Prepare your soil before sowing your seed

There are a number of steps to know how to sow grass seed, and we have broken them down below. Before sowing grass seed, it’s important to get the soil ready. Remove any debris like rocks, weeds, or existing grass. Use a rake to loosen the soil and ensure good contact between the seed and soil.

• Aerating the soil will improve drainage and also encourage better root development.
• If you find a lot of weeds on your lawn, a Feed, Weed, and Mosskiller product such as our 3 IN 1 Lawn Rescue will get rid of them while also feeding your lawn in preparation for sowing.
• It’s a good idea to use Pre-Seed Lawn Food if your lawn contains no weeds. This will enrich the soil with nutrients and kickstart the growth of your new grass seed.

Regardless of what lawn food option you choose, always read the instructions and wait the recommended period before sowing your grass seed.

Create a level seedbed for sowing new grass seed

Levelling your seedbed is the next step, and it’s an important one! Levelling your lawn will help your grass seed grow since it ensures your seeds get spread evenly across it. It also reduces dips that collect pools of rainwater. Overall, it gets rid of the hazards of uneven terrain and enhances your garden’s visual appeal!

Choose the right grass seed for your lawn

Choosing the right grass seed that suits your garden’s needs and what you use your lawn for is vital for growing a stunning lawn! For example, a lawn used for family gatherings and for kids and pets to play on will benefit from fast-growing and hard-wearing seed mixes. Whereas a luxury fine grass seed mix is better suited to ornamental “don’t walk on the garden lawn!” lawns.

Grass seed for shade

The other thing to consider is the amount of sunlight your lawn receives throughout the duration of the day. If areas of your garden are covered in shade for most of the day (or most of the year), then a grass seed mix that loves shade is recommended.

Grass seeds for clay soil

Clay soils require special grass seeds to achieve the lush garden lawn you hope for. We created a grass seed mix ideally suited to growing lush in clay soils (clay soils are often found in the gardens of new-build houses). Our New Build Dream Lawn gives your new build’s garden - or any garden with clay soils - the thriving green lawn you’ve been dreaming of!

Calculate the amount of grass seed you need

Check out our Grass Seed Calculator to determine how much seed you need to sow for the best results and make sure you have enough seed for your lawn. It’s better to slightly overestimate the amount of seed required than to run out midway through the process!

Getting ready for sowing grass seed

Start by checking your local weather forecast before going outside to sow, as grass seed needs consistent temperatures above 10 degrees for at least two weeks to grow. If the weather looks good for the coming weeks, it’s time to begin sowing grass seed!

Tips for seeding a new lawn

We have a helpful video on seeding a new lawn, which goes through the steps for preparation, seeding a new lawn and aftercare. Many of the tasks outlined in this video apply to sowing lawn seed in general and can be applied when overseeding an existing lawn:

Sowing your grass seed

You can spread the seeds by hand or fill a seed spreader with the calculated amount of grass seed – just be sure to adjust your spreader settings for the best results. You can divide your lawn into smaller sections to make sowing the grass seed easier.

Start by evenly scattering your grass seed across your garden at a rate of 50g per square metre. Walk at a steady pace when spreading the seed to ensure you get even coverage across your lawn. If you used our grass seed calculator to get the right amount of seed, simply spread the quantity evenly across your lawn.

Rake and Roll

After spreading the grass seed, lightly rake the area to work the seed into the soil. This step enhances the seed-to-soil contact, which is crucial for germination and ensures your seedlings are ready for growing. You can then gently walk over (or use a lawn roller) the seeded area to bed the seeds into the soil.

Watering your new grass seed

Proper watering is essential for seed germination. Keep the seeded area consistently moist by watering it once a day for the first six weeks. The soil should always feel damp and not ‘dry to the touch’. Be careful not to overwater during this time, causing puddles of water to form – doing this will potentially wash seeds away and could encourage common grass diseases to emerge!

Stop birds stealing your grass seed

If birds are trying to steal your grass seed, the ‘old CD trick’ is a good solution! Hanging old CDs or foil strips will swing around and reflect light over the area where you have sown grass seed, deterring birds from landing. Using a netting covering on the seeded area is also an excellent option to stop birds from stealing your newly planted grass seed.

Maintenance

Once the grass seedlings start to emerge, it’s important to provide proper care to ensure their growth is not interrupted. Try to minimise foot traffic during the initial growth stages. When the grass reaches a 20 – 40mm height, gradually reduce watering frequency and begin mowing, ensuring you don’t remove more than one-third of the blade height at a time.

Feeding your lawn with lawn food

Once the grass seedlings have been growing for several weeks and when your lawn is well-established (growing thick), consider applying a long-lasting (16-week) lawn food to provide your lawn with the necessary nutrients to promote healthy growth and maintain a vibrant, lush lawn.

Now you know how to sow grass seed

Sowing grass seed is a fantastic way to establish a beautiful lawn or revive an existing one. By following these step-by-step instructions, you can achieve successful results and enjoy the benefits of a healthy and flourishing turf. Remember to choose the right grass seed, properly prepare the soil, and provide sufficient water and maintenance, and soon, you’ll revel in the green splendour of your perfectly sown lawn.

We have further reading on the topics we talked about above, like our tips on:

• How to speed up grass seed germination
• How to get the perfect lawn
• What grass seed spreader settings do I need?