Is It OK to Seed My Lawn After It Rains?

Don't Till Wet Ground

• The purpose of tilling the soil that you intend to seed is to break the soil up. When soil is properly tilled, you can easily sift through it, which allows grass seeds to integrate with the soil and take root. If you attempt to till wet ground, the water causes the soil to stick together, creating clumps of soil. These clumps of soil act as barriers, which makes it difficult for the roots produced by grass seed to work their way down into the soil.

Don’t Apply Fertilizer or Compost to Wet Ground

• Many experts, including those at the University of Illinois and Oregon State, recommend a soil test prior to seeding a new lawn. A soil test, which can be conducted through the labs of most U.S. universities, shows you which nutrients your soil lacks. Generally, these lacking nutrients can be added to the soil through the application of compost or fertilizer. Since wet soil clumps instead of separates, adding compost or fertilizer to wet soil prevents the even distribution of the compost or fertilizer, which prevents the nutrients from spreading throughout the entire area.

Don't Seed at the Wettest Part of the Season

• If your ground is properly prepared and compost or fertilizer has already been added and mixed in, it is possible to seed while the ground is wet. If the ground is soggy though, some grass types, especially those that are drought-tolerant, like centipede grass, may fail to take root and begin growing. To prevent laying grass when the water may prevent proper establishment, plant when the ground is dry. Many drought-tolerant grasses benefit from fall plantings instead of spring plantings, since spring is a rainier season in many areas of the U.S.

Don’t Strip the Seed

• If you do choose to attempt seeding a lawn after it rains, which is not advisable but may be unavoidable if you live in an area that gets constant rain for several weeks on end, you must be careful when working the seed down into the soil. Whether you rake the newly-seeded area to cover it with soil or use a lawn roller to press the seed down into the soil, inspect the rake or roller each time you lift it from the ground. You will often find the seed sticking to the tool because it’s wet. Pick the seeds off with your hand, and throw them back onto the ground to prevent undoing the entire seeding job.