Maybe you need to plant grass seed soon, or you’ve already tried and failed; This guide is for you. There are several key points that are important to know for when and how to plant lawn seed, as well as how to care for it until it is well established.

Maybe you need to plant grass seed soon, or you’ve already tried and failed; This guide is for you. There are several key points that are important to know for when and how to plant lawn seed, as well as how to care for it until it is well established.

Before we get started, let’s talk about if you really need or want a lawn. During 2020, many people decided they wanted more usable outdoor space. This resulted in much more decking being built over lawns, or grass being completely replaced with flagstone or brick patios. The reason people are opting for these types of gardens is because of the ease to maintain, especially when compared to a worn-out lawn. However, if the right type of grass seed is selected, it can be both easy to maintain as well as durable and hard-wearing. Polls have shown that a well-groomed grass lawn can add value to a property compared when compared to the same size of brick or flag patio. Another fantastic advantage of lawns is that they are ideal for children, allowing all sorts of play through a range of age groups.

The time of year you select for planting grass seed is based on several factors. This means that a basic guide of “March or September” isn’t always ideal, especially with the way the seasons have been over the last few years in the UK & Ireland. Generally, you want to plant grass seed late in the Summer up to the middle of Autumn. If you miss this window, you can instead plant during the Spring. These aren’t just arbitrary dates, and instead are based on the moisture in the soil and air, competition from weeds, soil temperature, soil fertility and more. Freshly planted seeds need much more water than established grass, however this should be done with gentle sprinklers. Using too much water pressure may cause ungerminated seeds to be moved, interrupting the process, and causing a patchy lawn as a result.

As well as there being a huge multitude of different species of grass seed, there are also available a large range of pre-mixed lawn treatments which also come with other additives to aid with your grass. Our best selling mix is Evergreen Complete 4-in-1, this contains grass seed as well as weed killer, moss killer and an agent to improve water absorption. If seeding a completely fresh lawn in topsoil, you will need more grass seed than in one of these, such as Miracle-Gro Evergreen Fast Grass Lawn Seed.

As for which type of grass seed to plant, this depends on what the lawn is going to be used for as well as its position. Grass which will be played on by children will need to be more hardwearing. Grass which is going to be permanently in the shade will need to be able to germinate and thrive in that environment.

In the first month of seeding, you’ll need to pay special attention to all but the hardiest grass seeds. Ideally, grass seed should be watered 3 times per day, which includes rainfall. If your schedule does not allow this, there are a range of water timers available which can be set to a schedule when attached to garden sprinklers. These should be adjusted manually during days with heavy rain however, to avoid oversaturating the soil.

Bags of grass seed are rarely made up of just one species, and are instead a blend of different types which each have their own strengths. An example of a species makeup of a bag of seed is; 44% poplar creeping red fescue, 31% purple ribbon Kentucky bluegrass, 9% Joshua chewings fescue & 12% gopher perennial ryegrass. Some bags of grass seed are designed as warm or cool season seeds, and others are more generalised.

Based on a new lawn, you would start by raking the top soil to break it up. A solid tang metal rake is ideal for this, and by the end you should have 5-8cm of loosened soil. As you rake, keep an eye out for non-viable debris such as stones, leaves, old roots and other material that would prevent seeds from germinating. One the soil is loosened, take this final opportunity to level the ground. Having uneven ground is less appealing for the finished lawn, but can also cause runoff or pooling of water, giving you an uneven grow of grass.

Ideally you would use a hand, push or battery powered spreader. These give you an extremely consistent spread of the seed, preventing too much seed in one location and too little in another. Some bags of grass seed even have guidance for what setting to use on common spreaders such as the Evergreen Handy Spreader, or the Scotts Rotary Spreader. Once spread evenly over the whole area, gently rake the seeds under the soil, less than a centimetre. This helps to protect the seeds from the elements as well as from birds and other wildlife.

If you find the soil is now attracting a lot of birds that are sifting for the seeds, you can cover the area in plastic netting, and even suspend the netting on some wooden stakes for better protection. At this stage you need to make sure to water the seeds regularly so that the soil is constantly damp, but not soaked. Ideally the area should be cordoned off from foot traffic until visible grass has begun growing. Keep an eye on weed growth, and if any weeds appear they will need to be picked by hand. Do not use any weedkiller, including the lawn-safe kind, as the freshly germinated seeds are more sensitive until they are fully established.

As mentioned previously, the environment plays a huge part in the way in which grass grows. The majority of grasses start to germinate after 10-14 days, with some varieties like Ryegrass and Fescues starting as soon as 5 days. Miracle-Gro’s Evergreen Fast Grass has been specially developed to germinate in just 4 days under the correct conditions, making it a favourite for home and professional gardeners.