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Why Didn’t My Grass Seed Grow? 5 Most Common Reasons

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If you’re planning on laying turf in your garden, it would be a more feasible option that you grow grass seeds instead because the prices of turf are skyrocketing. It would require a lot of attention and care, but it is much cheaper and a better option than laying turf.

If you’re already growing grass seeds and wondering why didn’t my grass seed grow, this article discusses some possible solutions which you can explore and keep making your garden greener and greener.

Let’s get right to it!

Why Didnt My Grass Seed Grow
This probably isn’t my grass seed germinating, is it? – via Reddit

Why Didn’t My Grass Seed Grow?

The most basic reason would be to be more patient with the grass seeds. These take some time to grow, and you need to let them follow their cycle when it comes to growing. The easiest reason for the grass not growing is that you haven’t waited enough for it.

Some other reasons could be:

Little Water

One of the most obvious reasons for your grass seed to not grow is that you are giving it too little water. If the grass does not get enough water, it won’t germinate and will stop growing.

The ground needs to be constantly kept moist for the grass to grow healthily. However, keep in mind that this does not mean that you keep the grass absolutely wet when you’re watering the grass. The grass needs to remain moist for the first 10 days when it is planted.

If you let the grass dry out, the seed will no longer germinate, so you may need to water the soil every single day. You might even have to water the grass twice a day on days when it is super hot outside.

When you water the grass, ensure that the moisture soaks properly into the grass. If you don’t do so, the water will evaporate before ever reaching the seeds of the grass. However, be careful and don’t flood the garden. That will hinder the grass’ growth.

Compact Soil

The grass seeds need air space to germinate. This activates the seed’s energy and allows the grass to feed on it. If you spread your grass seed over soil that is very compact, the grass won’t get the required oxygen that it needs to germinate.

If seeds do, in fact, manage to germinate, the roots of the grass won’t have a lot of room to spread out in the garden if the soil is too compact. It would be best that you see whether the soil is adequate for growing grass or not.

The Grass Is Buried Too Deep

Another reason that grass seeds don’t grow is if they don’t get enough light. If you bury the seeds too deep, they won’t get the required sunlight to germinate and will not be growing.

The other extreme is also bad for your grass. If you plant the seeds too shallow, they will start dying out too quickly, and the seeds won’t germinate properly. If you want the best results for your grass, sow it 1 cm under the ground.

This will allow enough light to penetrate the topmost layering of soil for the grass to start germinating. This way, the moisture that you give the seeds will also be enough as 1 cm away from the top of the soil is perfect for the seeds to grow.

This will also help protect your seeds from birds that might come down and start pecking on your seeds before it even grows.

Why Didnt My Grass Seed Grow 2
via Reddit

The Timing Of Your Sowing

If you’re still asking the question, “Why didn’t my grass seed grow?” The answer is most probably the timing of your sowing.

Timing is very important when you are planting grass seed. The best time to plant your seeds is during early autumn or during spring. The former out of these two is preferred.

If it is early autumn, the ground will remain warm throughout the day. This will make it conducive to germination. After sprouting, the grass can develop strong roots throughout winter. The timing is perfect.

If you’re planting in spring, the ground may or may not be warm enough for germination. This will mean that germination would be slower for your grass in that period. Also, as soon as the grass grows, it will start flowering straight away.

This way, the energy that the grass needs to make itself grow will utilize to grow flowers. This will slow the germination process of the grass seeds. However, late spring is the best growing period for sowing your grass.

If you are earlier or later than this, the ground will be too cold for germination, and you will most likely see poor results. And if you plant in the middle of the summer, the conditions will be too hot for the grass to properly grow.

There might also be little rainfall which will make moisture a constant in the environment. This will make it harder for your seeds to grow.

You Are Using Poor Quality Seeds

If you’re using poor-quality seeds, you will see poor results. You might think that since the seeds look like one another, they would be similar, but you will be wrong in assuming this. You only get what you pay for, and if you get the right kind of seeds, growing grass will be all the more easy.

A cheap bag of seeds might be good on the cost side, but the seeds might be old and outdated. They might also have a lot of filler seeds to increase the apparent quantity of seeds. The seeds might also have a lower germination rate when compared to their more expensive counterparts.

These reasons tell you that if you buy cheaper seeds, you might be getting less value than what you would have gotten if you had better quality seeds.


Conclusion

Grass seeds won’t grow for multiple reasons, some of which have been discussed in this article.

I hope this article answers your question of “Why didn’t my grass seed grow?” Keep on reading our articles for more gardening tips.