While every grass seed package may seem to suggest that you need straw to successfully seed a new lawn, this is not true. There are many alternatives to straw for protecting grass seed and seedlings that are as good as if not better than straw. Below are many cost-effective alternatives to straw as well as several options that can improve your soil and grass seed germination rates more than straw can.
My Favorite Alternative to Straw for Grass Seed
Compost is my favorite alternative to straw for grass seed. Compost makes use of what you already have, requires little to no transportation costs, adds plenty of nutrients to the soil when your new lawn needs it, and is more likely to help retain rather than repel necessary moisture.
What to Use Instead of Straw for Grass Seed?
If you don’t have access to grass, wheat, or pine straw there are still 7 alternatives you can find to cover your grass seed. All of the following alternatives provide as many benefits as straw, if not more. Further, any of the grass seed coverings below can be used with any soil type, though a few will have some specialized benefits for certain soil types.
Sawdust or Fine Wood Shavings/Bedding
Sawdust is a good alternative to straw for grass seed but it is a less valuable soil addition than compost, excelsior, or specialized commercial mulches. It’s about the same value as you would get with peat moss.
While it doesn’t provide much by way of nutrients or soil enrichment, sawdust is a quick, inexpensive way to bulk up your grass seed so that you get an even spread that’s more wind resistant. Sawdust can also help lock moisture into the top layer of the soil, where the grass seed and seedling will need it. If worked into the soil, sawdust may also reduce compaction and provide some loft to heavy soils.
However, sawdust should never be added in a layer that is thicker than 1/4″ unless it is mixed with sand, peat, or larger wood particles. Thick layers of pure sawdust may mat and repel water. And if that happens, sawdust will kill your grass rather than help it.
Peat Moss
Peat moss is similar to sawdust in that it should never be used in a layer deeper than 1/4″, as it will wash down slopes and may slump in heavy rain, and it won’t provide much by way of nutrition. Unlike sawdust, it doesn’t help much with compaction. Peat moss is best used as a deterrent for birds in places that are humid, not windy, and that have a low chance of heavy rain in the coming weeks.
Compost (Mulched Leaves, Grass Clippings, Animal Bedding, Etc.)
If you want to know how to grow grass without straw, matting, or any commercial product- pay attention to what you already have. The point of the straw is to keep the grass seed in place while it germinates. This ensures a lawn that is even and that will grow quickly without gaps.
Mulched leaves, grass clippings, animal bedding, and even finely chopped or broken down garden compost are ideal for this task. If you have recently torn up your yard, you may have even composted the sod from it. These types of compost can be evenly spread over the newly planted grass seed in a fine layer about 1/8″ to 1/4″ in thickness. Compost, depending on its content, can provide far more nutrients to a new lawn than straw can, and these nutrients are likely to be more available as the decomposition process is already underway.
Specialized Commercial Mulches and Seed Coatings
Today, there are many products on the market that bundle grass seed together with a little bit of mulch, dye, and fertilizer. This makes it easy to see where the grass seed is, makes it unpalatable to animals, and helps the grass seed stick to the earth, reducing the risk that wind or rain will disturb it. These products are successful and will help get the seeds to the point of even germination.
However, this is only true for flat lawns. Any sloped area will struggle to keep the seeds in place with only a mix-in mulch or coated seed. Further, these specialized commercial products are often much more expensive than compost and excelsior mats, two products that will help improve the soil as well as keep your seeds and seedlings in place.
Jute Germination Blankets
While straw germination blankets may be the most common type, jute germination blankets work just as well to keep your grass seeds in place and protected. Like the excelsior erosion control mats discussed below, jute germination blankets can help keep seeds in an even layer no matter what type of soil conditions or weather you may have. Further, biodegradable jute germination blankets help improve the soil just as much as straw would while also improving water absorption rates and helping to control erosion.
Excelsior and Excelsior Mats
Excelsior mats and material are one of the more rare considerations as an alternative to straw for grass seed. This product is typically used in a mat form as erosion control or as a loosely bunched or woven, natural packing material.
Excelsior mats and materials are made of aspen wood fibers. These fibers are tough and will break down slowly over time, enriching the soil around your newly planted grass. For those with silt or sandy soil, excelsior mats can help stabilize the soil around your grass to keep it in place. Unlike straw, excelsior mats are unlikely to be bothered by wind or rain and with the way they are designed, it’s easy to get an even spread.
Always make sure that any excelsior mats or materials you use to cover grass seed are untreated and completely natural. Occasionally excelsior material will be treated with a substance that makes it less likely to break down over time, something you want to encourage when it is used to cover grass seed. Excelsior may also be treated with a pesticide and, while some lawn owners may be fine with this, those that are looking to have a pesticide-free lawn should take extra care when selecting which seed cover to use.
Coconut (Coco) Coir and Coir Mat
Coconut coir mats are one of the best products to use if you have heavy clay soil. The coco or coconut coir only needs to be placed on top of the soil with a slight overlap between sheets. Seed can then be scattered over it and watered in just as it would be on bare ground. Over time, the coco coir will work its way into the soil and help lighten it. In this way, it protects the grass seed from wind and rain and makes it easier for the seedlings to root by providing pockets or “loft” in the soil that they can expand into.
Coconut coir has little nutritional value for the soil or the seedlings, even after it has fully decomposed. This is comparable to sawdust, peat moss, and straight leaf mulch. However, none of these other options offer the lasting soil erosion and aeration benefits of the coco coir when used with grass seed.
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