EcoSeed / Low Grow Planting Instructions

EcoSeed / Low Grow Mix Planting Instructions 

Add Seed-Tac to your order, Seed-Tac can be used on most any substrate to help keep new seeds in place and boost the germination time & success rate! 

Overseeding Existing Lawns:

Simply overseeding an existing lawn with EcoSeed will not result in an instant conversion to a low maintenance EcoSeed as your existing lawn will continue to grow. However, if you were to overseed your old lawn each and every year for two to four years, it will become a true EcoSeed. In the meantime, you will need to regularly mow the existing lawn. So while this method will work, it does take time, patience and annual re-seeding. You can accelerate the conversion process by overseeding twice in a year.

• Mow the existing lawn as short as possible, to one inch or less.

• Remove all debris from the area to be seeded. Do not bury construction debris as this will cause problems later.

• Rake the area with a yard rake and remove the grass clippings, stones and thatch.

• Spread a small amount of compost(a 1/4 inch layer equals 3/4 cu. yard for every 1,000 sq. ft.). This will help to start the seeds and the compost will fertilize your lawn for a year.

Seed Installation:

Spread EcoSeed at about 15 seeds per square inch (5 lb. bag covers 1000 square feet) or spread the seed extra thick at 25 seeds per square inch or 7-8 pounds per 1000 square feet. For small areas, you may sow by hand. For urban or suburban-sized lawns, use a fertilizer spreader set at about 1/3 open and apply the seed in two passes using half the EcoSeed per pass - one at right angles to the other in a crisscross pattern for complete coverage.

Gently rake the seed into soil until just slightly covered, you should see some seed on the surface after raking.

Roll the area with an empty to 1/4-full lawn roller (do not fill the roller more than 1/4-full with water so that you do not compact soil). Rolling seeds in for good soil contact is especially important if you have any kind of slope to prevent erosion.

For large areas, EcoSeed may be installed via mechanical seeders or hydro-seeding.

Sowing EcoSeed Under Large Trees:

While EcoSeed will germinate and grow under large trees, please remember that trees need and take a lot of water, so for the first full growing season, please continue to water your EcoSeed deeply under the "drip line" of the trees on a weekly basis. This will encourage the deep roots that EcoSeed develops to dig down deep. By next year, you should not need to water under the trees at all as your EcoSeed will be able to compete with the trees for the water that nature provides. Leaves from trees should be removed in the fall. Mowing them with a mulching mower is the easiest method. The nutrients from the mulched leaves are all the fertilizer your EcoSeed should need.

Sowing EcoSeed on Slopes:

On steep, erosion-prone slopes EcoSeed should be mixed with our Organic Seed Tackifier, this will help hold the seed in place while it roots. When planting on slopes in the fall, plant no later than mid-September in northern climates to ensure sufficient growth of the nurse crop to hold the soil. On gentle slopes with no soil erosion, seeding with EcoSeed alone is fine.

Dormant Fall Seedings:

In northern climates seeding EcoSeed in late season (dormant seeding) can be done very successfully. Careful soil preparation, weed control and good timing are essential with dormant fall plantings. The seeds should be planted in the late fall or early winter after a couple of hard frosts but before the ground is frozen. Seed planted in late October through December will germinate early the following spring. If there is any chance of erosion, a dormant seeding is not recommended. Planted in fall, your new lawn will grow rapidly the following spring.

After sowing EcoSeed:

It germinates in 7-14 days. It is quick to germinate and then slow to grow. During the first few weeks, keep as much traffic off the seed as much as possible. The tender, emerging shoots of your EcoSeed will not withstand much wear and tear. Once the grass has grown up to 4-5 inches, you can begin walking on and enjoying EcoSeed. This should be after about 4-6 weeks of growth. If you have some patches that aren't as thick as the rest, they may not have received enough seed. Don't be afraid to overseed these areas. The longer they stay bare, the more likely weeds will encroach onto your lawn.

After seeding, water every day (if it does not rain) for 3 weeks in the early morning for 20-30 minutes or what ever length of time it takes to be moist down to one inch.  After 3 weeks, cut back to watering every 2 days for the next 2 weeks. 

Please note that if you experience drought conditions in the first year, you will need to water your new EcoSeed during the first season of growth. Once EcoSeed has gone through a full season, your watering regime will change dramatically. In hot, dry climates such as parts of California or Texas, your watering will be cut back by 75% over that of traditional, shallow-rooted turfs. In most parts of North America, your established EcoSeed will require no watering except in extreme drought conditions.