Find the pounds of seed for a new lawn or for overseeding a thin cool-season lawn. Compare seed alone with hired seeding costs. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What it costs
Do it yourself
Seed only
$12–$160
Hire a pro
Seeding a new lawn, with prep
$500–$1,400
HomeGuide's reseeding guide lists grass seed at $1 to $10 per pound. Hired overseeding costs $0.04 to $0.18 per sq ft, with minimum service fees of $125 to $400. Seeding a new lawn costs $0.25 to $0.70 per sq ft, including preparation such as aeration or tilling, fertilizer and mulch.
The hired estimate uses the area and selected mode. It does not apply minimum service fees, so a small overseeding job may cost more than the displayed area-based range.
The perennial ryegrass sources disagree. The calculator uses 6 to 9 lb per 1,000 sq ft from UC IPM; UMass gives 7 to 9 lb, while Virginia Tech's table gives 3 to 5 lb. The chart lists the other grass rates and their source notes. Check the seed label when planning your order.
Overseeding a thin lawn
Nebraska Extension gives about half the new-lawn rate for overseeding. Maryland Extension's overseeding rates match that approach. This calculator applies it only to cool-season grasses. Warm-season selections use the new-lawn rate.
Choosing and spreading seed
UF/IFAS recommends seed with purity of 90% or higher and germination of 85% or higher. Maryland Extension recommends sowing half the seed in one direction and half at right angles.
St. Augustinegrass is almost always established from sod or plugs, not seed, according to Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. Use the sod calculator to estimate a sod order.
The calculator uses 6 to 8 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn and half that, 3 to 4 lb, for overseeding. For the default 2,000 sq ft new lawn, that is 12 to 16 lb.
Can I use the overseeding setting for every grass?
No. The half-rate setting applies only to cool-season grasses. The form disables it for warm-season selections and uses the new-lawn rate.