Can You Grow Grass Without Covering The Seed

[@TurfMechanic]

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[@Lorgic]

nice test, i have a feeling uv light kill seeds cells. its not about getting dry direct sun light kills it.

[@oilman1758]

I was thatching my lawn and had many bare spots. I simply over seeded (did not cover it ) the whole lawn with Black Beauty. The bare spots did have a harder time germinating but where the seeds went into the non bare areas did very well because it is protected from the sun. When I over seed again in the early spring the bare spots that had weak results will have slightly better results because there is some grass there now. Rolling it in will have better results because you are pressing the seeds into the dirt for a better result in the bare areas. I always find that I see the full results 1 year later. That's when the grass is fully grown and you can see how it grew into the spots. Not to mention the overall appearance of the lawn will change. Black Beauty is expensive compared to other brands, but I have the best outcome with it.

[@norain31]

we covered with news papper it held the water kept the sun off and just mowed the paper into the lawn later. worked for us .

[@Bluepilled-c5t]

We grow 250 acres of rye grass by just spreading it on the surface. Depends on soil moisture. In dry times we direct drill, otherwise it works perfectly

[@sabrinakingsley798]

Thanks for saving me 16 minutes

[@Bluepilled-c5t]

@@sabrinakingsley798 we do mow and roll it to try and ensure it makes contact with soil, or run livestock on it to press it in.

[@tribulation138]

Don't worry about those types of birds in the video Those are American Robin's. They don't eat seed but like the fresh soil because it's easier to pick off worms and other bugs.

[@TurfMechanic]

Good to know, obviously there are other birds that do eat seed though, I think I only filmed just a few birds on the lawn during this project at random. Lots of people complain about the birds eating all their seeds before they start growing...just another reason to cover the seed if possible, at least in the sunnier locations that will be slower to germinate.

[@AsaSpadeSS]

Good to know because theyre always in my lawn I'm trying to renovate.

[@PTaylor1087]

As far as birds go, finches, sparrows, and a few others like Buntings WILL eat grass seed. But Robins, Bluejays, and Grackles will NOT. A thing I did was set up bird feeders in another spot of the yard to keep the birds away from the new grass seed and keep them fed enough to not even bother with the grass seed.

[@jhnshep]

I had problems with ants, they'd root around and start bringing the seed back to their entrances lol

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

What about the Rats of the Air, Pigeons? What to do about them?

[@gk9417]

Thanks Yes I’m tired of covering the seed with topsoil all the time ✌️👍🇨🇦

[@kenta3148]

I used to cover my seed with straw. It works but the straw will be there a long time. If I pick out the straw, the grass pulls out with it. So now I use bagged grass clippings and it works great. I hand sprinkle the clipping for about 80% coverage of the seed. Need some sun to get through but moisture stays good. Nothing to pick up later.

[@chrishowis4164]

I'm going to try that... thanks for the tip..

[@account2292]

That gives thatch buildup a head start. Use a thin layer of quality peat moss.

[@BLUE6_6]

I love the research you r doing not covering grass seed..... I did the same thing a month or two ago at a bare spot. It's taking a while to grow fully, however, it's coming along.... Keep me posted on the progress... BLUE

[@JP-ue6jj]

Found this vid very helpful, mentioned key points others seems to miss No way am I a professional, have been successful over the yrs doing several lawns on my properties. Never covered just constant spraying of water with a heap of plastic bags as makeshift scarecrows. Seemed to work Certainly will take a few pointers from this particular vid as I’m about to redo my backyard. Thanks a heap

[@robertlark10]

Just had a tree removed with huge roots. Lots of lawn damage, so think this is perfect advice. Thanks TM!

[@TurfMechanic]

Good luck on the repair! I'm sure you'll enjoy the new look when it's all done. :D

[@heehee2023]

Wonderful video! I sowed the seeds 4 weeks ago and they are doing very well. However, yesterday's extremely heavy hail caused significant damage in several spots. I think it's probably okay, but I've given up on seeking perfection. I can fix it later.

[@jinxtacy]

What a strange neighborhood. I love it. So much character.

[@UncleFjester]

I have a lot of rough area with native grasses and weeds, I can't mow it. My intention is to toss a lot of seed out days before all of my aspens cover everything and then the snow. My hope is a fair portion of seed will germinate in the spring when things warm up. this has lowered my expectations on any results. So thanks

[@timjohnson6278]

Great topic. When you throw a thin layer of dirt on the seeds, doesn’t it just rinse off with all the watering? Seems like you would need a thick layer. Instead i just try to loosen the dirt with a de thatcher rake before throwing the seeds. But not sure if this is the best method.

[@TurfandStem]

For spot seeding, I try to put a cover over it. When I renovated my large area of lawn, almost 25,000 sq/ft, a covering just isn't feasible or economical.

[@TurfMechanic]

When I do small spot repairs even big tupperware bowls work well. They are super easy to take on and off and protect the seed way more than leaving them exposed. Works like a charm. For bigger spot repairs garden crop cover works like a charm too. Peat moss over full "normal size" lawns certainly is messy and physically challenging to apply but man it sure helps the seed to come in efficiently...and you're right as lawn size starts approaching 1/2 acre or more then the cost of topdressing the seed in both money and time starts getting out of hand and that's when doing the seeding at the optimal time of year becomes even more important. I keep telling my friend that lives at this house that doing this through Spring is way harder than if we were doing this in Sept.

[@juzoli]

You should still rake it, so those seeds will be partially in ground at least.

[@jenniferhunter4074]

@@TurfMechanic What about using shade cloth to cover the sunny sections of the lawn? I use them with my raised garden beds for my veggies. 40-50% shade cloth pegged down just above the ground might work?

[@TurfMechanic]

@@jenniferhunter4074 I use frost blankets or crop cover all the time ordinarily. Have a number of vids on the channel showing me using them. They work very well especially in cool weather where speed of germination is less important. For hot weather they also help but don't hold the moisture in as well so I still use a bit of peat moss usually. My seeding last year using these combined tactics resulted in very fast very consistent germination even in the Spring.

[@catalinstavaru5355]

Not covering the seeds when I started my new lawn is one of my biggest regrets. The result was average and it could have been great from the first year. Waiting months for the next overseeding opportunity while looking at an ugly lawn every day is not fun :)

[@marcstoogood]

Did the birds eat it? It should have still germinated

[@conservativeamber1216]

I know a few people's whos grass is great after throwing the seed on top after Top Soiling it No regrets...

[@conservativeamber1216]

​@@marcstoogoodTrue

[@codykulesza7076]

I’ve had a hill in my yard that has been eroding the past few years last year I filled the soil seeded then lightly compacted some grass grew but barely, this year I just heavily over seeded and extremely lightly raked it in and it took off this year

[@iwayned]

I have completed a number of spot reseeding with co,mposted earth - but this video helped me to understand the process too! thanks.

[@TurfMechanic]

That's great to hear Wayne, thanks for sharing 👌

[@El_El_Guapo]

I would think priming the seed for a few days would expedite the process if you don't plan to cover the seed. This was a fun watch.

[@markc3653]

This is a very useful video for me and my project personally as I took my lawn down to Bear dirt regraded it, etc. I did take a pull behind the thatcher rake and broke up the soil very well before I seated then ran it back around after I seated so I have seed both on top and under the dirt but what I'm seeing in this video is exactly what I'm seeing happening in my yard so it lets me know kind of what's going on and what to expect

[@Lachhmag]

Underrated channel, great content dude

[@mikeo8890]

I use a drip line with rotating nozzles for the sunny spots, and it works very well.

[@raymondmcdonald7085]

Good advice for the newbie on careful watering. My new lawn I planted 2 years ago had the seed covered with topsoil but when the rains came made rivulets thus carrying away the seed. It took an extensive amount of repair and reseeding in the spring due to the size of the project. The lesson I learned was to put temporary drain lines diverting the water to non sensitive areas.

[@TurfMechanic]

Oooo, very creative solution especially for lawn spaces that are maybe on slopes.

[@Mark300win]

Cover it with a thin layer of peat moss, it moves way less because of heavy rain

[@motavice3499]

Here's what i did. Leaf blow/rake any debri Dethatch grass Overseed Cut grass with no bag Water it which the seeds need but it pushes the cut grass down over and around the seed like a barrier for moisture and too much sun exposure. It's worked great for me.

[@JwlsMambo]

We have the same Costco playground! My kids love it 🎉

[@chrisryan8863]

I really enjoyed this video. I have resorted to using peat moss or a light covered of soil when I am seeding new areas. It just takes too long and the seed tends to move to much it rains hard, etc. But you did prove it can be done with patience.

[@rogerandjoan4329]

I use peat moss too. It’s the easiest to spread. It’s probably pretty good at absorbing water too.

[@matthijsverweijmeren6114]

quickest results with covering up with transparent plastic foil creating a greenhouse environment and prevent it from getting dry

[@MATTHEW-n5c5m]

I always just get it slightly muddy and sow it in with metal rake

[@yryang1]

Thanks for the video! It is a nice experiment.

[@liveyourbestlawn]

I missed seeing the grass last winter, so I did a similar seeding trial in a small controlled environment. Interestingly the university of Minnesota Extension has shown that optimally 10% of the seed should be visible. Makes me wonder if I've been top dressing too heavy.

[@hermanhale9258]

By mistake I dumped some grass seed into a container I wanted to plant lettuce in. I put about an inch or two of soil on top of the grass seed and planted the lettuce, thinking the grass seed was too deep to grow. But plenty of it did grow.

[@liveyourbestlawn]

@@hermanhale9258 interesting. As long as there's seed to soil contact the seed will dig its roots in and push through, looking for the light.

[@DavidJenne]

Loved this! BTW, those birds are Robins and don't eat seed... just worms and bugs. 🙂

[@darkshaman7087]

My self loosens the soil the give a rake to even out and remove the stones and then seed over and give it a quick rake over as to protect the seeds from birds

[@JoshuaFountaine]

Very helpful, thank you for sharing!

[@ctskidoo]

I find covering with straw is a big difference vs no coverings. Only problem is the neighborhood turkeys claw the straw away to get to the seeds lol

[@garethburke7296]

Please please "help" I'm new to the gardening business.I decided to upgrade my lawn.The earth is very chalky?I cut lawn on lowest setting.Hired a scarifier which amazed me just how much moss ect came off.I manualy aerated 🤐 used good quality fertiliser in my spreader followed by smartland gro sure smart lawn seed.No roller so had to rake & tread in seeds.Then I realised I hadn't put down my organic top soil 😬.The prep toke me a good couple days & am now begining to think it's all in vain as I've cut out a key ingredient.I have been water sprinkling past 2 days but my question is... can I now go back and topsoil & re-seed again over the seeding I've already put down.So basically I want to add quality soil now if that can be done? Or am I now to late.. Any advice would be hugely appreciated.... Its been keeping me awake at night 😅

[@TurfMechanic]

Go ahead and cover it up now, after only 2-3 days nothing is germinating yet so just cover it up and keep watering. You probably don't even have to add any more seed.

[@trollhunter8842]

I heard using hydretain during seeding works miracles.

[@OvGraphics]

Hello TM. In a day or so I intend to go plant straight rye GRASS seed on a couple of small food plots just to see what happens. The plots already have the normal deer mix on them...but seems to me like that stuff only really super takes off in the dang spring. The ground is about as rough as you can imagine....disked only. No dragging or smoothing...and October is our dryest month here. Happens this way every year and some wheat and oats do come up eventually. But this time around...rye grass. Nobody ever tried it there before. I'll be using a cheap manual spreader which works pretty good....Spread and go. See what happens.

[@TurfMechanic]

Good luck! Im assuming you are doing annual rye? Should be easier to control by Spring. Also, maybe after droping the seed on the plots you could cover them up with burlap or straw mats to hold moisture. This might help them pop faster for a true cover crop over late fall and winter.

[@OvGraphics]

@@TurfMechanic Thank TM. Well...it's a little rustic for all that. Ha. And yep.... Ya know, rye...the rye kinda rye is in a common deer blend, or you just buy it straight out. This time around I'm laying down good old grass seed. It will be gone when everything else starts popping this spring. The experiment is to see if it'll just grow out there in the woody woods without help. If you're curious I'll holler back later.

[@TurfMechanic]

@@OvGraphics always curious, update me if you think about it

[@stevenm3141]

Uncovered quickly turns in a feeding festival and/or wind tunnel. Erosion also adds to the problem. At the very least hay, fresh cut grass should be used to cover up.

[@chrisglenn2096]

Great job! I wish you would’ve used a lawn roller on HALF the lawn to compare results!

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks Chris...YES, I wish I had done that too, or maybe covered the seed on half the lawn to show the difference side by side. Ohh well, maybe I'll do another video in the future with a comparison element to it.

[@WeatherNut27]

I tried nothing, peat moss, straw and compost. Straw worked the best, then peat moss

[@thewingedringer]

threw down so much clover in bare parts of the yard. most of it ended up being pigeon food, some has germinated though. but next time i'm covering.

[@ilude214]

Hey GS, wondering if you have a video of the setup you use to play DCS? Loving the videos keep it up

[@MiNNieMoCHie143]

Hello what do you mixed with to kill weeds and help the grass grow?

[@SVW1976]

This just makes everything harder for you. If you already have a lawn and you want to add seed then go go ahead and just spread it. But if I was doing a restoration like this i would cover it with some soil, peat, or hay.

[@JL-qo7cs]

Would have liked to know what kind of grass seed you used. What is cider grow?

[@salserorobify]

How can i keep squirrels from digging where I am seeding? Can i mix some cayenne pepper with water and a spray bottle and spray the soil? Or will this create a problem for the grass seed to germinate?

[@DS-yo4uw]

Nice. Can't wait to see the final results. How's about seeds which are converted with the blue stuff to keep moisture in? Scotts turf builder. Is that going to improve the success?

[@DS-yo4uw]

So...I did a little experiment myself inside. A week ago I seeded two containers with cool season, sun/shade mix. One has the blue-covered Scotts, one with Johnathan Green Black Beauty Ultra. The seeds we placed on the top of the soil and lightly pressed in my fingers. Spritzing with water a couple times/day, most days (so somewhat of a moist/dry cycle, not continuously moist). After 7 days the Black Beauty has about 4-5x more sprouts. This is surprising to me, and very interesting as the Scotts is about 50% by weight blue-stuff, so if this holds up pound/pound the BB seems to be the better choice. I also have a similar experiment outside (my lawn) in late Sept in New England. Three 20x20 areas with the different seeds (also different cover amounts). Sprouts are appearing, but not enough to make an assessment of the germination/density.

[@miguelamontesp610]

When just some of the seeds sprout, do you seed again immediately on the barespots or do you recommend to wait some time after the first mowing to seed again?

[@TurfMechanic]

my video for tomorrow morning addresses this exactly. I overseed thin spots again if need be or if I desire a more perfect look. Check Monday's video out for more though. In this video however I didn't overseed as the point was to show how seeding a lawn without covering the seed was the main point.

[@JBSwanstrom]

I have several areas that I am working on and am trying a couple of things. Pre-emerging my seeds with alfalfa pellets, dang those pellets are thirsty and also diy sod grown indoors in trays with plant lights. Another week and I'll have 20sq ft of sod!

[@possiblyacop2465]

How'd the sod project go? I've been growing KBG plugs in my windowsill just to see how it turns out, thinking I'll transplant them to a couple bare spots if they grow in well enough. But an actual tray of sod sounds like fun too!

[@hermanhale9258]

I save styrofoam meat trays and clam shells and plant grass seeds in them and keep my trays outside near the kitchen door. Usually I put a used coffee filter or two with the grounds on the bottom of the tray, and the potting soil or compost on top of that. And when I transplant I place another used coffee filter/grounds on the patch of lawn and put the contents of the tray on top of that.

[@photoeducationbydaniel]

How many bags of seed did you use here for this project? I have an issue with judging the amount

[@carlosalvarezrivas416]

What can I cover it that is not expensive like pea moss some good top soil spread with the pea moss spreader machine? Thanks

[@p007lee]

Covering seeds seems like the winner here.

[@mikephillips950]

Definitely , less food for the birdies (lol).

[@StevenCampbell1955]

Small areas like that show would hav benefited by raking lightly to incorporate the seed even to a shallow depth. Or heavily over seeding if cost is not a factor.

[@BrenttheGreat]

Is this mostly bluegrass?

[@boscobeans]

Mix your seed with equal volume of clumping unscented kitty litter. Spread so the correct amount of seed (not mix) is used and water lightly and frequently as shown in your video. NO NEED TO COVER. No need to top dress unless you are trying to smooth out your lawn.

[@TurfMechanic]

Whoa! What an interesting idea; I don't know when I'll try this but I will have to soon. Thanks for the out of the box idea Bert!

[@blasesanzone1556]

I use the cheapest stove pellets that I can buy and spread them by hand on top of the seeded areas. You don't need to put them down too heavily because once they get wet they expand to 3-5 times their size out of the bag. The pellets retain moisture and disintegrated after germination took place. Really works well.

[@TurfMechanic]

@@blasesanzone1556 another really cool idea, thank you for sharing!

[@robertchandler2124]

I will try it but if I get an influx of cats going potty in my yard I know who to blame! ;)

[@pandarush.]

You mentioned that a blend in the shade is growing well. What is the blend, please?

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

Good job, the lawn looks great.

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks John, next video is the update...if you think this looks good the update will wow you even more! 😁 hope you catch it.

[@craigschray4486]

I just spread seed and put straw down but the wind blew much of it away. So I just keep watering it

[@thoacampbell2898]

I'm learning alot from your videos. Question: I have a new lawn from seed in 3.5 weeks. I see a ton of spots, should I sprinkle in compost/topsoil to fill in the bare spots and then seed again?

[@TurfMechanic]

I would say no, I'm guessing you have a cool season lawn so correct me if I'm wrong. Give it some fertilizer, let it grow long. If you can get a root growth stimulant on it before Mid June then you'll just ride out summer and then in late summer to early Fall you can put extra seed down in the thin spots for a fantastic end of season. If you seed now (end of Spring) most of the sprouts will come up and then die through summer. Do the topdressing and overseed in August. You'll waste less money on seed because if you do it now you'll probably need to do it again in august/sept anyway which will double your seed expense.

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

What type of seed did you put down? Thank you for sharing this.

[@TurfMechanic]

This Lawn was seeded with a 50% mix of tall fescues and a 50% rate of creeping red fine fescue.

[@jasonlyijnen84]

It all about keeping the seed wet/ Moist for the 1st week and noting mowing for a month

[@atlskateman]

Thanks for this video and information.

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

I thought someone once told me... Do not put down pre-emergence within a certain period of time after new seating or overseeding. Did I misunderstand what he said?

[@TurfMechanic]

You didn't misunderstand, when seeding a new lawn space you should probably wait at minimum three months if not more to apply pre-emergent because it can root prune baby grass and slow new root development in the immature stand. Many lawns however can take a dose or three of mesotrione after sprouting to control weed competition, mesotrione has both pre and post emergent like traits but the process is different and the effects are short lived.

[@TheKSheffy]

How soon before it’s safe to walk on after the seeds are sowed?

[@iqlawnsolutions1301]

What brand swingset is that in the background?

[@visionquest414]

hey :) Did you roll over the seed to ensure seed to soil contact?

[@TurfMechanic]

I believe I foot tamped it for this video, it's been a couple years so my memory is fuzzy but that's what I usually do since I typically work on smaller lawn spaces where that's feasible.

[@visionquest414]

@@TurfMechanic Gotcha.. really loving your vids... I tried again to grow some grass the other day in some spots. I was unsuccessful. M uncle was hear the other day. He has a lawn himself. I asked, any idea why it's not growing. He looked and asked "where's the seed?".. as though I'm not supposed to cover it at all.. I barely had it under the soil though. 1I made it nice and lose.. Added some new top soil. ut down seed... Patted it in to soil with my hand.. sprinkled some top soil on it and thats it.. Am I supposed to tap it again after sprinkling some top soil? He made it seem like I shouldn't put anything on it. It was rather discouraging. I've seen your vid where u grew grass without covering it.. but I dont know why it's not growing. I picked up Scott' ez seed repair to see if that would work? So frusrated...

[@dann285]

Wher do folks install a new seed lawn going into the summer??

[@photoeducationbydaniel]

You have germination after three days right?

[@wllingtonsingh5080]

Is there different types of seeds.Seeds for sun and shaded area?

[@380stroker]

Yes

[@satorizero5448]

Great video

[@Dan-oi4kt]

If you have a sprinkler system you can set it to run every hour for 5-8 minutes

[@EastCoastReefer]

Every hour is excessive.

[@brucehall8570]

So I laid my seed on Sunday, and I typically lay down straw, but this time I didn't, but I think I'm regretting my decision so today is Wednesday, can I still put the start down or is it to late, btw still no germination at all

[@TurfMechanic]

Go for it, I see no harm, only upside potential

[@samsilver6871]

How do u keep the birds away?

[@WeCanoe54]

Hi - thanks for the vid! If a moisture meter shows the soil as moist or wet, can I skip watering that day? Many thanks!!

[@enzomoya1689]

10:18

[@johnp82]

So if the seed dries up too much, can you just water it more to bring it back or is the seed dead at a that point?

[@TurfMechanic]

Good question, my less than scientific answer is that ungerminated seed can dry out and be brought back by starting to water it again but germination rates will start declining if this happens severly or frequently. Some seed however will never come back while others may start germinating and then die off very quickly if they dry out too much...that of course means they can't germinate again. Even thin germination will thicken up over time as the sprounts mature and thicken into more substantial plants. This is why some people add more seed to get dense turf fast while others take the slower route and get dense turf the following season. Hope that is helpful.

[@seckintufan5191]

I am living in Türkiye and city climate is like your texas. I throw seed on soil and didnt put topsoil on it. I Just press seeds to soil by my feet. 2 time a Day mornjng and night i wster them . İt is under sun all day. What should i do to success?

[@siclmn]

@@seckintufan5191 You must keep it wet for at least a week. If you let it get dry for hours each day you will fail.

[@ezpz4659]

Can I use Coco Coir, instead of Peat moss?

[@TurfMechanic]

Yes, that's better to use but not as common, a bit harder to work with but definitely go that route if you can.

[@DAH-ss1nu]

What do you think about "scratching it in" where you spread the seed on bare dirt and then rake it in with a grass rake? I've had fairly good results covering a large area (.4 acre) by laying down the seed and then using the riding mower to run a tow-behind agri-fab scratch dethatcher over it several times and the seed appeared to disappear into the dirt. The area was just too large to put down peat moss.

[@danielleg2616]

Is your yard over 2000 sq ft?

[@DAH-ss1nu]

@@danielleg2616 Well over, total grass area is close to 3/4 an acre, maybe more.

[@jcman3113]

Fairly new subscriber here and I like the video. Idea for a video - especially for cool season grass. Does pre-germinating help? Could do a few test plots with uncovered seed, uncovered pre-germinated, covered seed, and covered pre-germinated seed. I was going to try some spot patching this spring with pre-germinated seed but weather was all over the place. When I did a scarify and overseed last fall I think I would have had better results using pre-germinated seed but that was before I was doing more research on the topic. Curious as to if you have experimented with pre-germinating?

[@shanescull9552]

Idk why you would hand sow grass seeds you know how long that would take? If your trying to germinate veggies that’s a different thing but your not going to hand sow every 1/16 of inch planting grass seeds. Unless you got nothing but time

[@conservativeamber1216]

​@@shanescull9552True

[@hermanhale9258]

Oops, sprinkled some left over grass seed today and forgot to cover it.

[@Enochrry6024]

Wouldn't it be a good idea to have the seeds soaked in water a couple of days before putting them down on the ground?,.I've even seen some people who have the seeds and soil in a wheel barrel germinating,then put both on the ground.

[@TurfMechanic]

Yep, presoaking them is helpful and can speed up germination. Makes spreading a bit more tricky but not too much harder. I soaked seed for faster germination in this vid if you want to take a look kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn_apK2ggpyNgsU

[@GODSPEED-tr4pg]

I grew grass in 9 days 3” the past few weeks

[@michellezunnurain]

Yes

[@GODSPEED-tr4pg]

😂 took you a long time😂😂

[@stevenle1760]

If you don't want to cover it, you can use a slice seeder that cuts the soil so the seed goes into the soil. So it's a one step process, seeding and covering with one machine. He can rent these sliced seeders sometimes called overseeders at your local hardware store.

[@Eec2023]

Slit seeder

[@msk3905]

Do you need to do i? No i do it all the time, does all of it grow no but if you over apply you can get good results. Ideally you should cover or sink a bit but there are times that i don’t have time so i just throw down seed with decent results but not as good as when i slightly embed. Sometimes in a hurry ill cover slightly with peat moss. Even if i do it correct my results are mixed so if seeding from scratch no matter how you do it you’ll need to do it a few times over the years.

[@OregonBacon]

Thank you for the video... after getting a bid to cover an acre in seed with some system I've never heard of for nearly 10K I decided I'm going to spread it myself for 1K. It was all weeds before with fox tales and not level so we did hire someone to level the soil, then bought chainlink fence doubled it up with a rope to pull behind the riding lawnmower to finish it up. Going to just seed and found your video... appreciate it.

[@rickyfuller6174]

How about overseeing an established lawn

[@TurfMechanic]

Overseeding an established lawn will be easier without covering because the existing grass provides cover, shade, moisture retention more than bare dirt does. If you scarify the lawn before Overseeding then that makes it work even better as that will improve seed to soil contact...but still if you do overseed and then cover it all with peat moss, straw blankets, crop cover or something else then it will take off even faster.

[@jonfastofficial2460]

you can grow grass without covering the seed, but you will need way more water and way slower germination process. and potentially wind blowing away your seeds

[@TurfMechanic]

Truth...and expectations for visual appearance in the end should be low

[@darkhumphrey]

what about in clay soil

[@rogerandjoan4329]

Doesn’t the tenacity interfere with germination of grass seed?

[@jonathanjonathan5695]

Nope - its best use is as a pre-emergent for seeding.

[@rogerandjoan4329]

@@jonathanjonathan5695 All the other weed killers always say to wait weeks to put down seed after applying.

[@jonathanjonathan5695]

@@rogerandjoan4329 Tenacity works differently and isn't very strong.

[@rogerandjoan4329]

@@jonathanjonathan5695 I was under the impression of just the opposite. Thanks.

[@uberdome1]

I dont understand why you would not rake it in. Very simple!

[@TurfMechanic]

You'd be amazed how many people want to know if they can just drop seed on the ground, water, and walk away. Millions. I hated doing this to the lawn when I filmed this video. It's SOOO much harder to grow grass by just sprinkling the seed on the ground and walking away. It can be done but as you said, why wouldn't you rake it in or even better, cover it up with peat moss or light textured top soil?

[@brothertax]

I think I missed it. What type of seed are you using?

[@TurfMechanic]

Half tall fescue half creeping red fescue, I left that out of the vid to keep it all more palatable to beginners. Very shade tolerant and low maintenance with high drought tolerance.

[@idlesquirrel]

Great video. Thank you. I plan to not cover mine. Thanks for the watering tip!

[@stvnmllr]

Couldn't you have pre germinated the seed and then done exactly as you did. Probably would have been much faster

[@conservativeamber1216]

That will take forever Id do that with Vegetables though but definitely not Grass

[@lazygardens]

Plant in late fall and let the snow take care of it.

[@asegarra5279]

Nice work. I have an area under some trees that I had groomed allowing a lot more sun through and planning on seeding. What type of grass seed did you put down?

[@TurfMechanic]

Thanks Angel, it was a ~50% tttf mix of three different varieties and a ~50% creeping red fescue. I think the Tenacity bleached a bit of the fine fescue near the playground which I probably accidentally overapplied in that area but the color seems to be coming back. Since the whole lawn zone a quite shady for a lot of the day I wanted a higher density of creeping red mixed in. Also both should require low inputs in future seasons in terms of water and fert, this is great for the homeowner who is not a lawn fanatic. Low maintenance is very high on their list for the time being.

[@asegarra5279]

Good to know, thanks

[@wattsobx]

was this Fescue or Bluegrass?

[@TurfMechanic]

Fescue

[@Mark300win]

A tarp would’ve saved you alot of time and watering. Seeds don’t need sun to germinate, just warmth and moisture.

[@stevej-j6p]

Great video! Starting from scratch like this, how many years does it take to have a really full lawn?

[@TurfMechanic]

Same season is all you need. Starting now it can be full by November. Here is the same lawn after aon overseed and fertilization in August. The lawn is almost completely full now. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5-kfHSkps6fqZo

[@ulysses1685]

Lawn company did not cover seeds when they make my lawn. Effect was horrible, wind wipe out most of the seeds. F them.

[@siclmn]

I do it for a living. After I seed I cover it with peat moss using a peat moss spreader. Three layers to completely cover it. You should not see any seeds when watering it. If you just throw it out with your hands you are wasting your time. The seed should be kept wet by light watering it once an hour. That is the hard part. Most people will not do it.