Enter the length and width of your lawn to determine how many pounds of grass seed you need. You can choose from five different grass types, and our calculator will display the amount required for seeding a new lawn and reseeding an existing lawn.
How Much Grass Seed Per 1,000 Square Feet of Lawn
Grass seed is sold by the kilogram or pound. (In the United States, both measurements are typically listed on the package.) Different types of grass seed require different coverage rates. For example, seeding a new lawn with Buffalo grass requires about 3 pounds per every 1,000 square feet, while overseeding an existing lawn requires 1.5 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
- Buffalo Grass: 3 lbs/1,000 square feet for a new lawn or 1.5lbs per 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing law
- Creeping Red Fescue: 5 lbs/1,000 square feet for a new lawn or 2.5lbs per 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing law
- Fine Fescue: 5 lbs/1,000 square feet for a new lawn or 2.5lbs per 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing law
- Kentucky Blue Grass: 4 lbs/1,000 square feet for a new lawn or 2 lbs per 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing law
- Tall Fescue: 10 lbs/1,000 square feet for a new lawn or 5 lbs per 1,000 square feet for overseeding an existing law
How to Determine How Much Grass Seed to Put on Yard
The first step in determining how much grass seed you need is finding the lawn’s area or square footage. There are two ways to do this. First, for a square or rectangular lawn, you can measure the length and width of the yard in feet and multiply those numbers.
For example, if your yard is 700 feet long and 100 feet wide, multiply 700 x 100 for 70,000 square feet.
The second method is to convert acreage into square feet by multiplying your number of acres by 43,560.
For instance, a one-acre lawn has 43,560 square feet. A half an acre lawn (0.5 x 43,560) contains 21,780 square feet.
Once you know the square footage of your lawn, use the following equation:
Grass Seed = coverage rate x area/1,000
Here’s an example: We want to cover a brand new 10,890 square foot yard with Kentucky Blue Grass. The coverage rate for new yards is 4 lbs per 1,000 square feet. Our equation will look like this:
- Grass Seed = 4 x 10,890/1,000
- We need 43.56 pounds of Kentucky Blue Grass seed
How to Spread Grass Seed
You can spread grass seeds through a seeder or by hand. Seeding by hand is sufficient for small areas, but if you’re seeding a new yard, a spreader will yield better results.
- Before spreading grass, break up the top layer of soil. For new yards, use a tiller to loosen three inches of soil. Loosen at least the top ½ inch of dirt for reseeding an existing grassy area.
- Add nutrients to the soil, if necessary, through fertilizer or topsoil.
- Sow the seeds. For small areas, hand spread. For large areas, sow half the seeds using the spreader in one direction and the other half in the opposite direction.
- Rake dirt over the seeds and then cover them with weed-free straw to ensure they don’t get blown away.
- Water as needed per your climate and the type of seed you chose.
How Much Peat Moss or Straw to Cover Grass Seed
After you sow your seed, cover the area to prevent the grass seed from blowing or washing away. The cover also traps moisture, helping the seeds to germinate. The two most popular grass seed covers are peat moss and weed-free straw.
Cover grass seed with ½ inch of peat moss. For straw, use just enough to cover the grass seed; the straw shouldn’t be thick. A good rule of thumb is to use one bale of straw for every 1,000 square feet of yard. So, if your yard is about a ¼ of an acre or 10,890 square feet, you’ll need 11 bales of straw.
