Easy Guide to Calculating Grass Seed Per Acre

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Find out how much grass seed you need for new lawns or overseeding
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If you’re sowing grass on a new lawn or you want to overseed an existing lawn to make it fuller, you’ll need to calculate how much grass seed you need. The label on a bag of grass seed usually has this information listed in pounds per square foot—but what if you only know the acreage of your land, and not the square feet? In this article, we’ll explain how to calculate grass seed per acre , list the seeding rates for different grass types , and answer common questions about grass seed.

Seeding Rates for Popular Grass Types

How much grass seed you need per acre depends on the type of grass you want to use. When you buy grass seed, the recommended planting rate will be listed on the label, or seed analysis tag. Consider factors like how well the grass performs in your growing zone and how dense you want the grass to be, as well.

Section 1 of 3:

Calculating Grass Seed Per Acre

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  1. The total acreage of your land should be listed in the land survey details that are part of your property records. These are available from your county office or in your municipality’s land records department. You can also measure the land yourself or hire a surveyor. [1]
    • Grass seed recommendations are often based on the amount of seed needed for 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 ), so it may be easier to calculate how much seed you need based on square footage rather than acreage.
    • To measure your own acreage : If you’re covering a rectangular parcel, multiply the length and width of the land in feet to get the total square footage. Divide that by 43,560 to get your acreage. If the land is an irregular four-sided shape , use an online calculator like this one .
    • If you want to convert acres to square feet: Multiply the acreage by 43,560. So if you have 1.5 acres, that would equal 65,340 sq ft (6,070 m 2 ).
  2. When you’re buying grass, the recommended planting rate will be available on the label (officially called a seed analysis tag). [2] Most grass seed label mixes recommend using about 4–5 lb (1.8–2.3 kg) of grass seed for every 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 ) of land. However, this can vary a lot depending on the type of grass you want to use.
    • If you’re planting a grass that has bigger seeds, like ryegrass or tall fescue, you’ll need more pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet. If you’re planting a grass with smaller seeds, like bentgrass or bluegrass, you’ll need fewer pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet. [3]
    • When you’re choosing a grass type , take into account your growing zone, the shade and sunlight requirements of different grass types, and how much traffic the grass will be subjected to.
    • For more information, jump to our section on seeding rates for different grass types .
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  3. 3
    Find the pure live seed (PLS) rate for the grass you want to use. The PLS rate is the estimated amount of viable seed—seed that should successfully germinate—within 1 lb (0.45 kg) of the total seed. You need to know the PLS to fine-tune how much seed you will need to sow. The PLS is sometimes listed on the seed analysis tag. If the PLS isn’t listed on the label, here’s how to find it: [4]
    • Multiply the purity (listed as Pure Seed) by the total germination rate (Germination plus Dormant Seed). Divide that by 100 to get the PLS %.
    • If you purchase a seed with a 90% PLS, then only 90 lb (41 kg) out of every 100 lb (45 kg) will be viable. You’d need to add another 10% to how much seed you planned to buy.
  4. Most seed labels will show the rates for both broadcast sowing (meaning you spread the seed by hand or with a small seed spreader) and drill seeding. [5] You’ll need 2–4 times more seed to broadcast sow than you would to drill plant the grass seed, so if you’re seeding a large area, it may be worth renting a drill seeder. [6] Other factors to consider include:
    • Soil type and fertility: If you have a dense, clay soil, you’ll likely need to use more seed than if your topsoil is loamy and fertile. [7]
    • Slope: Use more grass seed if you’re planting on a slope, since some of the seed may wash away when it rains.
    • Whether you’re sowing a new lawn or overseeding: Typically, a seed label will show different rates for bare soil seeding and overseeding (or spreading grass seed over existing grass). You’ll probably need around half as much grass seed to overseed as you would for seeding a new lawn.
    • When you’re seeding: You’ll likely have the best germination rates if you plant in late summer—drought and heat can stress the grass if you plant in late spring or early summer, and frost can kill the grass if you plant in late fall or winter.
    • Density: Most planting rates are based on general landscaping, but you may need to use more seed per acre if you’re sowing the grass for something like a golf course or a football field.
  5. 5
    Multiply your total acreage by the recommended grass seed. Once you know your total acreage and the amount of grass seed that you need (in pounds per 1,000 sq ft), the rest is simple math. Since one acre = 43,560 sq ft, start by dividing 1,000 sq ft by 43,560 to get 43.56. Then, multiply 43.56 by the pounds of grass seed needed for each 1,000 sq ft to get the amount of grass seed needed per acre.
    • For example, if you have a grass seed mixture that recommends 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft, you would multiply 43.56 x 4—so you would need 174.24 lb (79.03 kg) of grass seed per acre.
    • If you need to cover 2 acres, that would work out to about 348.48 lb (158.07 kg) of grass seed.
  6. 6
    Use a calculator if you don’t want to do the math yourself. Figuring out how much grass seed you need per acre can involve a lot of numbers. Fortunately, there are calculators available that will help with the math. Just enter how much land you want to cover, the type of grass you want to use, and whether you’re filling in a new lawn or overseeding. Here are a couple of calculators you can try:
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Section 2 of 3:

Seeding Rates for Different Grass Types

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  1. Use this chart to determine how much seed to use for common grasses. Keep in mind that these are only a few types of the turfgrasses available—and these seeding rates are only general guidelines. Be sure to check the PLS of a particular brand of seed before you buy it, and consider other factors like the density you want to accomplish, how well the grass performs in your growing zone, and whether you’re overseeding or seeding a new lawn.
    • Colonial bentgrass: 1.5–2 lb (0.68–0.91 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Creeping bentgrass: 1–1.5 lb (0.45–0.68 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Kentucky bluegrass: 2–3 lb (0.91–1.36 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Red fescue: 4–6 lb (1.8–2.7 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Tall fescue: 8–10 lb (3.6–4.5 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Annual ryegrass: 7–9 lb (3.2–4.1 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
    • Perennial ryegrass: 7–9 lb (3.2–4.1 kg) per 1,000 sq ft (93 m 2 )
Section 3 of 3:

FAQs

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  1. 1
    How much will a 50-lb bag of grass seed cover? It depends on the type of grass you use. For instance, a 50 lb (23 kg) bag of Kentucky bluegrass seed will cover around 25,000–50,000 sq ft (2,300–4,600 m 2 ), but a bag of annual ryegrass seed might only cover 5,500–7,000 sq ft (510–650 m 2 ).
  2. 2
    How much grass seed do I need for 1 acre of land? That depends on factors like what type of grass you’re using and whether you’re overseeding or seeding a bare lawn. For instance, if you’re using bluegrass seed:
    • You’d need about 130 lb (59 kg) of seed for a new lawn.
    • You’d need about 65 lb (29 kg) of seed to overseed an existing lawn.
  3. 3
    Can I just throw grass seed on bare spots? You’re not likely to get good germination if you just toss grass seeds onto bare ground. Break up the ground with a rake or tiller first to ensure good soil-to-seed contact before you sow the grass seeds.
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  • Question
    If I have 80,000 sq ft, how many pounds of seed at 8 lbs per 1000 sq ft do I need?
    Karin
    Top Answerer
    640 pounds. If, that is, you are actually planting turf-type tall fescue. If you're using grass with smaller seeds, like Kentucky bluegrass, then you only need 2 lb of seed per 1000 sq ft; which gives you only 160 lb of seed. Think of it this way: There are 225,000 tall fescue seeds per pound, whereas there are around 2,180,000 kentucky bluegrass seeds per pound. So you need more of the larger seed to cover the same area as you would with less of the smaller seed.
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  • Question
    How much grass seed is needed for 5200 sq. ft of grass?
    Karin
    Top Answerer
    Here's the math, using similar values above, but in a different way: (4 lb ÷ 1000 square feet) = 0.004 lb/sq ft. So, 5200 x 0.004 = 20.8 lb of grass seeded needed.
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  • Question
    How many kgs of seeds can be put in a hectare?
    Karin
    Top Answerer
    That all depends on the species of choice! As mentioned in the article above, an average rate of 4 lb per 1000 square feet works out to 195 kg of seed per hectare - for lawn only. If you're putting down pasture or hayland, that's way, way too much seed. Figure instead on a rate of ~20 lb per acre.
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      • Choose the right species of grass that is best suited for your land and climate.
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      • More seed per square foot or acre isn't always better. Overcrowded grass plants have much greater competition among each other for nutrients, sunlight, and moisture, which may be conducive to stress. Stressed plants are more prone to disease and fungal issues, regardless of how much more moisture and fertilizer they receive.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://mapwv.gov/parcel/docs/Acreage.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/lapmctn9045.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/turf/fact-sheets/seeding-rate-considerations
      4. ↑ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/lapmctn9045.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/capmctn12904.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/plantmaterials/mtpmctn12046.pdf
      7. ↑ https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/turf/fact-sheets/seeding-rate-considerations

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