How do I choose a lawn mix?
Most lawns are sown with a blend rather than a single grass. The mix decides how the lawn looks, how much wear it takes and how it copes with shade or drought.
Sunny lawn mix
Bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue together.
Best for open, everyday lawns
Shade mix
Mostly fine fescues that cope with less light.
Best under trees and by walls
Hard wearing play mix
Heavy on perennial ryegrass. Recovers fast.
Best for kids, dogs and sport
Fine ornamental lawn
Fine fescues and bents for a dense, low sward.
Best for show lawns
Drought tolerant mix
Deep rooted tall fescue types.
Best for dry, sunny sites
Planning the rest of the job? Use the Grass seed calculator and the Sod calculator too.
Sowing rates
In metric, multiply by 4.9 to get grams per m². A rate of 7 lb per 1,000 ft² is about 34 g/m². The rate on your seed bag always wins.
How does the calculation work?
Seed = area ÷ 1,000 × rate
A new play lawn of 2,000 ft²: 2 × 7 = 14 lb, so one 20 lb bag. Overseeding the same lawn needs about 8 lb.