How To Protect Grass Seed From Heavy Rain (10+ Ideas!)

Everyone wants a lawn that looks beautiful. It instantly increases the curb appeal. A well-manicured lawn guarantees that you’re not the only yard on the block that looks bad. While no one wants their house to be an eyesore, there is a learning curve to maintaining your grass seed while you attempt to eliminate bald spots on your lawn.

When the gas company had to dig up my lawn to install new gas pipes, I was left with horrendous bald patches. I also had to fix them myself. Instead of hiring a landscaping company, I chose to learn how to plant and manage grass seed myself.

When I decided to plant my own grass seed, I asked the men at Home Depot for tips. That was when I discovered that you need to cover grass to protect it from heavy rain. This is the only option that you have to make sure that you are going to have a gorgeous lawn again.

In order to have a healthy, beautiful lawn it is critical to properly protect grass seed from heavy rain. You can protect grass seed with a piece of plastic or straw erosion blanket, but there are also many DIY options, like creating your own covering using burlap cloth. These are discussed in further detail below.

Heavy rain will not instantly kill grass seed. It can wash away grass seed. A portion of your seeds will be left floating down to the gutter on the street. The end result is that you will have new grass, but it will be patchy.

Overwatering does not necessarily kill grass seed because there is too much water. Instead, this kills grass seed because it makes the soil shift. Some grass seeds may be pushed into the soil where they do not have exposure to sunlight.

You will have a patchy lawn because only a portion of the seeds will sprout. That is why it is essential to protect your grass seed from heavy rain. These ten tips will help you get the lawn that you want.

Straw erosion blankets are the best way to protect your grass seed. These are more expensive but are well worth the additional cost. You can cut straw erosion blankets with scissors to fit the area that you have seeded.

Cut the blanket into strips. Then, place the strips as close together as possible. Make sure that you don’t overlap them. Hold them in place with lawn staples.

After that, water your grass seed as you normally would. The blanket will degrade in 1 ½ months. By then, your grass seed should be safe to walk on.

While ideas like mulch or moss are great, sometimes you simply don’t have enough on hand before it rains. It can take some time to find the perfect mulch, but most improvement stores have plenty of plastic.

Plastic is the ideal alternative. Pick up a large piece of painter’s plastic. (The thinner pieces of plastic are more budget-friendly than the thicker ones.) Then, hold it in place using yard stakes.

Make sure that you put down the plastic before it rains, and remove the plastic after the rain is gone. While it will protect the grass seed from the rain, it will ensure that no moisture gets to the grass seed. If it is left on, the grass seed will not get enough moisture to grow.

Peat moss will not prevent water from getting to the grass seed, but it does provide enough cover to minimize the amount of pressure on the grass seed. That means that your seeds won’t be pushed deep into the soil. As a bonus, peat moss can help your seeds sprout.

If you plan on using peat moss, you can leave it on your grass seed until it begins to sprout. This is the option that I went with. Peat moss will keep the seeds in place, protect them from birds and give them just enough cover to protect grass seed from heavy rainfall.

You can only use a tarp if you have recently planted your seeds. If it’s only been one or two days, you can rest assured that they have not begun to sprout yet.

Lay the tarp over the grass seed, securing it in place with yard stakes. After the storm is over, remove the tarp. Make sure to do this one side at a time in case water has pooled in the middle of the tarp. If this water suddenly spills all over your grass seed, it can wash it away.

If you don’t know whether your seeds have germinated, avoid using a tarp. When the water pools in the middle, the pressure can kill freshly germinated seeds.

Although this is commonly used to prevent weeds from breaking through the fabric, it also works exceptionally well at protecting grass seed from rain. There are perforated holes in the fabric to let just enough water through to help keep the seeds healthy. The rest of it runs off of the fabric.

When using landscaping fabric, make sure that it is positioned so that the water can run off instead of pooling in the middle. Just like with a tarp, too much pressure on freshly germinated grass seed will kill it.

Covering your grass is the best way to protect it from heavy rain. However, if water gets underneath the covering, it can still wash away your grass seed. This is typical in sloped yards.

If your yard is sloped, cover at least six inches above the grass seed with covering as well. This should be at the top of the slope. Then, put topsoil over that part of the covering to weigh it down.

The additional weight will protect the grass seed underneath the covering. Make sure that you don’t put the soil over top of the grass seed. If you do, the weight will kill the germinated seed.

Making your own compost is an environmentally friendly option. However, it takes approximately 4-6 months for your compost pile to be ready to use. Because of that, this isn’t ideal for anyone that doesn’t already have a healthy compost pile in their backyard.

If you do already make your own compost, cover your grass seed with ½ inch after planting it. The compost will absorb a portion of the rain, but will still let water get to the seeds. Compost can also keep your seeds in place during heavy rainfall and deliver plenty of vitamins and nutrients to your seeds to help them sprout quicker.

Burlap fabric is a common alternative that people use in place of landscaping fabric. If you have burlap sacks or fabric around the house, cut it and sew it together to form one large burlap blanket. Then, lay it over the grass seed.

You can also purchase large rolls of burlap fabric from Home Depot or Amazon. Then, simply cut the fabric to the desired size, and lay it over your seeds. Don’t forget to put soil at the top of the hill if your seeds are on a slope.

Burlap will prevent seeds from washing away. It allows moisture to get through the fabric so that your seeds will still reap the benefits of the rain, too.

This fabric is useful year-round for seeds, so it’s always a good idea to have some on hand if you enjoy gardening. It can be used to protect your seeds from heavy rainfall, extreme sun, snow, frost, and other extreme weather conditions.

Related Questions

Should you put grass seed down before rain?

Yes! It’s easier to sow grass seed with dry soil compared to wet soil. Make sure that the grass seed is properly covered with an erosion blanket so that the rain does not wash it away.

Will heavy rain ruin grass seed?

Yes, it more than likely will. Grass seed that gets pushed too far into the soil due to the weight of the rain will not sprout. Due to soil erosion, seeds can be washed away. Prevent this by properly covering your grass seed with an erosion blanket.

How many days does it take grass seed to germinate?

Grass seeds typically grow in 7-21 days. If proper maintenance is performed, seeds will sprout much sooner. However, it will be 2-3 months before your grass will be long enough for you to mow it, or safe for you to walk on.