What is The Best Grass Seed For My Lawn ?
The Best Grass Seed For Lawns
Smart picks for a lush, green lawn
Grass seed can be used to grow a lawn from scratch or sprinkled onto existing turf to make it thicker and patch up bald areas. It can also address spots where fungus, poor sunlight, insects, or pet urine have caused your grass to go brown or thin out. Whether you have a small yard or multiple acres, any homeowner is wise to have some seed on hand.
Having said that, there are several different kinds of seed, so you'll want to make sure you get a variety that works for your yard and climate. Some contain blends that can grow year-round in the sun or shade, while others are better suited for the winter or summer. We searched high and low to find the finest seeds for growing beautifully green grass and selected versatile options that retain water, contain fertilizers, grow quickly, resist lawn diseases, and stand up to heavy foot traffic.
Here, the best grass seed for sprucing up your yard.
Best Overall: Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix
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Sun Tolerance: Dense Shade to Full Sun | Climate: Drought, Cold Winters | Size: Up to 8,000 square feet | Grass Texture: Fine
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Thrives in sun and shade
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Holds up in droughts and cold winters
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Resists disease
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Not suited for Southern lawns
When it comes to versatility, Scotts Turf Builder is tough to beat. As its name suggests, the Sun & Shade Mix thrives in scorching sunlight or densely shaded conditions. The fine-bladed grass can even hold up in droughts and cold winters.
Each individual seed is wrapped in a special WaterSmart Plus coating, which absorbs twice the amount of water as its uncoated counterparts. The coating also protects your seedlings from various lawn diseases and feeds them essential nutrients to jumpstart growth. You can count on fast-growing turf that's thick, green, and healthy.
Best for Shade: Pennington One Step Complete for Dense Shade Areas
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Sun Tolerance: Dense Shade | Climate: Cool-season | Size: 125 square feet | Grass Texture: Medium
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Formulated with mulch and fertilizer
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Grows fast
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Great for spot treatments or larger areas
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Suited for Midwestern lawns
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Not for warm-season lawns
Pennington One Step Complete blends the brand's Smart Seed with mulch and professional-grade fertilizer, allowing it to thrive in densely shaded areas. This all-in-one grass seed sprouts seedlings in as little as a week, even in the tricky corners of your lawn that don't see more than two hours of direct sunlight a day. Whether you're growing a lawn from scratch, or you're just looking to patch up sparse areas, this ultra-absorbent mixture is a quick and easy solution for achieving a lush, spot-free yard.
Best for Full Sun: JB Instant Lawn Signature Sunny Premium Lawn Seed
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Sun Tolerance: Full Sun | Climate: Cool-season | Size: 1,000 square feet (max overseeding coverage area), 600 square feet (max new seeding coverage area) | Grass Texture: Fine
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Works with new and existing lawns
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Comes in various sizes
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Grows fast
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Not suited for Midwestern lawns
JB Instant Lawn's Sunny Blend is formulated for direct sunlight. It loves clear skies and flourishes in non-shaded areas with six or more hours of sun exposure a day. The brand's signature perennial ryegrass seed produces thick sod-quality lawns with fine blades and a deep green hue. It can be planted with your existing grass or used to grow a lawn from scratch with a germination period between six to ten days.
Best for Cool Season: Barenbrug Winter Wonderlawn Super Over Seeding Grass Seed
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Sun Tolerance: Full Sun and Partial Shade | Climate: Southern | Size: 2,500 square feet | Grass Texture: Fine
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Grows fast
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Thrives in sun and partial shade
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Stands up to heavy traffic
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Not suited for Northern lawns
For the chillier season, you'll be glad to have a bag of Winter Wonderlawn on hand. Containing a blend of Italian and perennial ryegrass, the mixture is ideal for overseeding your lawn during the coldest months of the year.
This grass seed establishes quickly and germinates within four days, even in the fall and winter. After a few weeks, you'll have dense growth of fine-bladed grass with a deep green color.
Best for Warm Season: Water Saver Lawn Seed Mixture with Turf-Type Tall Fescue and RFT
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Sun Tolerance: Full Sun and Partial Shade | Climate: Drought | Size: 1,000 square feet | Grass Texture: Coarse
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Resists disease
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Grows fast
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Thrives in sun and shade
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Tolerates drought conditions
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Not suited for Southern lawns
Water Saver contains a mixture of turf-quality tall fescue and RFT (rhizomatous tall fescue) seeds. The blend has a gorgeous color, a nice texture, and stands up to various diseases.
This lawn seed establishes quickly, roots deeply, and retains water, allowing it to tolerate high temps and drought conditions. It thrives in the sun or shade, and thanks to its deep roots, it can be mowed shorter than other varieties.
Best for Heavy Traffic: Jonathan Green Black Beauty Heavy Traffic Premium Grass Seed Mixture
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Sun Tolerance: Partial Sun | Climate: Hard Wear | Size: 1,200 square feet | Grass Texture: Fine
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Stands up to heavy traffic
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Resists weeds and insects
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Comes in various sizes
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Not suited for densely shaded areas
If you have kids, pets, or an otherwise busy household, we recommend Jonathan Green Black Beauty. The brand's Heavy Traffic Premium Mixture contains a healthy blend of fescue and perennial ryegrass seeds. Fescue emits an amino acid that naturally acts as a herbicide, so it will curb emerging crabgrass and broadleaf weed seedlings. Not only that, but this reliable formula stands up to abrasion and is naturally resistant to insects.
Best Fast-Growing: Vigoro Fast Grass Seed Mix
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Sun Tolerance: Sun and Shade | Climate: Hard Wear | Size: 750 square feet | Grass Texture: Fine to Medium
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Grows fast
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Great for spot treatments
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Thrives in sun and shade
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Only for existing lawns
Vigoro Fast Grass Mix germinates impressively quickly and sprouts in as little as three days. Anytime you need speedy ground cover, erosion control, or want to repair patches in your yard, this is your best bet.
The seed works in both sunny and shady areas and produces lush green grass with semi-fine blades and virtually no weeds. It's ideal for temporarily filling in bare spots, and depending on when and where you plant it, you might see continued growth.
Best Bermuda grass: Sta-Green Grass Seed Bermuda grass
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Grows back annually
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Resists disease
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99 percent weed-free
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Longer germination period
Bermuda grass is a warm-weather perennial, meaning it flourishes in the spring and summer and grows back annually. This grass seed from Sta-Green contains a premium blend of 99 percent weed-free Bermuda grass.
The germination period is longer than other species (about two to three weeks). But thanks to a special QuickGrow2X coating, the mixture grows faster than other Bermuda grasses and resists disease. Soon enough, you'll have a beautiful lawn with medium-textured grass that's dense, lush, and feels good between your toes.
Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix (view at Amazon) is the best grass seed overall. The seeds have a special coating that makes them more absorbent, allowing your turf to thrive year-round in the sun or shade. However, if you have pets or kids and want something that can grow with heavy foot traffic, Jonathan Green Black Beauty Heavy Traffic Premium Grass Seed Mixture (view at Amazon) might be a better choice.
What to Look for When Buying Grass Seed
Climate
One of the most important things to keep in mind when buying grass seed is the climate, as some blends do better in certain regions. For instance, Bermuda grass is native to the southern hemisphere, so it thrives in the South and the Southwestern United States.
That being said, some grass species (such as fescue and ryegrass) can grow in a variety of climates. Be sure to check the product description before purchasing grass seed to confirm it can grow where you live.
Sun Exposure
Another thing to consider is the level of sun exposure your seedlings will get. Species like Bermuda grass and some types of ryegrass need at least a few hours of sunlight a day to thrive, whereas fescue can grow in densely shaded areas.
Some mixes are formulated to grow in the sun or shade, any time of year. Check the product information before buying grass seed to make sure it's suitable for the amount of sunlight your yard gets.
Maintenance
If you're in the market for low-maintenance grass seed, look for an option that contains fertilizer. That way, your seedlings will have the nourishment they need to grow quickly and flourish. Some blends also contain mulch, which helps keep the soil healthy, retains water, and prevents weed growth.
Speaking of weed growth, you may want to get grass seed that specifically indicates it's a weed-free (or 99 percent weed-free) formula. Additionally, some seeds are individually coated with a special substance that makes them more absorbent (meaning they don't need to be watered as often) and resistant to disease.
FAQs
When is the best time to plant grass seed?
The best time to plant grass seed depends on the type of seed and the climate. However, since most mixtures germinate when temperatures aren't too hot or cold, ...planting in the fall for a cool-season grass and spring for a warm-season grass is typically ideal. Seedlings thrive in semi-warm soil with moderate daytime temps and slightly cooler evenings.
How do you prepare the soil for grass seed?
To prepare the soil for grass seed, start by removing any sticks, large rocks, and weeds from the surface. Then break up the soil with a spade, hoe, garden fork, or a core aerator, continuing to remove rocks and debris as you go. If your grass seed doesn't contain fertilizer, you'll also want to add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil before planting.
How often do you need to water grass seed?
Grass seed needs to be watered once or twice a day until it germinates. How much and how often depends on where you live and what the weather is like, but the goal is to keep the top layer of soil moist at all times. When your seedlings are about an inch tall, you can switch to watering every other day. After a few weeks, when the grass has established, weekly or bi-weekly watering should suffice.
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