The FASTEST Way to Grow Grass Seed: Pregermination Secrets REVEALED!

[@suburbanacreage]

If you want to give this a try, here’s the bags I used geni.us/I7C1e (Amazon)

Short story: Although not as controlled as your test, I am getting MUCH faster “chitting” (pre-germination) with Johnthan Green Black Beauty by only RINSING the seed every 12 hours, only keeping it wet, and never fully submerging the bag at all. I am seeing that chitting consistently in 3 to 5 days. Long story: I started trying this because I had been changing the water every 12 hours on a submerged bag for more than 2 weeks and still had not seen any hints of pre-germ. 18 hours after pulling that bag out of the water but still keeping it wet it sprouted. My thinking is I am having faster results by only rinsing and keeping it wet (and never submerging) because the seed gets air as well as water - just like it needs outside. It’s saving me buckets and gallons and gallons of water and a lot of labor. It’s also allowing me to re-plant more areas more quickly since I have much shorter periods between each seed bag being ready to go.

[@foxtrotdeltausn4757]

Took 5 days for the seeds to sprout. Spread them, covered with Saw Dust and the next day I had little green sprouts everywhere. Total game changer

[@KarenMarieBeyond]

If I have a bunch of weeds in my yard (like the really annoying ones), should I get rid of the weeds first??

[@foxtrotdeltausn4757]

@KarenMarieBeyond yes, once you spread your seeds, you don't want to add any herbicides even if they say they don't target grass

[@suburbanacreage]

Glad you had success Foxtrot!

[@Alwaysdirty-zj4tj]

Trying it out as we speak. I'm using Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Cool Season Fine soft grass

[@foxtrotdeltausn4757]

@Alwaysdirty-zj4tj nice, I found the main thing is make sure it's always moist. I started the dunk for a full 24 hours, then I pulled it out and put it in a bucket with a lid. Then, I just opened the bucket once a day and checked it. If it felt dry, I would stir them and add a bit more water. 5 days later, they all had root sprouts. Spread that in the morning, covered it with Saw Dust (I have a wood shop and straw costs, but saw dust is free for me, lol). Watered it in really well. The next day, I had a bunch of little green strings popping up. And now it is just slowly growing

[@AuntLALA]

I have zero knowledge on any of this. I have never been so excited to watch grass grow 😆 🍿

[@suburbanacreage]

Now you're sounding like me! Grass season LETS GO!!!

[@PaolaHooda]

Same!

[@doodle_caprisun]

Me too !

[@Mrs.NRalphs]

Chicken tenders do this with wheat. It’s called fodder and we sprout all kinds of seeds for our chickens to eat.

[@suburbanacreage]

@Mrs.NRalphs chicken tender as in someone who tends chickens? That’s way too funny

[@Photosynthesisbeing]

Exactly what we do with rice in Thailand.

[@connectgobusinessfactory]

which i believe is also a grass

[@wdelgenio]

No, it's a country in Asia

[@suburbanacreage]

The classic dad joke switcher-oo, love it!

[@pagetofighi3491]

@@wdelgenio😂

[@JoeHeaton-p7r]

@@wdelgenio Lt. Frank Drebbin has entered the chat.

[@patriotjedimaster1450]

I’ve wasted so much money dropping seed but now I’m gonna try this method to fill in the bald spots on my lawn. Great tutorial! Thanks!

[@suburbanacreage]

That’s what I’m saying my dude, seed ain’t getting cheaper. This method is fast and all, but the real benefit is getting almost 100% germination. Every seed grows into grass and you don’t have to worry as much about uneven watering from a sprinkler trying to factor in for wind while keeping everything wet…yuck! Good luck to you 👍

[@patriotjedimaster1450]

@@suburbanacreage thank you!

[@geongsi6991]

did it work out?

[@jakefriesenjake]

I would get the seed out of the bag and spread out before the seeds sprout a root. If you wait to long, the root could break off. Do a small experiment first on the timing.

[@KaceyBakerFilms]

Legend! Thank you.

[@Soothsayer-rs5nb]

I put a rock in the bag. No floating. I learned that from my cousin Vito.

[@1scootergirl]

😂😂

[@suburbanacreage]

The real tips and tricks are always in the comments

[@Danilo111]

That sounds like a bad joke

[@tonyh8510]

Vito he he

[@mojodojo5533]

Corleon?

[@riesx058]

Excellent video! I have a small comment related to your case/control methodology. When you spread the non-pregerminated and pregerminated seed, the pregermination sample actually has an N day head start compared to the non-pregerminated sample (depending on how long the pre-germination process took). So when comparing the growth between samples at 7 days, this isn't a well controlled comparison since the pregerminated seeds are actually at 7+N days since germination began while the non-pregerminated are only at 7 days since germination began. A better method might be to plant the non-pregerminated control seeds the same day that you begin the pregermination process (and then spread per your rootlet indication). I suspect that your results will still be similar, but controlling for those N days would be a fairer comparison.

[@suburbanacreage]

You are 100% right! Other people have commented similar things and I’m working on a video now that responds to that in the exact testing method you outlined of planting the dry seed when the other seed starts to soak. Timelines aside, pre germinated seed has a way higher germination percentage meaning more of the seed will successfully grow into grass. It’ll also require less water since the first few days are spent in a bucket instead of running sprinklers constantly. No top dressing like peat moss or straw is needed when pre germinating since it sprouts so fast. Also, the seed is less susceptible to birds since they aren’t interested once it starts growing. Lots of reasons to pre germinate even if you don’t agree with the timeline and “seed to soil” starting metric I chose. 👍

[@AnneTrujillo]

I was thinking the same thing, I would like to see the new comparison when dry seeds are started on the same day pre-germination starts! :)

[@ltpdogtrainingNJ]

Thank you for telling us about no need for peat moss!​@@suburbanacreage

[@gotaigo]

@@suburbanacreagegood counter.

[@Anrodj3]

Thanks for the steps bud. I just threw seed down and watered twice a day and 4 weeks later my 16 year old daughter said the yard looks like my head(sparse growth/mostly bare). I was about to throw down some more seed, but I'm going to give this method a shot.

[@suburbanacreage]

Teens are ruthless, it’s a sick burn though!

[@anthonyscott5617]

That’s where I am at the minute / everyone’s having a great laugh but I still have no lawn 😂

[@jvin248]

Start out with warmish water instead of ice-cold water and you'll ensure even more success.

[@Mark300win]

Very underrated comment

[@JRichards788]

Do you want to keep that bucket of water warm? Or have it start off warm and let it go cool?

[@PapaSmurfx93]

Leave your next bucket of water in the sun to warm it up?

[@scottshawn70]

@@JRichards788 If you keep it outdoors the sun will keep it a good temperature (providing you dont live in Minnesota and get snow that night lol).

[@stinkycheese804]

So more extra steps for a trivial difference? No thanks. If you want to take it to even the next level of silly, use very weak tea solution with a tiny bit of dish soap in it. I am being 100% serious that these things help, but also that it is silly to bother with it or anything else in the video instead of just spreading seed normally which is easier and proven to work by millions of people.

[@roman-v]

This is absolutely brilliant!

[@suburbanacreage]

Definitely didn't come up with the method but happy to share the knowledge and hopefully it helps some people.

[@SeamlessFab]

I used to breed phenotypes of different plants. For about 20 years. This method is common basic knowledge in the world of germination. If you really wanted to optimize germ rates, you need to add an air source and a mild heat source. Add multiple aquarium air pumps to buckets and do this indoors for warmer temps. Also if you can keep your seedlings at extremely high humidity rates (humidity domes) when they sprout you’ll see about 5-10X faster growth than with open- air. Soil should also be about 60/40 water to air ratio. If your dirts too wet, they’ll grow but you’ll have a weakly ciliated tap and root structure. If your roots aren’t white and furry your media is too saturated.

[@suburbanacreage]

Damn! Dropping that knowledge in the comments. Great information, thank you! 🙌

[@AnneTrujillo]

I also live in Minnesota -- I also pre-germinated my seed, and unfortunately I also waited until October to lay down seed -- so it got hit with snow! The baby grass was very thin, and stopped growing on that first snowy day, but the sprouts that did come up stayed green under the snow all winter long -- and it just started growing again the 2nd week of April 🌱

[@suburbanacreage]

Minnesota gang in the comments, love that! Yeah October was too tempting last fall with the warm weather. Glad your seed babies made it through winter. Mildest…winter…EVER! That probably helped. Haha

[@danielalejandro5674]

@@suburbanacreage Could this be done during Spring?? I just move to a house that needs some TLC and I'm tired of the dogs briging dirt in because there isnt much grass.

[@ontariogardening]

I am scared to show my spouse this video, because if I do, I know I am going to be spending my day off tomorrow sourcing paint bags. LOL. Seriously though- thank you for this! We have problem areas that need some serious TLC.. this may be our golden ticket!

[@suburbanacreage]

I have the bags I used linked in the video description so you could show your spouse the video and then tell them you already have supplies coming and look like a hero! Good luck!

[@markdeleon306]

I found a bag of 2 5 gl paint filters for $3 at home depot.

[@daofjudith]

I just went out and got all my supplies and I am definitely trying this

[@suburbanacreage]

Come back through and let me know how it worked out. You’ll be amazed!

[@SeanQuinn4]

How's it looking?

[@MrSouthdakotamaniac]

I need to know the results as well! What happened!?

[@filipalexandru3129]

Very , but very good idea. I have been doing it the normal way (never had an issue), but in manner of time, there is no debate: Pregermination is the solution. Thanks. Greetings from Romania.

[@tylermann650]

So I've done this a couple times now, but most recently I covered the bucket with plastic wrap to get a little greenhouse going and my rye/mix seed germinated in a week!

[@MiteshParmar]

Great idea! Will also stops birds eating my seeds too as should already be sprouting! Nice, defo going to try this.

[@suburbanacreage]

Yes the bird deterrent is a hidden benefit that I somehow forgot to mention in the video. Thanks for bringing it up!

[@candicestang7810]

I have an area in my yard that needs leveling and replanting, thanks for the great tutorial and tips! Spring can’t come fast enough.

[@w.preston9873]

I love this idea! I'm a garden/landscaping geek & haven't stumbled upon this before. I've only been told to FREEZE grass seed before sowing. I can't wait to run this by a pro landscaper buddy. 🤷‍♂️

[@w.7194]

Awesome.....used a laundry nesh bag that zips closed...worked beautifully......never knew to pregerminate grass seed....thankyou.

[@2pugman]

The water company just replaced our water line from the street to our basement, due to new Fed regulations. My reseeding operation on the sloped section of the lawn has not been going well. Can't wait to pre-soak some seed and start the process again.

[@JoelMitchell-tp7yk]

Thankyou I will give it a go and let you know. I appreciate your time in doing the test and clearly stating your results.

[@antoniocavalli5474]

How was it?

[@lorenzosalazar2002]

Thanks for the tips...mine is growing well using this technique 👍🏼

[@suburbanacreage]

Thanks for letting us know you got good results👍

[@michaelw7249]

I'm building a house and will be planting a lot of seed. This is incredibly helpful. Thanks

[@suburbanacreage]

Good luck with the build! I’d love to design and build a house.

[@michaelw7249]

@@suburbanacreage Thanks, it's my first time. No experience. I designed it, got approved for permits, and me and my teenage son are building it ourselves. It's quite the undertaking. I already dug in the drive, excavated for the basement, got footer poured, and now laying the block.

[@suburbanacreage]

@michaelw7249 that’s a KZbin channel I’d subscribe to! Get that phone out and start uploading build content.

[@michaelw7249]

@@suburbanacreage Haha, thanks. I am documenting it on the phone and on 360, but, I don'[t know if I could ever put myself out there. You are a brave man!!

[@jasonw3983]

Thanks man! You definitely gave an amazing demonstration explaining the process and made it easier for me to do something I enjoy much easier with less worry of the grass dieing after growth. Problem in my area is watering. With the water bill and watering laws this is fantastic!

[@suburbanacreage]

You’re welcome. Watering seed to germination is so water intensive that it is hard with watering restrictions and overall cost. Make sure to come back through and let me know how your seeding project turns out.

[@ooopticnerveee]

Appreciate the clear (and humorous) way you presented this method! 😂 I don't know much, but I've been working on the lawn on my parents property. It definitely needs more seeds, and this looks like the perfect way to get a good result. Thank you so much and you have a new subscriber!

[@Nothingmuch1039]

This is so freaking awesome! If my straw doesnt work THIS TIME. I'm 1000% doing this! THANK YOU!!

[@suburbanacreage]

Straw works well too, peat moss as well. But with this method I found that I could skip the ground cover completely because it sprouts up so fast. That of course saves time and money by not having to buy straw.

[@Nothingmuch1039]

@@suburbanacreage just wanted to update that this worked perfectly! Thanks again! My lawn is looking so much better.

[@suburbanacreage]

@Nothingmuch1039 love a good update, thanks for coming back through and I’m glad it worked out for you!

[@lobotzindiegoantesnesslope6004]

Wow holy crap! I was thinking in doing this! Is exactly as what i have in mind! Thank u! I leave in tiny room and i feel like making a mini graden

[@elbee1771]

As a fellow Minnesotan...I appreciate this. I've had mixed results when planting grass seed but I will definitely be using this method this spring. SKOL!

[@suburbanacreage]

Minnesota crew unite! A little too early for planting grass for us, but a few weeks and it'll be go time!

[@nathandiederich2515]

Another Minnesotan here, I'm going to go get supplies to do this this weekend!

[@russbowman6801]

Put carrot seeds between a paper towel, wet it, and put it in a baggie. Leave the seeds at room temperature, then when they just start to sprout, use tweezers to properly space the carrots out in the garden. They need constant moisture like grass seeds.

[@commonlaw5400]

Try the cornstarch method. Germination every time and no need to monitor moisture. Wet in good at planting and watch them sprout.

[@GeorgeTropicana]

... Yeah, this is the best germination method for any type of seed

[@CHANLEY545454]

If you have a fish tank - you can soak the seeds in some of that and then use it to water the seeds once they start growing... great fertilizer.

[@ynotbloom]

Not sure my fish would approve…!

[@rogeratkinson592]

I have all my grass seed and related stuff to do this coming within 48 hours and I am so excited. I will do this every year until I get the lawn I want. I really don't want to spend countless hours watering my yard. I know I will need to do it, but this gives a head start and some safety regarding the success of the seed growth. I bought my house 19 years ago and have put at least some effort into getting a better looking yard. I had a landscape company look at it and the guy told me I had about seven types of grass growing in my year, as well as the obvious weeds. I bought a decent amount of Zoysia plugs several years ago and that turned out to be a complete waste of money. I am going to whip my yard into shape, and really appreciate this video.

[@suburbanacreage]

Good luck to you Roger! This year is the year, stay on it, don’t give up, have the best lawn season yet!

[@danploeg]

This is called priming. Shortens the time until the seeds sprout and probably sprouts some seeds that may not have because of pour seed soil contact. Coating you are critical of may have fungicides that protect seedlings-but not something you want to be touching

[@marx769]

How have i NEVER heard of this before?? Thanks!

[@LuisCasstle]

Big Grass, that's why.

[@topgunne12]

Nice to see you using our PN Humi-Char!!

[@claywinters1357]

Brilliant, my dude! I can’t wait to give this a go!

[@AylenFaba]

My mom bought one kislux and she loves it. It had been there for over 10 years when she went out with it.

[@louislandi938]

The head grounds keeper at Yankee Stadium wrote about this in the 1970’s. I think it was in Family Handyman mag.

[@CarmindyOnline]

I have a Lab and chickens running around my yard so I made the switch to WHEAT seed... I could not believe the difference. I keep it cut to about 3" height and it never dies in the summer even with the dog pee and chickens constantly eating it, it survives every year and my backyard looks beautiful!

[@suburbanacreage]

Do you mow it like normal? How’s the cut? I’m going to have to do some Google image searching, sounds cool.

[@CarmindyOnline]

@@suburbanacreage Yup, I treat it just the same way I would regular grass, but the blades are much thicker obviously. I have my mower on the highest setting which is about 3" long. If I don't mow it, it will grow like a foot and a half tall, turn yellow and bolt to seed just like a wheat field would. I love it.

[@hersheyskwertz9315]

When you done dropped 4 bags of grass seed in your lawn only to find my guy here giving me the cheat codes afterwards 🤦🏾‍♂️ these bags aren’t cheap 😂

[@chefgiovanni]

And you are supporting crap from china. Everyone I know has switched away from Amz. for many reasons.

[@kurtmaxberry7025]

2 dollar per bG

[@hersheyskwertz9315]

@@kurtmaxberry7025 you’re paying $2 a bag? Box stores nearly $80 for terrible seed. Found pure grass seed at $100 for 50 lbs

[@patricelightworker1102]

You’re not alone 😅

[@rossturcotte3952]

Nothing with starting a lawn is cheap, but in the long run, a quick start will fight weeds better. And less chance of a dry spell killing off the lawn

[@tmcrae6957]

Great video; very helpful! I’m going to try this method with the next seedling. I read through much of the comments and that answered most of the questions I had (hint: more people should try reading comments before asking questions). I, along with others in the comments, got hung up on the 2 dunks per day after the initial 24hr soak. Think we’re trying to understand how long is a “dunk” or “dip”. The objective is to keep the seed moist so I plan to dip the seed for 30 - 60 seconds and then hang it again. And, I’ll keep doing it until I see a fair amount of sprouting. The only other question I have is about doing this after having applied pre-emergent weed prevention. I hope you do a follow up on this. I may have to find out the hard way cause I got weeds and crabgrass popping and have to apply something to control it but didn’t want to wait until fall get some new grass going. Thanks again for vid!

[@suburbanacreage]

I think it'll be tough if you applied pre emergent already but I haven't tested it myself. Let me know what you find out, I'd be interested.

[@gerrymcintosh4477]

No doubt about it, germinating seeds work better. Great video. I learned something new. 🇨🇦👍

[@AllieSherlockMusic]

Can somebody tell me do I leave the grass seed under the water for a few days or do I put them in for 12 hours and take them out for 12 hours? I’m back in for 12 hours because he said something about dunking them.

[@suburbanacreage]

Hey Allie, I did a poor job of explaining this part but basically after my initial soak for 24 hours, all I’m doing is dipping the bag into the bucket twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, roughly 12 hours apart. The bag doesn’t really need to soak anymore, just keep it wet. After dipping it, I just hang the bag on my hose reel and it drips into the bucket. Hope that helps 👍

[@ryanwojicechowski1630]

I was also wondering about the “dunking” process. I was also wondering if you needed to water the seed at all after you spread it on the ground or did you just spread it and forget it?

[@clleo888]

I can't wait to try your method... great video and I can see you've put a lot of effort to make it. Cheers!

[@matthewvanselow1979]

Thank you for sharing this tip for accelerated grass growing. I have been struggling with seeding for years, and now I’m excited to give your method a try! What type of rake were you using in the video to loosen and prep the ground for planting? Subscribed ☝️

[@saltwaterdawgoutdoors2190]

Great idea! For lawn repair could you take your indoor tray or trays outdoors and insert as patches for greater success?

[@suburbanacreage]

Absolutely! I actually have a separate video of me doing exactly that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5WqiZdte9OcmcU

[@sminthian]

I'll have to give this a try. I live in MN too and my grass seed usually hardly ever sprouts.

[@suburbanacreage]

Give it a try, what do you have to lose? Perfect seeding weather in MN finally! Always the slowest to get going in the spring but we made it and it’s go time now.

[@LancePorter88]

Awesome video man. Cheers from your neighbor in Fargo, ND

[@suburbanacreage]

Hello my NODAK brother! Finally time to start doing lawn care again. Lots of KZbin guys start posting content in March and we’ve still got snow on the ground, haha.

[@Jeff-gt2xu]

It's funny, this is exactly how people are taught to grow there own wheat grass or sprouts for salads, at home. Never even occurred to do this for yard grass, but it should yield the same results, just toss it to the lawn (like you said) before it becomes a grass root ball.

[@ab10222]

Thank you. I wish I would of saw this video a week ago. I will definitely be doing this in the fall when I overseed.

[@suburbanacreage]

Fall overseeing is the BEST!!!

[@RabbitHead-b7m]

It is October 10th, I'm in Maine.... Wish me luck with KBG...gonna soak the seed 4 days and go for it!

[@suburbanacreage]

Absolute mad lad! Let me know how it goes and best of luck.

[@XLECHU]

That suprised me at 1:50 haha. Secret of growth xD

[@suburbanacreage]

You and one other person thought the “peeing in the bucket” joke was funny. My humor is subtle but glad you picked up on it and thought it was funny.

[@meganschiarelli6341]

2:40 Thanks so much for all this info! We’re definitely trying this at our house. One question though just so I’m sure: at the timestamp, can you clarify the “every 12 hours” part? Is it 12 hours in 12 hours out? Or do you dunk it for just a few minutes every 12 hours? A little help here would give us everything we need! Thanks!

[@suburbanacreage]

Hey Megan, I did a bad job of explaining that part so that’s on me. After the initial 24 hour soak, I didn’t keep the bag submerged in the bucket anymore. Instead, I dipped or dunked the bag into the water twice a day, once in the morning, once in the evening, and then just hung it up over the bucket and let it drip. The goal here is to simply keep things wet and prevent the seed from drying out. Dunking the bag twice a day did the trick for me. Hope that helps 👍

[@meganschiarelli6341]

Thanks so much for the reply! We’ve got our supplies to make this happen soon!

[@kkevinj1]

Coating washes off, I used coated seeds with great success last summer

[@suburbanacreage]

Thanks for commenting Kevin! I probably said it wrong in the video but my point was more that you wouldn’t intentionally buy and pay for coated seeds just to wash it all off using a pre germination method. Pre germinating is taking the place of the purpose of the coating so I wouldn’t recommend paying for redundancy.

[@kkevinj1]

@@suburbanacreageAh got ya, all the Bermuda ive seen is coated, ya paying for nothing, still gotta do it, I already have the Monaco😁 Big thanks for the video

[@larryseibold4287]

great stuff. thanks for this. This is the way. A minor point on your study comparison is that you need to control for time. start the control arm at the same time as you start the soak (day one) for the test arm. For example, after 7 days of pre-germinating and then planting, the grass in the lawn has been growing for 7 days. How do they compare in 7 more days, 14, etc? Regardless, this is obviously the way to reduce initial watering and stress, and to get more yield, especially later into the spring/summer time frame.

[@suburbanacreage]

Here’s the paint strainer bags I used amzn.to/3PwcaAj

[@veteranga7529]

Ever heard the frase , (Apache Grass) is the name we gave our company owner who had a problem of growing green grass, lol. Found out he wasn’t doing it right during planting. Us Supervisors got FIRED, because it was costing the boss money to make our customers happy. Prepping the area with a hand rake or skid steer. Plenty of seed coverage raking in as we go, adding (Double 00) fertilizers, raking it in also, spray just enough water to reduce the dust, wa La Green Grass in a few days. Our Company owner wouldn’t allow us to do it right, so he FIRED us all! No longer work for (Allison Farms) landscaping. He was an (Apache), lol. 😂

[@dooovde]

Could probably just use an old vest

[@pgtigercat5786]

When applying the seed, do you cover it with anything? Pete Moss, topper?

[@benmarconi3]

How long did it take your seed to pre-germinate? I have the same seed and I’m curious

[@suburbanacreage]

My seed took maybe 4 days to start showing little baby roots. It was done in a garage with air temps in the mid 70’s.

[@drew-shourd]

Oh 100%....not only am I a cannabis grower, here in SW Michigan, I grow microgreens, BOTH are soaked in water for 24+ hours, hands down best way to ensure full, healthy germination.

[@yanito8508]

Brilliant!! cant wait to try this

[@rcguymike]

What about mixing the wet seed with the peat moss and spreading it with that rolling spreader and then just continuing over top woth more peat moss/straw?

[@suburbanacreage]

That might actually work pretty good! Haven’t tried it to know for sure but don’t see why it couldn’t work out great.

[@rcguymike]

Making spring plans, finally figured out the watering issues I had, and found a good grass seed. Honestly I hate lawns I just don't want it to look like dead dirt patches 😂. Grabbed some of those rain point controllers and their temp/moisture meter and made hourly automations that only water if the moisture level gets down...holy smokes you need a lot of water 😅😅😅. Got the most beautiful lawn I've ever seen/walked on before though. I'm pretty sure our ground has absolutely terrible nutrients too though so I mixed in a good amount of clover for a nitrogen source. The first couple trys in another area looked OK the first summer but mostly died off the 2nd summer, I don't think that grass mix was truly sun/shade mix. Planning some overseeding this coming spring, (in the U.P. of Mi, so that'll be around March/April 😅)

[@TrainFlood]

Looking forward to trying this out. Seeding in the spring is so tough.

[@suburbanacreage]

Come back in and let me know how it goes and if this method worked for you. Thanks for watching!

[@dankoloski8059]

I might try a sous vide stick to provide a constant warm water temperature. I ordered an aquarium bubbler as well to provide aeration.

[@jflowers090]

Can you clarify. So after an initial 24 dunking. Do you keep it out of water for 12 hrs. Soak then take out for another 12? Or just change the water every 12 hr?

[@suburbanacreage]

After the initial 24 hour soak, I just dunked them every 12 hours. Dipped them in the morning before I left for work, dipped them in the evening after I got home. That’s what worked the best for me but some people leave them soak the whole time. If you leave them soak you will definitely have to change out water every day. Hope that helps!

[@mikeS55555]

And we do this for a week?

[@drakingson]

​@mikeS55555 do we do this for this for a week?

[@jerseymetalmike5111]

I can't wait to try this! I hope it works on zoysia grass, which is notoriously hard to grow from seed.

[@suburbanacreage]

Yeah it should, let me know how it goes. Zoysia is normally plugs right?

[@jerseymetalmike5111]

@@suburbanacreage yes, and it's a big pain to install plugs , especially in my rocky Northern NJ soil

[@suburbanacreage]

If you liked this hack, check out this method of getting rid of mice in your house FOR GOOD! kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmK2npx-npmApJosi=zSNDqnTpVH8--YAd

[@socomt5]

Thank you for this insight. I can’t wait till tiller my dirt and start this proces

[@karlurquhart6348]

Im planning on using this for my lawn care company. would it make sense to soak for less time before the roots pop out so that the seeds do not get damaged while applying and levelling. Also, this would make it much more practical for commercial uses because I can simply soak the amount needed 24 hours before the job and not have to constantly monitor it but still have a soaked seed ready for germination. Great video, im very excited to try this out, thanks.

[@suburbanacreage]

Any amount of pre soaking is going to help you out with germination percentage of seed actually growing into grass so yeah you nailed it!

[@-k5703]

This is actually brilliant. Never seen such method and I have watched many green lawn videos out of boredom 😅

[@TheRealUncleFrank]

Ever thought of dissolving a small amount of fertilizer in the water *before* starting the soaking and dunking process?

[@suburbanacreage]

A few people suggested additives in the water but I haven’t tried yet. Lots of different variables with this method of seeding.

[@mikep490]

Thanks. I can water each day but new seed doesn't take all that well in my yard. I think I get maybe 10% of them sprouting... maybe critters eating the seed? I'll give this a try in a few weeks.

[@suburbanacreage]

Be prepared for darn near 100% germination. Almost every seed will start growing into grass.

[@mikep490]

@@suburbanacreage Cool. I look forward to this year's grass.

[@srobeck77]

You have to water new seed like crazy, 2-3 times per day, which is why this method is so insane.

[@marc-antoinegroulx247]

@suburban acreage , wondering once you have done the first 24 hour soak , do you then change the water every 12 hours and always have the bag consistently in water , or is it 12 hours in water and 12 hours out of water thereafter ? 2:52 ?

[@DaleNote]

My *guess* is submerged is only for the first 24 hours. After that you hang it up for 12 hours then dunk it briefly before hanging it back up for another 12 hours, rinse repeat.

[@suburbanacreage]

@DaleNote nailed it! I did a poor job of explaining this part but basically after my initial soak for 24 hours, all I’m doing is dipping the bag into the bucket twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, roughly 12 hours apart. The bag doesn’t really need to soak anymore, just keep it wet. After dipping it, I just hang the bag on my hose reel and it drips into the bucket. Hope that helps 👍

[@drew85411]

After the initial 24-hour soak, the process shifts to a maintenance routine. Twice a day, roughly 12 hours apart-once in the morning and once in the afternoon-I immerse the bag in the bucket. This regular dipping keeps the bag moist, which is essential for the process, though it no longer requires prolonged soaking. After each dipping, I hang the bag on my hose reel. This setup allows the bag to drip excess water back into the bucket, ensuring minimal water wastage and maintaining the desired moisture level in the bag. This routine is simple yet effective in keeping the bag adequately wet.

[@evelken-evel8513]

Just wondering if you put straw on top?

[@suburbanacreage]

I didn’t really do any top dressing and it did come up fast enough where I didn’t think it was needed. It’s cheap insurance though so nothing wrong with a little bit of dirt, peat moss, or straw.

[@valiantcuda]

When you say "every 12 hours" do you mean you dunk for 12 hours in water, then 12 hours out of water, and alternate it being in/out of the water every 12 hours? Or do you mean you dunk if for just a few minutes at a time, every 12 hours?

[@DaleNote]

I have the same question. My *guess* is the latter. Submerge it for 24 hours. Pull it out and hang it up (?) for 12 hours; then dunk it briefly before hanging it back up, rinse , repeat...

[@npati3]

I have the same question. I have watched other videos, and they are also not clear on this @suburanacreage

[@suburbanacreage]

I did a poor job of explaining this part but basically after my initial soak for 24 hours, all I’m doing is dipping the bag into the bucket twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, roughly 12 hours apart. The bag doesn’t really need to soak anymore, just keep it wet. After dipping it, I just hang the bag on my hose reel and it drips into the bucket. One guy commented that he puts the wet bag into another bucket with a lid to make a greenhouse effect and sets it out in the sun. That’s pretty clever because heat and humidity will get those seeds popping in no time. Hope that helps 👍

[@valiantcuda]

@@suburbanacreage - Awesome - thank you!

[@npati3]

@@suburbanacreage thanks! That makes sense

[@jmx1270]

When you’re storing the bag between dunkings every 12 hours, where do you store it? Sunlight? In the dark? What should the temperature be?

[@suburbanacreage]

I did mine in my garage that was probably low 70’s, high 60’s. Heat will help speed things up. I just hung the bag on my hose reel and let it drop off over my bucket. There’s a short clip of the set up at the very beginning of the video. Not in sunlight, no sunlight needed for germination. Sun becomes a big factor AFTER it starts growing. This process in the video could be done in complete darkness.

[@kittykat981]

What about birds in spring? Also, do i need to prep the soil before placing the seeds? Can i use a regular rake to prep?

[@suburbanacreage]

This method should help with birds because birds like seed, not grass, and it starts growing into grass almost immediately. Regular rake should for some light soil prep.

[@ehleste]

This is by far the greatest idea i witnessed since the release of the Tesla model S in 2012

[@suburbanacreage]

I’m a big fan of the Model S!

[@nathanddrews]

Fellow MN resident here. I threw down seed in the warmer part of February this year, but then it got cold and I saw nothing... Assumed everything was dead, but with all the rain in the last week I'm seeing green pop up in most places, but I'm definitely going to try this method for all the patches. My question is, WHERE do you buy your uncoated premium grass seed? My local Home Depots don't carry it. I'm assuming that the coated stuff will work fine though, right?

[@suburbanacreage]

Minnesota guy!!! I think it’s a HUGE misconception that seed automatically dies in colder weather. Dormant seeding is a thing where you spread seed in late fall, then winter happens, and the spring thaw is what gets it going when it warms up. This winter was crazy and I was actually blowing leaves and doing yard work in January! Weird. I’m using Jonathan Green black beauty ultra in the video because I’ve had good luck with it and you can get it fairly fast through Amazon. amzn.to/3QuVj1r You can also buy from Twin City Seed Company, they have a lot of good blends and they are local, Edina I think if you’re in the twin cities area. Premium seed is going to be 4-5 bucks a pound pretty much anywhere. Coated seed works but in a 25lb bag from Home Depot, half of the weight on the contents label will be “inert matter”, that’s the coating that you’ll be washing off with this particular method so that’s why I don’t recommend it. Good luck👍

[@itmaslanka]

Try a bottle of Hydrogen peroxide for a day ! It super oxidizes the seeds . I do it for flower seeds !

[@kittykat981]

Please explain, I'm a new homeowner 😂

[@dwade6322]

What is the process to do that?

[@gunthermartinhampel2628]

Marylin Monroe Style?

[@timmytuttle3974]

I've done it with the coated I just added an extra step in the begining. I put it in a sleeve section of a spray painters over spray suit. I just tossed it in the bucket. Then used a medium pressure spray rotated the bag and emptied the bucket getting the coat off until it's pretty much rolling clean and I had 80%+ sprouting

[@TomoBishBosh]

I used this method with coated and non coated, the results were very similar, the coated seed just prevents the seed drying out, but i when its being kept moist via this method, it doesnt really matter. i still had grass roots after 1 week throughout the bag

[@suburbanacreage]

Great input guys and I agree completely. It’s not that you can’t use coated seed it’s that the coating washes off and is basically useless when using this method. The coating is designed to help hold water but when you’re literally soaking seed in a bucket, you don’t really need it. That coating is expensive too and can make up 50% or more of the total weight of a bag of grass seed. So you’d be paying good money for a coating that you’ll be washing off. If you already have the seed, go nuts. I just wouldn’t purposely buy coated seed for this method of growing grass. I should have clarified a bit better in the video.

[@timmytuttle3974]

@@suburbanacreage problem I have is finding non coated seed. All the big outlet stores have nothing but coated 4 some reason. Haven't checked co-op just haven't had time or been that way lately

[@fomas8190]

so after 24hrs you dont soak it anymore you dunk it?

[@suburbanacreage]

Yup that’s what I did. Just a quick dip twice a day and then I hung the bag on my hose reel over the bucket to let it drip. I’m just trying to keep things wet at that point, not really submerged.

[@meramosjr]

My front lawn is very patchy and the soil is very hard, I live in Phoenix, and yes, many of us have grass here, lol. I'm considering tilling the entire area before reseeding but not sure if I'll do more harm that way.

[@donisenberg3032]

Had an entire lawn to put in so I bought a kiddie pool to put the bags of seeds in water.

[@brentnelle5728]

Would love to hear if this works for you.

[@franklee2683]

My inground pool was chlorinated: not good!!!!!

[@Tomcom666]

Did it work?

[@andrewkane7316]

I I’m gonna use 55 gallon trash cans. I’ve got 225 lbs of seed to germinate

[@larryvandyke6073]

You can find the paint strainers where he got the orange bucket. I use the strainers for my hydroponics.

[@suburbanacreage]

Very true and I mentioned it in the video. People like the ease of Amazon though and without links I’ll get a bunch of people asking about them. I do love my Home Depot!

[@lindabarrett5455]

Dude funny thing with the hose😂 men! Good video too

[@suburbanacreage]

We just can’t help ourselves sometimes, thanks for watching.

[@reatilekoketsomolatlhegi1068]

Could I be able to start a lawn from this method? I have a front yard that is just dirt, with weeds coming and going with the seasons. any tips on what i need to do before starting? like soil preparation and so on, and how to fit this method in?

[@TomoBishBosh]

Yes you can. Just level out your lawn in places where that are bumps or lows, then you want to agitate the soil, using a rake just scrape the surface until you almost have furrows formed. Then what i would do is mix a load of seed with a bag of compost, or milorganite if the US (i have never used this i amf rom the UK, compost works just fine for me), then spread it all out evening on the surface and then just compact it down a little. Keep it watered for the first 2 weeks to ensure it doesnt die off and seeds that still need to germinate get the water they need.

[@reatilekoketsomolatlhegi1068]

@TomoBishBosh Thank you! I will try that out. So if I go with your suggestion, there won't be any need for me to se aside some of the ground soil to later cover the germinated grass? After having laid it down. It's currently winter here in South Africa so I will probably begin closer to spring. I guess that gives me time to source out compost and seed providers so long. I read through some of the comments and saw someone had mentioned that I could see greater germination yield by using warmer water and some aeration. So will see how to include those too.

[@TomoBishBosh]

@@reatilekoketsomolatlhegi1068 You wont need that spare soil unless you plan to do some levelling of the ground first, which would save you some money. Spring is the best time to do it, you want to make sure ground temperature is around 13 degrees Celsius, which is usually 16 degrees plus air temp, not sure what climate is like in SA. Warmer water can help speed up the process, i found from two different times doing this method, that it didnt really make much difference, because the water cools off anyway and i never left it out in the sun because after the first day, it would just dry your seed out anyway. Aerating the prepared ground is always good, i just used a gardening fork for this, that will suck to use if you have a large area to cover though. Good luck!

[@reatilekoketsomolatlhegi1068]

@TomoBishBosh ohh no, the warm water and aeration was regarding the germination/sprouting step, in the bucket. It is just to make sure that you get even better yields from that pre-germination step. But aside from that. I had thought it might also be necessary to do proper tilling of the ground (rent a tiller) and not opt for my own man-power as it would go south really quickly 😅. This could give the ground some good aeration.

[@mohamedmagdi7515]

Awsome video thank you for sharing. I have a question, can we use regular sand instead of the humic acid?? I looked it up and it's expensive.

[@suburbanacreage]

I’d absolutely use sand and not think twice. Milorganite is what I’m using in the video, super slow release fertilizer and it’s organic so no fear of burning anything or going too heavy. You can also just spread the wet seed out on a tarp on the driveway and wait for it to dry out a tad. It won’t take much drying before it’s back to a spreadable state.

[@mohamedmagdi7515]

Oh that's a great idea. I have my weekend plan ready to go now, thank you so much!!

[@savethenissan]

Ahh, I already put down my crabgrass pre-emergent... in theory this could help since germination happens before going onto the lawn. Thanks for the video!

[@suburbanacreage]

I’ve thought about this too. With pre emergent limiting root growth I can’t imagine the seeds will do all that well, but since they’ve already sprouted I do wonder if they would grow at all. Sounds like another test and video is needed!

[@savethenissan]

@@suburbanacreage looking forward to it. This is a great channel!

[@suburbanacreage]

Hey thanks! What’s a pirate’s favorite Nissan? GT-RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

[@savethenissan]

@@suburbanacreage 🤣😂🤣😂 permanent subscriber

[@Drew-C-]

What have I even being doing with my life? Years of doing things the hard way. Welp, this fall is going to be FUN! (and easy)

[@suburbanacreage]

Fall renovation should be a national holiday. Actually, I think it is. Normal people would call it Labor Day weekend.

[@lonniehortonjr5083]

I cant wait to try this. Can I do this with my garden seeds

[@mckenzie062006]

So you say keep the seed submerge for 24 hours, then take out and let it sit for 12 hours then re submerge merge in water for 12 hours and repeat process until you see sprouts?

[@suburbanacreage]

Yes, after the initial 24 hour soak I just dipped the bag every 12 hours to keep things wet until I saw things start to germinate.

[@flat6fever680]

I didn't catch that thank you.

[@suburbanacreage]

I did a bad job of explaining it in the video, other people were asking too. I’ll have another pre germinating video coming out this spring and I’ll be sure to explain things better in that.

[@rogerthomas169]

Soak for 24 hours. Take it ou, and every 12 hours soak, but don't leave it in.

[@Dave-um1hl]

So after the 24 hour soak Are you soaking for 12 hours every other 12 or are you just dipping and taking out every 12 hours?

[@PacRic-gs4of]

I used some old sheers as bags.

[@rydiggity5867]

So you leave underwater in the bucket for the first 24 hours. But then after that you just dunk it every 12 hours? So after the first 24 hours you just leave it out on a garage table or empty bucket? But every 12 hours you give it a couple of dunks but then keep it out of water for the next 12 hours. Correct?

[@diedrichg]

Yeah, he was pretty bad about explaining that process! Breaking it down or even putting text on the screen would have been helpful.

[@princediesel1]

What is the answer ?

[@suburbanacreage]

I did a poor job of explaining this part but basically after my initial soak for 24 hours, all I’m doing is dipping the bag into the bucket twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, roughly 12 hours apart. The bag doesn’t really need to soak anymore, just keep it wet. After dipping it, I just hang the bag on my hose reel and it drips into the bucket. Hope that helps 👍

[@jgray5034]

Excellent video! Can you comment on whether it's best to plant/spread the sprouted seed in the fall or in the spring please? Thanks!

[@suburbanacreage]

Fall is usually my preferred seeding time of year because there will be less weed pressure and less risk of extended heat waves that can be tough on new grass.

[@jgray5034]

@@suburbanacreage Makes sense-thank you! I'm a new subscriber to your channel and will look forward to more of your spot-on content! 🌱🎉

[@suburbanacreage]

@jgray5034 hey thanks for your support. Changing seasons here in Minnesota so I’ve got some fall leaf cleanup content on deck including some new machinery to help pickup leaves fast and then winter will be here soon too. Few more lawn videos coming up first though!

[@marklawrence76]

New Subscriber. Keep the videos coming

[@Eli-qr9hc]

Did you water after you hand tossed the seed to the areas in your lawn? And how often?

[@suburbanacreage]

I did water, pretty much have to with new seed, pre germinated or not. I set up my timers for 10-20 minute durations every 6 hours to start. Over time, I drop the frequency but increase the duration, so a heavier watering less frequently.

[@Kevinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

His process is not clear. So submerge the seeds in the water for 24hours. After that, fully drain the water and submerge it again for few minutes and drain the water for 12 hours and repeat this process for few days depends on which seeds you have. I made a mistake and submerged every 12 hours after the initial 24 hours.

[@coraedread1655]

Hi, where can I purchase the St Agustine seeds?

[@krysiu88]

and .... ?

[@ryanrhinowright]

Just dunk in water every 12 hours then remove right away

[@SayanOfRagnarok]

​@coraedread1655 there aren't st Augustine seeds available outside of commercial use as far as I'm aware it's only grown using sod or plugs. The process of growing st Augustin is complex. St. Augustine grasses do not produce enough viable seed for commercialization. For this reason, seed is not produced for lawn propagation use and it is therefore not available for sale.

[@milkofthepuppy]

@@coraedread1655that’s exactly what I need

[@caglarh]

Should we go over the seeds with a roller after planting them in the soil?

[@suburbanacreage]

I usually find that my foot traffic from spreading them and then spreading starter fertilizer over the area is enough to get seed to soil contact but a roller wouldn’t hurt and I’m a big fan of those too.

[@ohadzic6377]

Don't put weight on top. Use a rock and put it in the bag with seeds.

[@suburbanacreage]

Hot tips in the comments, great idea!

[@cjones1262]

I'm definitely going to do this. Have to bring in some good dirt though. Out here most of the dirt in front is just dry brown and worthless

[@suburbanacreage]

Thanks for watching Courtney, stop back later and let us know how it worked for you. Good luck👍

[@knman0010]

Seems to me it takes about the same time. If you plant the non pregerminated seeds at the same time that you start your pre germination process, by the time u plant the pregermination seeds the non pregerm seeds would have germinated as well therefore making the time roughly the same. What you did in this video was totally negate the time it took to pregerm those seeds and then compared it to the time the non pregerm seeds would take to germ vs the post germ of the pregerm seed growth time. Very missleading video imo.

[@suburbanacreage]

The time savings is how long it takes once planted to actually grow into grass. I don’t consider a little bit of prep work to be part of the growing process. Timelines aside, I saw higher germination percentages using the pre germination method meaning more of the seed actually grew into grass. And it took less water to get there too. Also no straw or peat moss needed to hold in moisture because the seed starts growing right away. Hope that helps 👍

[@ecuadmail]

I think this would also help keep birds from eating all the seeds. At least I hope so

[@paulfiasconaro4674]

Great video

[@tgbst88]

The big advantage for me is avoid a rain washout...

[@nelsonm5032]

very cool, i would never thought to do that. i just redid my backyard, seeded and now it’s coming up and is an inch or so high but i have lots of bare spots still :(

[@15DurangoRT]

You're technically not growing it any faster than if you would have put it in the ground. It would have taken the same amount of time.

[@suburbanacreage]

Two other benefits that I talk about in the video are increased germination percentage AND this method uses way less water. By pre soaking the seed you will have more of it actually grow into grass and you won’t have to run a sprinkler 6 times a day trying to keep seed moist. Skip the top dressing of straw or peat moss too because it’ll pop so fast you won’t need help holding moisture over the seed. MANY benefits to the pre germination method!

[@losoincaseudontknowso4849]

That's not true, this method saved me time and money. Time = planned ahead since I can only work on my yard during the weekends, prepped during the week and was ready to go Saturday morning. Money = did not run my sprinklers as I would have done when seeding, thus didn't run up my water bill.

[@15DurangoRT]

​@@suburbanacreageforget about all the other benefits. You say it's the fastest way ever but it's not true. Once you put water to it it takes the same amount of time to germinate whether it's in a bucket or on the ground.

[@LisaWilson-nm5ye]

I look forward to trying this right away. We have new shade grass in front yard but lots of spots that still need to fill in, so this will be wonderful.