Yes, you can plant grass seed in the rain!
As I’ve alluded to before, I’m a big supporter of laying down grass seed when it’s raining or about to rain. Whether you’re simply over seeding your lawn for the year or you’re filling in some bare spots in your lawn, I think rainy days are some of the best times to plant grass seed.
Rain for the next three days? Let’s plant some grass!
The advantages are actually pretty obvious:
- Planting grass seed in the rain obviously saves you water and money. Even if you have well water, there’s still a cost associated with running the pump to get the water and there’s no reason to pump water up from the ground at a cost when it’s coming down from the sky for free.
- Planting grass seed in the rain helps the seed get started sooner. The key to growing grass and keeping your grass looking green is really simple: water. The more water, the better. I like to go out in the rain and sprinkle around grass seed because I know that seed is hitting the soil and getting mixed with water almost immediately, which speeds up its growing time.
- When it’s raining my fresh grass seed is less likely to be eaten by birds or blown away. If you’re just tossing your grass seed on the ground then the rain will usually act as a “sticky” agent and keep the seed on the ground. Ideally, you should still mix your grass seed with soil or at least spread a thin layer of topsoil over your seed if you’re trying to grow new grass on a bare patch of dirt.
Obviously, there can be too much of a good thing. Very heavy downpours and long torrential rains can make bare dirt muddy and slippery and your new grass seed could easily wash away. If flooding is expected, maybe you should hold off on the lawn maintenance and get to higher ground!
I have lots of good tips for mowing the lawn, but it’s never a good idea to cut grass in in the rain. You’ll just gum up your lawnmower with wet grass, you might rip up your yard if it’s muddy and wet grass is just slick enough to cause you to slip and fall, which isn’t a lot of fun when your hands and feet are inches away from a running lawn mower.
Generally, I’ve found that three or four days of on and off rain is usually the perfect weather for planting grass and getting a good start on a new lawn. So the next time you see a rainy weekend in the forecast just smile and get ready for a little grass planting on Friday night! A month from now you’ll be glad you did!
I completely agree. I live in Georgia and this spring we have had constant rain. I was unsure if planting grass seed in the rain was a good idea or not, but I went for it. The grass started growing in very fast and very thick. I had no problems at all.
-d
So you have a crystal ball and you always know it will rain? LOL. What a stupid article. Or perhaps you live in an area where it often rains, hmmm.. But the cost of pumping from a well to water an average sized lawn is roughly a nickel. Time for a job? Rain is great if you get a slow drizzle when you need it, but I have NEVER been able to get it to line up for when I’ve just planted it. More likely is me getting poured on as I’m just starting the job and I slip down a muddy hill and my seed gets wet.
Heh… where I come from we have weather reports that tell us when it is most likely to rain. When that doesn’t work we look up. We’ve figured out that when there are grey clouds with thunder it’s probably going to rain. Perhaps one day the people from your town will figure that out as well.
I have actually planted grass in a light rain. Water doesn’t burn my skin as it obviously does yours. When I’m growing grass I want my seed to get wet, though your comment indicated that you wanted your grass seed dry. That’s probably why your grass isn’t growing.
Thanks for the kind words!
I really hope these aren’t old comments and that some one will see this soon. I cannot find inoformation anywhere on what to do if you have planted seeds, and alot have started to grow, but then heavy rain comes. I live in Northern Florida, where when the rain starts, it usually goes on for a good long time. Plenty of time for run off.
Anyway, will the grass be fine now that it has started to grow? Or should I try to cover it with a tarp or something?
Nikki,
As long as the rain isn’t coming down heavy enough to start washing away the soil and seed, then you should be okay. If you begin seeing a river of mud with grass seed floating in it then you probably have a problem. If the grass has begun to grow already, then that’s good news because it means it’s establishing roots. If your lawn is on a steep slope then you may have some that gets washed away, but on even ground you’ll probably be okay. The more roots your grass has, the less likely it is to wash away. More grass (and roots) means less soil erosion. Bottom line: if your grass is growing then it might be able to withstand the heavy rains. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!