You need
- 2,000sq ft of lawn
- 5.9kg
- 6–12days to sprout
- Use about 13 lb of seed for 2,000 sq ft of new tall fescue lawn. Garden experts say 10 lb to 16 lb.
- That is 3 bags of 5 lb (2 to 4).
- It sprouts in about 6 to 12 days.
Seeding rates by grass
Pounds of seed for every 1,000 sq ft. Small seeds, like bluegrass and bermuda, need fewer pounds.Kilograms of seed for every 100 sq m. Small seeds, like bluegrass and bermuda, need less.
| Grass | New lawn | Overseeding | Days to sprout | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tall fescueCool-season | 5–8 lb2.44–3.91 kg | 3–4 lb1.46–1.95 kgK-State: about half the new-lawn rate | 6 to 12 | |
| Kentucky bluegrassCool-season | 1.5–2 lb0.73–0.98 kg | 1–1.5 lb0.49–0.73 kgK-State: half the new-lawn rate | 14 to 21 | |
| Perennial ryegrassCool-season | 4–6 lb1.95–2.93 kg | 3 lb1.46 kgCornell: 3 lb each time, at least 3 times | 3 to 7 | |
| Annual ryegrassCool-season | 4–6 lb1.95–2.93 kg | 5 lb2.44 kgClemson: 5 lb into a bermuda lawn for winter green | 3 to 7 | |
| Fine fescue (red, chewings, sheep)Cool-season | 3–5 lb1.46–2.44 kg | —No extension figure found | 6 to 14 | |
| Bermudagrass (hulled)Warm-season | 0.5–1 lb0.24–0.49 kg | —No extension figure found | 10 to 20 | |
| CentipedegrassWarm-season | 0.5–3 lb0.24–1.46 kg | —No extension figure found | 10 to 20 | |
| ZoysiaWarm-season | 0.5–3 lb0.24–1.46 kg | —No extension figure found | 10 to 14 |
New lawn and days: UT Extension W160-B. Bermuda is hulled seed; double it for unhulled. Overseeding: K-State, Cornell and Clemson. A dash means we found no expert figure.
New lawn or overseeding?
New lawn means bare soil. You need the full rate.
Overseeding means sowing seed into grass you already have, to make it thicker. It takes less seed. K-State says about half the new-lawn rate for tall fescue and bluegrass.
In the South, some people sow ryegrass into a bermuda lawn in fall so it stays green in winter. Clemson says 5 lb for every 1,000 sq ft. Clemson says not to do it on centipede, zoysia or St. Augustine.
How the math works
- Area. Length times width. For a circle, half the width times itself, times 3.1416. One meter is 3.28084 feet.
- Pounds. Area in sq ft, divided by 1,000, times the rate. The low and high come from the expert range. The middle number is halfway between. That is our pick.
- Unhulled bermuda. UT Extension says to double the rate.
- Bags. Pounds divided by the bag size, rounded up.
- Metric. One pound is 0.4536 kg. 1,000 sq ft is 92.9 sq m.
Questions
How much grass seed do I need?
It depends on the grass. Tall fescue takes 5 to 8 lb for every 1,000 sq ft of new lawn. Kentucky bluegrass takes 1.5 to 2 lb. Type your lawn size above to get pounds and bags.
How much grass seed per square foot?
Very little. Tall fescue is about 0.08 to 0.13 ounces per sq ft. That is why rates are given per 1,000 sq ft.
What is the overseeding rate?
About half the new-lawn rate, says K-State. For tall fescue, that is 3 to 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft. For Kentucky bluegrass, 1 to 1.5 lb. Cornell says 3 lb of perennial ryegrass, at least 3 times.
How long does grass seed take to sprout?
Ryegrass is fastest, 3 to 7 days. Tall fescue takes 6 to 12 days. Kentucky bluegrass takes 14 to 21 days.
Can I put down too much seed?
Yes. UT Extension says too much seed often grows a thick stand of weak, sick seedlings. Stay inside the range.
Sources
- UT Extension W160-B, Turfgrass Establishment: Seeding2007Seeding rates and days to sprout for each grass
- K-State, Fall Turfgrass RecommendationsAug 2019Overseed tall fescue and bluegrass at half the rate
- Cornell Cooperative Extension, repetitive overseedingundated3 lb of perennial ryegrass per 1,000 sq ft
- Clemson HGIC, Overseeding with RyegrassSep 20245 lb of ryegrass into a bermuda lawn