How long does it take to germinate?
Short answer:
In general anywhere from 7 days to 14 days.
Long answer:
Providing you have prepared your seed bed correctly you should start to see your new grass seeds germinate within 7 -14 days depending on the types of seeds, time of year, soil temperatures & more.
When will it be grown fully?
Once germinated your grass seedlings will put down roots, grow tall, thick and may even spread. In these early stages it is important to take care and be patient, do not step on the grass, keep it well watered and monitor for any problems.
Depending on what time of year and varieties you planted your grass seed should be fully grown within 1-2 months.
Every situation is different and depends on a whole host of environmental factors but you'll know when it's fully grown:
How do I speed it up?
Before we tell you how to speed up your growth let talk about what slows grass seeds down:
Now you know why your grass seed isn't growing or is growing slowly, now let's talk about how to speed things along...
The first and most important thing is to ensure you prepare your ground correctly, that means you should:
Dig the soil & break up any lumps, try to go 20cm deep, don't just loosen the top inch, deeper roots means stronger, healthier, faster growing grass. Whilst your at it, before you even put down any seed be sure to water the area thoroughly.
The second thing is timing, warmer weather = faster growing.
Yes it really is that simple! Sow your fast growing seeds when the air temperatures are consistently above 10 degrees Celsius. In the UK that usually happens between late March and mid April and is suitable all the way till mid October.
Lastly but most importantly..... Water, water, water!
Grass seeds need moisture to germinate, seedlings need it to grow quickly and put down roots. Planting in the Spring or Autumn can cut down on the manual watering (rain is good in this case) but it may still not be enough. Ensure the soil is soaked and be sure to use a fine spray, powerful bursts of water will displace or uproot your seeds/seedlings.
One final tip - some varieties grow really quickly...
Ryegrass and Fescue can be established in as little as two weeks, other slower growing varieties such as Carpetgrass can take upto 4 months. Each type of grass seed has it's own unique features so be sure to choose one that is suitable for your land.
When can I walk on it?
Prior to the seeds germinating it should be fine to walk on your lawn but once they start to germinate do not stand on the tender seedlings, you will likely kill those babies. Ideally you would stay off your newly seeded areas until after you mow it.
It may well be impossible for you not to walk on the seeded areas such as when you have to water the area. Don't worry about it, you may crush a few seedlings but you can always go back and re-seed any bare patches.
When can I mow my new lawn?
The first cut is the most important. Cut it too early and your new grass will be forever weak, too late and you may damage it from taking too much off, so when is the perfect time to cut your grass after seeding?
Mowing your fresh new grass seed based lawn to early will prevent your seeds from laying down good roots. The larger the blades of grass the more nourishment from the sun reaches the roots.
One mistake most make is to cut the grass as short as possible, this may make your life easier in the short term but it will damage your grass. You should aim to only cut 30% off each time you mow.
After you have cut your grass for the first time it is always a good idea to provide your new lawn with a slow release fertilizer.
Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or queries drop us a comment below - we're always happy to help!
It would be good if suppliers put expiry dates for seed on the box. Even after doing everything right I have had seed which would not germinate. I can only imagine it was old seed and unviable.
If stored correctly it should last a long time but your right, you have no idea how long it has been sitting… There could be numerous other causes though, we have had one of the coldest and driest Aprils on record so if you sowed it recently that may be the cause