How much grass seed per 1,000 sq ft? New-lawn seeding rate by species — bermuda, bluegrass, ryegrass, fescue, bahia
There is no single seeding rate — it tracks the species, and the spread is 4–5×. New-lawn rates run bermuda 1–2 lb, Kentucky bluegrass 2–3, perennial rye & fine fescue 4–5, bahia 5–10, and tall fescue 6–10 lb per 1,000 ft². The calculator reads the rate off the species you pick, and flags sod-only grasses (St. Augustine, zoysia) instead of guessing.
What this diagram shows
Six columns of increasing height on a common ground line, each showing the new-lawn seeding rate in pounds per 1,000 square feet for a different grass species, at one scale. Bermudagrass is a short bar at 1.5 pounds, range 1 to 2, because it carries about two million tiny seeds per pound. Kentucky bluegrass is 2.5 pounds, range 2 to 3. Perennial ryegrass and fine fescue are each 4.5 pounds, range 4 to 5. Bahiagrass is 7 pounds, range 5 to 10. Turf-type tall fescue is the tallest at 8 pounds, range 6 to 10, because its seeds are large and heavy. Warm-season grasses are tinted tan and cool-season grasses blue so the seasonal split reads at a glance. A caution notes that over-seeding for a thicker lawn backfires — crowded seedlings raise disease pressure and establish weaker — and that St. Augustine, zoysia, and centipede are sod or plug grasses the calculator flags instead of guessing a seed weight. The calculator picks the rate from the species you choose before any area math starts.
Grass Seed Calculator
Free grass seed calculator with extension-cited rates by species for new lawns, overseeding & winter overseed. Get pounds to buy, bags, and starter fertilizer.
