Grass Seed Calculator

It depends on the grass and the lawn size. Divide your square footage by 1,000, then multiply by the seeding rate. Bahiagrass runs about 6 to 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet, bermudagrass about 1 to 2 pounds, centipede about a quarter to a half pound.

In Southwest Florida the grass choice settles most of this. St. Augustine, the most common lawn here, is almost always laid as sod, so a seed calculator does not apply to it. Seed makes sense for bahiagrass, bermudagrass and centipede. Warm-season seed needs warm soil to sprout, so plan on spring into early summer, and expect sandy soil to need frequent light watering until it comes up.

A grass seed calculator turns your lawn's square footage into pounds of seed. Enter length and width, pick your grass, and it multiplies the area by the seeding rate for that grass. The calculator on this page does that for you. Check the result against the rate printed on your seed bag.

For an irregular lawn, split it into rectangles, measure each one, and add them up. Subtract beds, the driveway, the pool deck and the house. A calculator assumes bare soil and even spreading. It cannot account for seed lost to a summer downpour on sandy ground, so buy a little over the number if your lot slopes.

One acre is 43,560 square feet, so multiply the per-1,000 rate by 43.56. Bahiagrass at 6 to 8 pounds per 1,000 comes to roughly 260 to 350 pounds per acre. Bermudagrass at 1 to 2 pounds comes to roughly 44 to 87 pounds. Always confirm against your seed label.

Most residential lots here are well under an acre. A quarter acre is 10,890 square feet, so scale the table down by four. These are bare-soil rates for a new planting, not overseeding rates.

A seed calculator works out how many pounds of seed cover an area. The math is area in square feet, divided by 1,000, times the pounds per 1,000 on the label. This page's tool is built for lawn grass, so use it for turf seed rather than vegetable or wildflower seed, which use different rates.

Worked example: a 3,200 square foot lawn planted in bermudagrass at 1.5 pounds per 1,000 needs 3.2 times 1.5, or 4.8 pounds. Round up to the next whole pound. Coated seed weighs more per seed than bare seed, so the label rate matters more than the bag weight.

Bahiagrass takes about 5 to 7 bags of 50 pounds per acre, based on 6 to 8 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Bermudagrass takes about 1 to 2 bags. Centipede takes less than one bag. Bag count changes with the grass and the rate on your seed label.

Seed that is hulled, scarified or coated carries a different rate than raw seed, so read the tag before you buy by the bag. If you are covering a lot or pasture in Florida's rainy season, seed on flat ground is fine, but slopes and swales can wash out in one heavy storm. Plan to recheck and patch after the first few big rains.

For a new lawn in Southwest Florida, plan on about 6 to 8 pounds of bahiagrass seed per 1,000 square feet, or 1 to 2 pounds of bermudagrass, or a quarter to half a pound of centipede. A 5,000 square foot yard needs roughly 30 to 40 pounds of bahiagrass.

Price depends on the grass, the coating and the supplier, so ask for a per-pound quote on the exact seed you plan to use. More seed is not better. Seed spread too thick competes with itself and can rot in humid heat. Overseeding thin spots takes less than the bare-soil rates above, and the label lists it.

Bahiagrass takes about 6 to 8 pounds for 1,000 square feet. Bermudagrass takes about 1 to 2 pounds, and centipede about a quarter to a half pound. These are new-lawn rates on bare soil. Seed labels differ by variety and coating, so the number printed on your bag wins.

None of this applies to St. Augustine, the grass on most Southwest Florida lots. It is sold as sod or plugs, not seed.

Measure the lawn's length and width in feet and multiply them for square feet. Divide by 1,000. Multiply that by the pounds-per-1,000 rate on your seed label. Example: 40 by 50 feet is 2,000 square feet, divided by 1,000 is 2, times 7 pounds of bahiagrass is 14 pounds.

1. Measure each section of the lawn and add the areas.
2. For a circle, area is 3.14 times the radius times the radius.
3. Subtract beds, paving, the pool deck, the lanai and the house.
4. Divide the total by 1,000, then multiply by the label rate.

Measure after any grading or drainage work, since that can change the planted area.

This search is ambiguous, so here are both answers. For seed, a 1,000 square foot area takes about 6 to 8 pounds of bahiagrass or 1 to 2 pounds of bermudagrass. For sod, you need the lawn's square footage plus about 5 to 10 percent extra for cuts and waste.

Sod is the usual route for St. Augustine in Southwest Florida. Pallet coverage varies by supplier, so ask how many square feet your pallet holds before you order. Sandy soil dries fast, so new sod needs frequent watering for the first couple of weeks. For sod math, use the sod calculator.

For a new lawn, use the full bare-soil rate: 6 to 8 pounds of bahiagrass, 1 to 2 pounds of bermudagrass, or a quarter to half pound of centipede per 1,000 square feet. Multiply that by your area divided by 1,000. Overseeding an existing lawn uses a lower rate, so don't use this number for thin spots.

Sandy soil drains fast, so new seed needs light cover and frequent light watering until it sprouts. Summer rain can wash seed off slopes. Near the coast, salt spray and irrigation water affect which grass will hold up. Some HOAs specify the grass type, so check the rules before you buy seed.

If you want the lawn laid out and the grass matched to your lot, call Dennis at Epic Horizons Landscaping, (941) 946-8403.