Grass seed does need light to germinate so you may wonder why so many experts say it needs to be covered at all. Further, buying straw mats and other professional-grade or “recommended” cover products can be expensive, especially if you have a large lawn. So, do you need to cover grass seed or will it grow even without any special cover?
Will Grass Seed Grow If Not Covered? (The Short Answer)
The short answer to “Will uncovered grass seed grow?” is that, yes, uncovered grass seed will grow. That is, as long as it’s warm, wet, and in contact with the ground as well. Grass seed isn’t picky about how it gets started. What the cover does is keep things even and protected from wildlife and the elements.
Do You Really Need to Cover Grass Seed? Here’s What Will Happen If You Don’t:
Will grass seed grow if not covered? Sure. Will it grow well? No. If you choose not to cover your grass seed, even if it does begin to germinate, there are a handful of other consequences to think about. Below are the most likely consequences of leaving your grass seed uncovered after it has been planted.
Your Grass Seed is Eaten By Wildlife
While this might not seem like a real threat for anyone that lives in a more urban environment, it’s extremely difficult to avoid damage due to birds. Birds are everywhere and even a sparrow will eat 30% of its body weight in seeds per day. With a little quick math, that equates to about .4 ounces of grass seed per sparrow per day. If you have starlings where you live, that can add up to about 1.5 ounces of grass seed per starling per day.
It’s easy to see how quickly birds can eat up your unprotected grass seed if no deterrents are involved. If you have other wildlife, including squirrels, moles, voles, and even some insects, the losses can be exponential. Wildlife is easily the number one reason why you should cover your grass seed and make some effort to protect it in at least one other way.
The Wind Carries Your Grass Seed Away
If the birds don’t eat them from your yard, the wind will carry your grass seeds somewhere else where they will likely be eaten. The wind is the second biggest reason to cover your grass seeds. Even a light gust can pick up thousands of grass seeds and carry them out of your yard completely or just into places where you did not want them.
This is a big reason why you may see thick growth near fences and hedgerows but thin or no germination near the center of your lawn.
The Rain Washed Your Grass Seed Away
The worst-case scenario, even more disappointing than having a thin lawn from animal predation or wind exposure, is to literally watch all of your grass seed wash into your local storm drain after a downpour.
Even a light, consistent rain on slow-absorbing soil can wash away a significant portion of what you have planted. If your yard is particularly parched and you leave your sprinklers on too long or on too heavy of a setting, the same thing can happen.
Your Lawn Grows Unevenly
Given all of the above reasons to cover your lawn after seeding, it should come as no surprise that a lawn grown using uncovered grass seed, without proper preparation, comes up looking patchy and sparse or with thick clumps in only a handful of low spots.
While you can always seed over this and try again, attempt to fill it in with plugs or add more seed over time, or try some other repair method- it’s a lot easier to put in the time to do the right prep all at once.
Your Grass Seedlings or Sprouts Dry Out Too Quickly
If you’re trying to plant a lawn outside of the ideal season, the weather changes to dry and sunny all of a sudden, or you just happen to live in a place that’s hot and dry all of the time you’ll likely see many of your sprouts die off due to dry conditions.
Seedlings and sprouts need access to plenty of water or they can die off in a matter of hours. While sun shades and consistent sprinkler use can combat this, the cover could have drastically reduced your water consumption.
Your Grass Seeds and Seedlings Will Have Trouble Rooting
The right type of cover will provide something for your grass seeds and seedlings to easily root into or underneath. Without this or another type of prep, your seedlings may struggle to root and fewer will survive than anticipated.
Seemingly Low Germination Rate
To get the germination rate provided by the manufacturer, some prep work is expected. These rates are typically calculated in a warm, damp environment with some sort of cover. These are the “expected conditions” the seeds are likely to be germinated in. Without this, you can expect a rate that is, at a minimum, 30% lower.
Slower Growth Rate for Uncovered Grass Seeds
Grass seeds that remain warmer, protected from wind, and that have consistent access to moist soil will germinate faster than grass seeds that do not. Without protection and the prep expected to give them an easier start to life, your grass seeds will struggle and, often, fail to thrive.
Tips for If You Absolutely Do Not Want to Cover Your Grass Seed
To have a lush, fully covered lawn you will need about 1 grass seed to germinate per square inch of lawn. Many grass seeds will be lost to wildlife, wind, and water even with some cover. With enough seeds used and enough patience, one seed per inch germinated should be achievable even without cover. Below are a few more things you can do to give your seeds a fighting chance.
Rake Before You Plant
The simplest, easiest thing to do before planting your seeds if you don’t want to cover them would be to rake your lawn before planting the grass seeds.
This will not only make it easier for your grass seeds to root, but it will help smooth out your lawn, disrupt any weed growth, and make it easier to pull out any small rocks or plants that may have interrupted your grass seed’s growth. You can either use a light leaf rake with metal tines or a heavy rake for this task.
Rake Over Your Grass Seed
In addition to raking before you plant your grass seed, you can also rake after you plant it. Gently raking over your lawn with a light leaf rake to evenly distribute your grass seed or using a heavy rake to create straight lines in your grass seed can help it stick to the ground a bit better and ensures a more even distribution.
Use a Lawn Roller on Top of Your Grass Seed
After or instead of raking, you can also use a heavy lawn roller to press the grass seeds into the ground. This helps them make firm contact with the soil and lessens the likelihood that they will be swept away by wind or rain.
Invest in Fine, Even Mist-type Lawn Sprinklers on a Timer
If you are dead set on not using any type of cover for your grass seeds, you will need to set up some form of light sprinklers that can evenly water your entire lawn several times a day. This will ensure that your grass seeds do not dry out, lessens the chance of wildlife losses, and a mist-type sprinkler system will keep your seeds from washing away.
With no cover, using a hose with no mister head or relying on rain is insufficient and will result in greater losses due to water-based erosion. A timer will ensure that your seeds do not get too dry.
Irrigation systems are also discouraged as the larger flows of water can lead to trenches or depressions in your lawn that will collect seeds or allow them to be washed away, leading to an overall patchy appearance.
Use a Wildlife Deterrent
Even with sufficient cover, you should always set up some sort of wildlife deterrent, even if it’s as simple as Irish Spring soap in a sock hung up nearby. Other effective deterrents, particularly for wild birds, include replica owls, a flashing light, or scare tape.
Set Up a Tall Fence or Hot Wire
A tall fence, even a temporary snow fence, can help prevent wildlife from stepping on and eating your grass seeds. A low or high hot wire, aka a single strand of electric fence, can also be effective, though it’s a much larger investment.
Use More Seeds
If you’ve settled on no cover, be sure to increase the amount of seed you’re spreading by at least 10 to 20% above the manufacturer or distributor’s recommendation. This will help cover for the grass seed and germination losses you will experience but is unlikely to help create a more even appearance for your new lawn.
Mix Seeds with Sand and Fertilizer
Instead of choosing a traditional covering, you could instead opt for mixing your grass seed with sand and fertilizer. In use, this should come out to a ratio of about 3 parts seed to 2 parts sand and 1 part fertilizer. This helps improve distribution, germination rates, and overall livability while reducing the number of steps needed in the seed planting process.
Choose a Coated Seed Type
There are few cases in which a coated seed type is beneficial compared to an uncoated seed type. A lawn planted with no cover or added nutrients is one such case. If you do none of the above, at least opt for a seed type with a moisture-retention coating, added dye, bitterants, or fertilizer. Any of these can help you get the results you want without any additional effort.
Types of Grass Seed Cover That I Like to Use
As you can see from all of the information provided above, providing some light cover for your grass seeds is ideal. There are far too many consequences for not using it. When you decide which cover to use, however, there are a few options that are better than others.
- Compost – Finely ground compost is my favorite alternative to straw for grass seed germination. It provides cover, nutrition, and is a great way to lock in moisture.
- Straw – Straw is widely available, easy to sterilize, prevents erosion overall, and helps lock in moisture. With peat moss being the closest comparable to straw and that becoming less and less of an option, straw remains my second favorite option for covering grass seeds with a new lawn.
- Sawdust or Wood Shavings – While not the top option, this is a cheap way to provide cover that will help keep in moisture, prevent wind erosion, and wood shavings will eventually decompose.
- Commercial Seed Germination Mats or Germination Blankets – Germination blankets are created to provide ideal conditions for new seeds. While this makes them a great choice, provided you are fine with the ingredients and chemicals they sometimes contain to speed up the germination and decomposition process, they are an expensive choice.
- Coconut Coir – Not as widely available as the choices listed above, but coconut coir is the best option for any lawn on a slope. Few other options can compare when it comes to trapping seeds in place.
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