Curb appeal is crucial to the look and feel of your home. One significant aspect of curb appeal is your front and back yard. When it comes to your lawn, everyone is looking for a yard that is lush, full, and green. If you are greeted with a dead brown yard, it may be time to reseed. However, when reseeding their yard, many wonder if grass seeds will grow on top of the dirt.
Simply put, yes, grass seed can grow on top of the dirt. While grass seed typically doesn’t have an issue initially germinating, you can run into problems later. The problem with throwing seed on unprepared dirt is that the roots may not take as well, and you could be facing several hours repairing your mistake. By preparing your soil or dirt ahead of time, your seedlings can absolutely grow on top of the dirt.
Your yard is what welcomes you home time and time again. There is simply nothing worse than being greeted by a dead, less than appealing front yard. Thankfully, planting grass seed is a sure-fire solution to getting your grass lush again in no time.
Will Grass Seed Grow on Top of Dirt
When you are deciding to replant your yard, you may run into a variety of questions. For example, what kind of grass should I plant? What time of year should I plant? Will grass seeds grow on top of dirt?
All of these questions and many more rise to the front of your mind. After all, dishing out money and energy to prepare your yard and plant seeds should provide you with a pristine and lush yard.
While grass is relatively easy to take care of, you must take a variety of steps to prepare your yard for fresh seed.
How Do I Prepare to Plant Grass Seed On Top of Soil
As we mentioned above, grass seed can absolutely grow on top of soil or dirt, but you must prepare the ground ahead of time. Throwing your seed without prior preparations can result in weak grass seedlings that don’t last long.
If you are spending money on seed, make sure you run through each of these steps so you can be on your way to a full, lush yard.
Pull Up Weeds
It may be self-explanatory, but weeds will rob your seedlings of light and nutrients. To put it simply, weeds will steal sunlight and water from your seedlings, making it harder for them to take root.
Aerate Soil
This next step is crucial for your grass seeds’ success. By aerating your soil, you provide small pockets for your seeds to fall into, which gives them a solid foundation.
There are a few ways you can aerate your soil effectively. If you decide to skip this step, you will still see your grass seeds germinate, but they won’t have strong roots.
You can aerate your soil by using a small garden hand rake, buy a gardening aerator, or hire someone to come do it for you. Taking the time to aerate the soil breaks up the soil enough that your seedlings will have a better chance at establishing a strong foundation.
By breaking up and loosening the dirt, you can have a strong and healthy yard sooner rather than later.
Prepare Your Lawns Surface
When preparing your lawn for new grass seed, one thing to remember is to always fill in holes.
You have to think, if you sprinkle seed over an area and there is a hole, after rain and wind, all the seed will migrate to that space.
Ensure Proper pH
When it comes time to plant any type of plant in your garden or lawn, you must not forget about the pH of your soil. Some plants prefer acidic soil, while others thrive in neutral soil.
No matter what type of soil you have, you should test it before adding grass seed to your lawn. Grass seeds typically do best with acidic soil. By taking the time to test your soil beforehand, you can know whether you need to add any nutrients.
You may be thinking, how in the world do I test my soil effectively? There are do-it-yourself kits that can walk you through the entire process, or you can simply hire a professional. Grass seeds tend to do best with a pH of 6-7.
How Do You Plant Grass Seed On Top of Soil
If you are at this point, you have now taken the time to prepare your yard, so it is ready to welcome your grass seed. From here, the next steps you need to take are deciding what type of grass to purchase as well as how to scatter your seed effectively.
When deciding on what type of grass is best, it all comes down to where you are located and your climate. By contacting your local nursery or landscape company, you can narrow down what grass grows the best in your area.
If you skip ahead and randomly choose a grass seed, you could face more issues down the road. The different growing zones scattered all over the country grow certain types of grass best; knowing this beforehand is crucial.
Now that you have figured out what grass to use in your lawn, you need to figure out how in the world to spread it correctly and prepare it to grow. When it comes to choosing the most appropriate way to distribute grass and prepare your yard, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Size of Area
The portion of your lawn that you are trying to seed definitely matters when deciding how to approach spreading grass seed. For example, if you only need to fill a specific area, you could get away by simply sprinkling grass seed by hand.
On the other hand, if you need to reseed your entire yard, there are far more effective methods. For example, one popular way to evenly distribute grass seeds is to use a push-along seeder. A push-along seeder is easy to use and allows you to cover a large area in a short amount of time.
Now that you have decided how to spread your seeds, you will need to take multiple steps after planting seeds.
Water Requirements
Laying new grass seed and preparing the soil take a lot of time and energy; now that your grass is scattered, you need to remember to water.
When watering your new grass seedlings, make sure to use an attachment that mists the seeds without drenching them. If you give them too much water, they will wash away, and all of your hard work will go down the drain.
Make Sure Everyone Stays Off of the Grass
When your grass seedlings are just starting out they are incredibly fragile. Human or animal feet can crush these delicate seedlings, rendering them useless.
Your grass seeds will begin germinating within a few weeks until they are healthy and strong; rope off your area or remind family and friends to stay clear of the new seedlings.
Conclusion
A lush and full front yard is the perfect thing to welcome you home every single day. But, if you look outside and sigh because your once beautiful yard is now brown in certain spots, it is time to reseed. When it comes to reseeding, grass seeds can grow on top of the dirt.
While it may seem that you can go out to your yard, sprinkle seed and leave, that is not the case. Just because grass seedlings can grow on top of the dirt doesn’t mean they are strong and healthy.
Oftentimes, seedlings can germinate without prior preparation, but the roots won’t be strong and secure. By taking time to prepare your soil or dirt accordingly, you will provide your seedlings with their best chance to grow lush and full.
