rows. If you use a broadcast spreader, you’ll need to be very diligent about where the seed is going to ensure an even starting growth for your lawn.
Once you’ve distributed all the seed and laid down a protective layer over it, you’ve still got work to do. One of the keys to helping as many seeds as possible germinate is to make sure that the seeds never completely dry out. This means you have to water the seeded area lightly, several times a day. You can cut back on the watering to a couple times a day once your seedlings sprout, but you still need to give a lot more moisture than an established lawn will need. After three or four weeks, you may also need to overseed areas not filling in because the seeds were in shade, or they were not spread evenly.
Tools & Materials 
Drop spreader
Leaf rake
Drum roller
Grass seed
Grass fabric or mulch
A drop spreader is often used for fertilizing, but can also be used to apply seed. It ensures even grass seed coverage for a more uniform lawn. But it is essential to regularly clean and maintain your spreader. A poorly functioning unit translates to improper feeding and possible damage to the lawn.
With the soil prepared as described on page 72, spread the seed. Set the drop spreader to the setting listed on the seed bag, test the dispersal rate on a driveway or sidewalk, and begin seeding.
Rake the seed into the surface of the soil. Drag a leaf rake upside down over the surface to rake in the seeds. Rake gently to prevent dispersing the seeds too much.
Proper Seed Dispersal
Regardless of whether you’re using a drop, broadcast, or even a hand-held spreader, the goal is to have a nice, even dispersal across the entire area of the soil. Check to ensure you are dropping the right number of seeds per square inch, as recommended by the seed company and listed on the seed bag. Use a square to count seeds and check the dispersal in different areas of the lawn as you spread the seed, and make adjustments as necessary.
Roll the surface of the lawn with an empty drum roller. The goal is to press the seeds firmly into the soil without crushing them.
Water the surface immediately. Protect the newly seeded lawn with ropes or tape to keep dogs and cats off the surface. Cover the lawn with clean straw or degradable garden fabric to help ensure germination and retain moisture. Spun bonded poly mesh will also protect the seeds against birds, but it is not readily degradable.
Spreading by Hand
Drop or broadcast spreaders are effective on lawns of any size, but for much smaller lawns, such as a modest patch behind a townhouse, it is easier and quicker to spread seed by hand. You can use a handheld crank spreader, or even just broadcast handfuls of seed as you walk along. Either way, check to be sure that the seed is broadcast evenly across the soil in the concentration recommended on the seed bag. And remember, too much seed can be as bad as too little.
If you opt to spread seed with a handheld spreader, walk at a constant rate and hold the spreader as steady and level as possible to achieve the correct distribution of seed.
Hydroseeding is a relatively new alternative to growing a lawn from seed or sod. It’s quick, easy, and has a great success rate. The process involves spraying a mix of grass seed, water, and fertilizer that has been combined with a base of fiber or recycled paper. Other elements such as soil inoculants are sometimes added, but the main idea is that the dense liquid mix gets pumped through a sprayer, and is sprayed across the prepared soil surface. The wet fiber or paper base sticks to the soil, holding the seed in place, while keeping it moist and protected from the elements and birds.
In time, the seeds germinate and sprout, and the fiber or paper base decomposes, adding to the soil’s structure and slowly releasing fertilizer.
It’s a highly effective process, is one that can be done in a fraction of the time it would take to sod a large lawn, and is even quicker than seeding. Hydroseeding is also an excellent option for troublespots such as slopes. Because the seeds are contained in such a beneficial medium, the germination rate for hydroseeding exceeds that of seeded lawns, and the grass usually sprouts faster. In most cases, you’ll quite possibly be mowing the lawn in less than a month.
Expense wise, this option usually falls somewhere between the cost of sod and the cost of seed. But it’s not a DIY project; getting the blend right and spraying correctly so that the coverage is spot on takes a professional. The one major downside is that many hydroseeding contractors offer a very limited selection of grass seed varieties. Hydroseeding should be done at the beginning of the growing season for your type of grass.
