Grow Grass Seed in ONE DAY - Pre Germinate it in a Bucket

Pre Germinating seed has worked well for me over the last few years. Maybe I'm alone here but I get tired of waiting for grass seed to germinate when it is out on the ground. I also HATE moving a sprinkler around 4 times a day for 2 weeks waiting for grass seeds to sprout. So spending a few minutes a day rewetting the seed instead? yes please!
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#PreGermination #overseeding #lawncare
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[@2043269660]

Some more tips for you. Use very warm water to soak your seeds for 24 hours and then also when you dip your seeds everyday also use very warm water. I have a porch that is 70 degrees even temperature unlike outside where it will fluctuate. I did the pre germination process inside my porch. i did a 4 pound bag, used a steel weight to hold the bag down. I used cheese cloth instead of a paint strainer bag ( cheaper but also a bit more work as you have tie it up in a knot due to no draw string ) After the 24 hour initial soak i place 2 small wood blocks 6 inches high in a empty bucket. after soaking the seeds and for the after the water dip every 24 hours after that i placed the seeds in the bucket with the wood blocks ( or any other object that will keep the seeds off of the bucket bottom). This allows the water to drain and keep the bottom layer of seeds as dry as the rest of the bag. Oh and i changed my water every 6 to 8 hours on the initial 24 hour soak. That water turns such a nasty brown color that every time i changed water the water was very very brown. My seeds germinated in 4 days. I then mixed the seeds with peat moss as the peat moss is very dry and will soak up the water from the seeds. Peat moss is very cheap and the brown color of the peat moss easily contrasts with my soil to easily see how the seed is spreading. i spread the seed by hand.

[@mattmattia]

Another trick to use, start one bucket with only 1lb of seed first, two days later do the rest of your buckets. Keep an eye on the first bucket looking for seeds to germinate. This will give you a 1-2 window knowing when to spread the seed just before germination.

[@Justin-bw8zi]

So clever. Thanks!!

[@luka9529]

Now this is a good tip!

[@Justin-bw8zi]

For what it’s worth, with my seed I never saw white poofs or the white strings of early roots - rather, after 5 days saw the faintest green shoots start to show up and thus immediately put it into the lawn. Fingers crossed how it works :).

[@craigros5]

Fail. Well at least no gain. I did 2 grass types one bag of Fine fescue 2 of Rye. Did full 24 hour soak. Then dunk for minutes every 24 hours after. Dunk was with hot tap water. After about 8 days sprouts from section of the Rye. Nice. Dryed seed out over an afternoon, then manually spread. 8 days later very starting to see germination. This is exactly the same as non pre germination. I have watered as per normal. What have I done wrong. BTW still doing the fine fescue. 15 days later no sign of germination in bucket. Also anyone else experienced terrible odour ?

[@Justin-bw8zi]

@@craigros5 So interesting!!! Thanks for sharing. I lost patience after 5+ days and saw small green shoots and presumed that it was starting? Put it in the ground 4 days ago and nothing yet. Will be interesting to see a wk from now but northing explosive candidly

[@srt10h4rml3ss]

I just started my grass seed bucket project lol. Love this stuff. It's a very small front yard and needs some soil added in areas that I yanked crab grass out of and is now under control but needs back filling, so I figure I will just add the germinated grass seed to the large bag of lawn soil in my wheel barrow & mix it up to hopefully spread the wet seed out better then just dump/toss/spread the soil where needed and rake it in as level as possible.

[@DeadphishyEP3]

I have cheesecloth bags for this. They have strings to tie them. Lots of people laugh at doing this, however its worked really well for me. Great video, thanks for talking about the milo method, the drying it out method, and what happens when you go to long. The seed is a lot hardier then some people think.

[@malcolm341]

@The Lawn Tools Thanks for making such a detailed well explained video, I'm trying this right now. My paint strainer bag just started to germinate at the bottom where it was wetter, now I'm going to spread it out and dry it out and then hand spread as this is my first test using this technique.

[@sherylyoung101]

Love his teaching style. Letting people know the mistakes to avoid is an awesome way to help others avoid the pit falls. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with others.😀

[@EaveeDoesIt]

This is the best explanation I have seen that is actually correct! Give an update each week how it's coming along if you can. I'm liking the more vlog/explanation style videos you've done on the 2nd half of this year

[@patricksquires6348]

I second this!

[@shelleyminehart7409]

He is thorough and he just talks fast. All his info is helpful.

[@robbyers7614]

You can slow down video. Go to settings and go one setting below normal speed.

[@phizz8694]

So I startd my process last Wednesday with your method with KBG. It was ready by This Thursday. Thank you !!

[@alltexaslawn]

You’re right! Now matter what our plans are, you gotta be able to adjust and adapt when the wrench gets thrown in the plans!!!

[@derecktube452]

Love the wisdom at the end of the vid bro!

[@billyballard9184]

I love this video because of all the mistakes you talk about. Those learning opportunities for others. Great video.

[@carlitoreyna5335]

This how we grow rice seeds in my country before transplanting in the field.😊we call it direct seeding..

[@hatpeach1]

Great video with lots of great SPECIFIC info, but... really wanted to see it get spread. This will be the way I go next year for sure.

[@JJ-yk1ks]

Have you considered using worm castings tea

[@hatpeach1]

@@JJ-yk1ks No, don't really know what that is. Though I have a TON of worm castings on my lawn. It's probably too moist, and I tend to cut it very short (1/2"), so castings have become the biggest problem I have at the moment.

[@sulamanijalloh6609]

Hi how to get this seed? Thank you 🙏

[@JJ-yk1ks]

Worm tea is fresh worm castings added to chlorine free water Other type of seeds are started with worm tea

[@langman9809]

So if I am understanding the watering schedule is it: 1: fill bucket full of water let seed soak for 24 hrs 2: drain bucket let seed dry for 24 hrs 3: fill bucket with water for about 10 minutes and then drain and let it dry for 24 hrs 4: repeat step 3 for the remainder of the pregermination Sorry was a little confused at the end

[@EndPoliticalCorruption]

I don't think the seeds should "dry". They should be drained of excess water but allowed to stay moist until the next dunking.

[@Rattlerjake1]

I find the easiest way to dry it is on a trampoline. I have several old trampolines that I got for free that I use to dry grass clippings that I store for winter feeding of my geese, chickens, pigs, and rabbits. Once dry, it is easy to take a board or squeegee to pull it all into piles at the edge of the trampoline, and dump into containers to go spread. I also do this with seed for my wildlife food plots and for winter rye (grain) on small plots. Mix the seed with either topsoil or fine sifted compost and put it in a roll around compost spreader.

[@n8yt]

If you dry it out like that before spreading, doesn't that kill the seeds?

[@Rattlerjake1]

@@n8yt - You don't dry it completely, you dry it just enough that it doesn't clump up when you grab a handful - it should fall apart when you open your hand, but still feel damp.

[@n8yt]

@@Rattlerjake1 ok thanks for the explanation

[@Hannadayflo]

Fantastic ideas

[@seminole715]

Thank you for the great info and video!!

[@MisterAdam-jj5jv]

Awesome video… thanks for the information

[@Boltron]

if you want to germinate your seed even faster . soak your seed in liquid seaweed , a 0-0-4 or a 0-0-1 would be good. the liquid seaweed will act as a RGS. follow the the label for seed germination dilution ratio. the 0-0-4 i use needs only half an ounces per 5 gallons. but i have used a 0-0-1 and that needed 5 ounces for 5 gallons. just thought ill share what i do to get great results fast.

[@nunyabusinessfriend]

This is very helpful, thank you.

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

I liked the thumbnail so I'm here. This is way better than my bucket video. tHanks for the tips!

[@Pfirsisch01]

It would have been really cool to see the complete process from germination, to spreading.

[@kkevinj1]

I just dont understand how he didnt have a carrier ready lol mind blowing

[@jcs1758]

I use the 2 bucket system but I still tie the bags closed. I follow the Milorganite methods which calls for keeping the seed in water changing the water every 12 hours . Kbg Abbott 10 days. TTTF about 4 TO 5 days. Dry out seed on a tarp, then mix with Milorganite to spread. Your system of wetting the seed for a few minutes then letting it dry for 24 hours is interesting... ill try it in the spring

[@mrzif0013]

finally a real story, no drama. Doing a large repair after a septic field tank replacement. Would sand and potting mix work for the sprouted seed?

[@bubbawubba2307]

Love Kentucky bluegrass! mine stays green year round and grows excellent even in shaded spots

[@auntbea1664]

🎉 Great ideas! Thanks!🎉

[@Dstromb232]

I used an air stone like the one you put in a fish tank , then put it on the bottom of the bucket then put in the seed that in the cheesecloth then plug in the pump and let it run over night. It will sprout quick.

[@butchgreene]

Is that because it’s adding new oxygen & carbon dioxide to the water?

[@Dstromb232]

@@butchgreene It helps keep the water from getting any type of fungus and the oxygen and speeds up gemmation. I do change the water often.

[@Creeder991]

I love this video and want to try this. Thank you for sharing Lessons Learned, that's always helpful. Can you recommending a grass seed type and brand that would work with this method? I think you mentioned the grass seed should not be coated but almost everything available at the big department store is coated with something. My lawn is mostly sunny with some shaded spots, so I am thinking Kentucky Bluegrass or a Sun & Shade mix.

[@booombyybyy]

I just Pregerminated some spf30 blue grass. Here's the kicker I live in south Florida

[@Lawn_Care_Lounge_tv_uk]

what we do here in the uk is soak our ryegrass we used barenbrug rpr on a rpr lawn we soak for 12hrs drain for 12hrs and repeat for 5 days than dry seed out and than put in a spreader the seed and we get1 to 2 day germinate we have a video of it its called 2 day challenge germinate

[@DanielWheeler-gv2pq]

What is a good way to spread this once it starts to germinate? Will a typical 3 point barrel media spread destroy it or will it work great?

[@rrobinson1]

Maybe you mentioned it in the video and I missed it, but did you store these buckets outside in the sun? Or in a dark area of your garage or something similar?

[@ace24817]

Great video

[@spinmartin5594]

Great video! Thanks for the kind words 🙏

[@DavidNitzscheBell]

Hmmmm, Tom Cruise explaining how to grow grass seed. Cool.

[@chrisunruh6485]

Why are you having to do the Kentucky blue grass more than just one year? Are you spraying it out the next year or are you just filling in bare spots?

[@kkevinj1]

I watched the other pregerm video and seeded bermuda in early August and it went perfect. I used zip ties tho. Mixed the wet seed with half Milo and half humichar. I did it exactly the way you explained. Thank you!!!! I got away with seeding so late because of El Nino year. It is just now down to 70s-80s and will last 2 more weeks!!!!! Forecast shows no freezing nights thru January in Louisiana, no way I beleive that lol I cant belieive you tried to spread wet seed🤣🤣🤣 Homework first then seed lol

[@EY-fb4ov]

Where did you get the Bermuda grass seeds from ? All I can find online is combination of seeds,fertilizer, and soil

[@kkevinj1]

@@EY-fb4ov It was Lawnifi Bermuda seeds from Sod Solutions but I killed it because was too similar to common. I JUST seeded Monaco Bermuda 4 days ago. I got it from Johnston seed co, waiting for germination

[@kkevinj1]

@@EY-fb4ov Monaco from Johnston seed co, scheduled to be ready to seed sunday, thunderstorm coming monday. Pre germinating surely didnt save me from a washout lol Im doomed unless I tarp it

[@richardharwell]

I love this method. I have used it ever since I saw you do it the first time, 💥just to fill some bear spots.. Believe it or not I didn't oversee this fall, and I just threw down seed with no Pete moss or covering, and it worked out nice, but I live In the Pacific Northwest South of Seattle with nice gentle rain and warm weather in between.⛳️❤️ Love this video & all the "TOOLS" !

[@chrisryan8863]

Hi Rich. I had replied with this question but I didn't get a reply. I was wondering if you could share your experience with me. Did you pre germinate by following the method in this video by only submerging the seed for the first 24 hours? I am asking because every other lawn channel that discusses this method suggests keeping the seed germinated the entire time (and changing out the water every 12 hours). Thanks!

[@steve_shoppe8016]

Came for the seeding, stayed for the jazz hands 😁

[@xpgainz]

Thank you soo much 🙏

[@jonathanbarby2561]

Doh! Made the same mistake as you and changed the water but kept it soaking and it rotted had to re-watch and see what i did wrong hopefully I'll get it right this time :)

[@laurencetitusoates6328]

Did Tom Cruise ever meet your Mother............

[@kcenter85]

😄 I was thinking he looks and sounds like him too

[@kholcomb86]

Could this process be done for a brand new yard? Starting from bare dirt? I’m in Oklahoma, full sun, would this same seed you used be good?

[@jonzerstyle6817]

This is next level lawn care. I just want some grass on my arid acidic soil terraced hill backyard for my dogs.

[@brandonhandley488]

3 armed thumbnail photo was awesome.

[@obilawnkenobi7230]

MVS going down! going with the 365 myself here shortly

[@Andres-wh3cz]

How do you spread the seed once you determine it's ready (lets say the shell is just starting to break or right before). Do you wait until it's drier and then use a spreader (or manually throw), or do you try to throw it while its still relatively wet?

[@chrisryan8863]

This was an awesome video!! I do have a question. If you let the seed dry on a tarp it won't damage/kill the germinated seed? It just seems like may injure the seed since they are fragile at that point.

[@Justin-bw8zi]

Great video as always. Sorry if this question is attached to the wrong video, but do you have council on watering? I have a swordsman and keep my lawn ~3/4 inch. In the summer, I've tried the whole 3ish times a wk deep soak to promote root growth, but invariablely I get large dead/dorment spots as it's just not enough. How do you/golf courses do it? Do I do 3 heavy soaks, then a maintenance water daily for 5 min just to keep it from fully drying out/dorment/dying? Appreciate it!

[@Cerceify]

3/4 inch! Putting green?

[@AbbyMom100]

Would a compost spreader have worked instead of a drop spreader when the seed was wet?

[@craigros5]

Thoughts on using hot tap water when replacing water?

[@RioTheHitman]

Question my turf is looking really good and I want to do this but I do have spots in my lawn with crabgrass. I want to do this but I wont be able to put down preemergent. Any ideas?

[@wayneericksen5374]

I wonder if the wet bucket grass or half dried seed can be spread with a Billy Goat Overseeder.

[@krk1158]

This is probably a stupid question but are you keeping your buckets outside so the seed is getting sunlight? I've failed for two years trying to get a shady area seeded in my backyard and have decided to try this method. Appreciate the feedback!

[@douglasdoolen1765]

What if you want to pre germinate Bermuda seed? Is it the same process? And can you mix the germiating seed with just top soil and spread it?

[@semosancus5506]

I'd be interested to know if i can spread this over the lawn where i have already applied a pre emergent treatment. It seems like it would.

[@Krossmann52]

SOOO... Could you Say Spin is look to start a grass roots movement? ;-)

[@bennym1956]

I just throw out the new grass seed in yard and it comes up in 7 days ! Plently of rain in Ga. Scale of 1 to 10.....11 easy !

[@JJ-yk1ks]

Worm tea comes from taking a cup of worm castings in a paint screening and put in to a 5 gallon bucket. Just mixing with a stick gives worm extract. To make tea add 1/4 cup molasses and pump air in for 24 to 48 hours This build’s biomes in the liquid. Use in 2 days or need to reactivate. Bunches on UTube

[@petMonster28]

When mixing the seed with milorganite, should you leave the mixture out to dry thoroughly before putting in a spreader? Or will it spread just fine immediately after mixing?

[@bryant2672]

the milorganite will help dry the seed and give it that consistency so that you can put it thru the spreader

[@richardnettles7481]

Respect what he says. Jordan’s been slinging seed for 12 years now

[@kkevinj1]

He has messed something up every time lol still works tho, submerged or drip dry, change water every 12 or 24 hrs, doesnt really matter, both work, keep the water changed, keep seeds wet

[@raczyk]

I have 2000 square feet to over seed on zone 5. Can i use kentucky blue grass with this method? Does it work on all grass types?

[@dano7476]

So what’s the recommendation on where you keep the buckets during this process? The amount of sun will impact how fast the process works, but too much sun might be bad. Would it be better to have a controlled environment and just keep them in the garage between watering? That’s like a $100 worth of buckets😮 Thanks

[@butchgreene]

The number of buckets is stupid expensive. Especially considering half of them can never be used for anything else b/c of the holes. And per Milorganite website, seed needs to be in 65-72 degrees and a dark environment, not light. Also, the reason his bags don’t germinate properly when he left them is the seed releases toxins into the water. If you dont don’t change the water out every 12 hours, the toxins stop the germination process. So if you use his “re-wet” rather than submerge suggestion, make sure to move the water fully through the center of the seed mass

[@jetjazz05]

This video is awesome, I'm going to try this. I want to spread clover (you heard me) and grass seed in my yard... I live in Florida and ferral chickens roam WILD here, if I throw seed out they're out there eating most of it before it can sprout, I think this will give it a good chance to survive. I hope anyways... I still think you could benefit greatly from a nice drip irrigation or some kind of timed in lawn system. I think for a couple hundred bucks you could make your lawn autonomous... but also I recognize you love the effort/reward benefits of doing it manually and keeping an eye on it.

[@Cerceify]

I heard clover is cheaper than grasses. I need pasture grass but also need to get the broad leaf weeds out of a paddock that i seeded last year. Bermuda mixed with Bahia is beautiful. A professional refused to mix in Bermuda, but he never came back to do the job anyway. I guess 5 acres is too small for him.

[@azubyte]

we overseed clover in the NE and get carpets of bees feeding on them when we let them go to flower and tons of deer sneak in at night! Oh, and it's good for the grass too!

[@Justin-bw8zi]

Question on temperature: I'm three days in and the temps are mid-40s to mid-60s. I've been keeping my seed in an unheated garage at night. Question: Should I bring the seed into my heated house at night to expedite the process? Is leaving in an unheated garage that gets down to the mid-high 40s too cold to get the process going?

[@mrgoggles1963]

Yes…wayyyyyyyy too cold. Needs to be above 72 degrees, especially bg.

[@bennett3188]

Would this work for a dense shade mix? I can’t imagine it’s any different

[@neoplasma1]

when you spread out the seed. What do you put on top of it? topsoil?

[@dannyisaacs1]

Tried this a had all the seed at the top of the bags get dry in between watering and become useless. What did I do wrong? Seems counter productive to get the seed wet then let it dry for 24 hours. I thought the whole mission of over seeding was the keep grass seeds moist until they seeded?

[@patricksquires6348]

This Channel - A Billion Views! Wow! Nice work! Great vid.

[@sticky12]

He definitely does a lot of squats!

[@GhostPepperDesigns]

How do you dry out your seed to use in a spreader?

[@gearoid3398]

Good video thanks. I can't imagine being able to just go out and afford to casually buy that many buckets

[@seemssafe2995]

theyre like $2 at menards

[@gearoid3398]

@@seemssafe2995 good to know, last time I saw them they were over $5 a piece, not sure which store though

[@jacobhanson1912]

How quickly can the doggos start tearing up the backyard while using this plan?

[@nancyk8153]

I sprinkle grass seeds before a rain day

[@carli-wandafivaz1876]

So i am trying pre germination of Bermuda seed started Tuesday and it is now Saturday and no sprouting no action so i am wondering is this normal I have used an old tshirt as that is what i have at home and thought it would work alright I changed the water every day twice (12hrs) I picked Bermuda as the sales man said once established it is fairly water friendly and it is a warm area grass and our climate in RSA is fairly warm. All i want is all my bald patchy spots to be grassy. I tried just sowing the seed doing all that prep ect but nothing grew😢 Anyone with advice. Should i just be patient or is my seed broken 😢

[@addamjenkins75]

What is the purpose of the 2nd bucket, the one without holes?

[@jbxie]

I probably made the mistake with Black Beauty Dense Shade seeds. It has been 21 days, didn't see anything. One thing I probably did wrong was to submerge the seeds and replace the water every 12 hours for 21 days, which I watched from other videos. Bought another 25lb bag today and started a new trial. This time I will submerge for 24 hours and then just wet the seed every 12 hours. Will see how it goes. Don't know what to do with the old seeds that have been submerged for 21 days... I will keep them wet for a few more days and see what happens, but do not feel good about these seeds though

[@paulhatchett3645]

Can you/someone go over again how long to soak after the initial soaking. Is it 24 in to soak and 24 out to drain, or drain each day and then in to soak for 24 hours, or in to soak a few minutes each day and out to drain for 24 hours - and repeat the process each day.

[@DarkBykeTwitch]

Ok now I need to go buy $500 of buckets... Instead of using sprinkler.

[@djamesbrooklyn1]

Where did you get the net bags?

[@mmangredi3776]

In the spring I’m gonna do this. But my method of spreading will be. Mixing top soil , worm castings and possibly a little sand with pre germinated seed. And spreading with a compost spreader. Wish me luck 😅

[@GeryTeague]

How did it go?

[@mmangredi3776]

Spring is weeks away in N.H.

[@videodesarcasto9710]

How did it go with the compost spreader?

[@mmangredi3776]

@@videodesarcasto9710 Still waiting on soil temperature to hit 55 degrees, next week is my target.

[@Hannadayflo]

Why sit and wrap the bags over the top of the bucket if all you're going to do is put grass seed into them, tie them up and THEN dunk them into the buckets if (warmish) water 😅

[@AndrewK209]

I still have seed left over im going to try this method

[@patricelightworker1102]

Does the temperature of the water used matter when it comes to how fast your seed will germinate?

[@hankbrooks6414]

Yes. Warm water works faster than cold.

[@SmooveBee1]

Spread it out on a tarp, very good idea, or a sheet.

[@SmooveBee1]

Spreading the sprouted-seed probably damaged the first root (known as the 'radicle' which is the primary embryonic root) and the damage to that is usually irreversible.

[@ninjablender191]

I loved your movie Top Gun ✈

[@jessiikerz]

What’s the best grass to grown in miami fl?

[@sys-theinternet4603]

Cool

[@tonymiller8500]

This method works for tall fescue brand rebel?

[@EY-fb4ov]

Where can I purchase pure uncoated Bermuda grass seeds ?

[@jinx2162k]

Do you put the lid on the the bucket?

[@CatwithaMAC]

Your mom has most definitely met Tom cruise

[@TomoBishBosh]

i cant get milorginite in the UK, will regular peat free compost be a good substitute?

[@PJ_Odyssey]

Humid acid works too.

[@scottlang7130]

When you say every 24 hours let it drain. Do you mean just remove the bottom bucket with water and keep the seed in the strainer with no bottom bucket and water for 24 hours?

[@Austin-oq8tj]

I left my seeds submerged and they reek now. Are the seeds ruined?

[@rickbat6201]

I appreciate the information but for a video it was way too much talking and less showing. A steps list posted on the bottom of the video would have been helpful.

[@lecf08]

This was basically a TED Talk...

[@brookeoscarson2520]

I worry I'm too late in the spring. I'm in El Paso TX and it's already 75/80 most days

[@Cerceify]

I have Bahia grass and normally that's planted in summer. This has been the hottest March on record. I'm going to try mixing in Bermuda too. You could try a small test strip.

[@infovidasupps8640]

So then what do you do next with the sprouted seeds? Did I miss that part?