How to keep heavy rain from washing away new grass seed
Heavy downpours wash away newly planted grass seed, peat moss, and fertilizer, causing them to clump up or flood the yard. This forces homeowners to completely rake out the ruined areas and spend hours starting the seeding process all over again.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Waiting to see if current weather washes away seed before deciding whether to reseedDid this help you?
- 2Adjusting watering schedulesDid this help you?
- 3Considering whether to re-fertilize at a half rate if washout occursDid this help you?
- 4waiting to evaluate damage after it driesDid this help you?
- 5raking out clumped seed and peat mossDid this help you?
- 6doing a light broadcast overseed if seeds washed outDid this help you?
- 7keeping an extra bag of seed on handDid this help you?
- 8Adding more top dressing and/or straw when downpours are forecastDid this help you?
- 9Proceed with the scheduled work and repair the damaged sections of the lawn afterward.Did this help you?
- 10Wait until the lawn is established and then let contractors walk over and install on top of it.Did this help you?
- 11Using strawDid this help you?
- 12Using protective mesh or erosion control products on sloped areasDid this help you?
- 13Waiting to see if the seeds survive or if reseeding low spots is necessaryDid this help you?
- 14Hoping the rain stays light to moderate rather than torrentialDid this help you?
- 15Checking expected rainfall amounts in inchesDid this help you?
- 16Running sprinklers multiple times a day (e.g., 8am, 10:30, noon, 2, and 4) to keep the soil and seed wet.Did this help you?
- 17Using mulch products like EZ straw to retain moisture.Did this help you?
- 18leaving it alone and adding more seed later in areas that washed outDid this help you?
- 19throwing more seed down after a stormDid this help you?
- 20using expensive seed blanketsDid this help you?
- 21collecting fresh grass clippings from existing lawn or neighbors to sprinkle over bare patchesDid this help you?
- 22Applying systemic fungicides or preventative treatments like Scotts Disease ExDid this help you?
- 23Trying to improve drainage and getting the water moving off the lawnDid this help you?
- 24Researching whether rain will ruin the new seeds and relying on past posts showing it worked out fineDid this help you?
- 25Using erosion blankets to make heavier rains doable for seedingDid this help you?
- 26Waiting out the storm without taking actionDid this help you?
- 27PrayingDid this help you?
- 28Applying starter fertilizerDid this help you?
- 29Rush ordering a small bag of seed to do a quick pass to replace lost seedDid this help you?
- 30Calling it a year and waiting to do another pass in a future seasonDid this help you?
- 31water heavilyDid this help you?
- 32spread a light layer of water bottlesDid this help you?
- 33Reseeding the lawn after the water recedesDid this help you?
- 34Checking the weather before planting seedsDid this help you?
- 35Planting marsh grassDid this help you?
- 36Waiting to see what survives or is left behind before deciding whether to reseedDid this help you?
- 37Replacing grass areas with alternative ground covers, mulch, pea gravel, or paversDid this help you?
- 38Burying downspouts and addressing backyard drainage or regrading the areaDid this help you?
- 39Putting down additional seed covered with peat moss or seeding straw to protect it and improve soil contact.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Heavy rain 4 days after seeding hampered some growth but will overspeed next year.”source ↗
“should I reseed since water probally pulled seed away?”source ↗
“Had a big storm last weekend that washed some seed out in spots so threw more down 4 days ago.”source ↗
“Now the forecast has changed and we’ll be in the mid 90s until Sunday with no rain. I’m worried if this heat will really mess up my seed, although temps will go back down on Monday.”source ↗
“Rain suppose to last a few more hours and after today it should be a sunny week. Anything I should do after the rain stops? Should I add more seeds and spread more top soil on top?”source ↗
“Same I put about 5 hours in yesterday and all my seed and peat moss is clumped up. Probably gonna have to rake it all out after it dries :/”source ↗
“Shit got me too, I just got seed down Friday. No clue how much it rained last night but my back yard got flooded for sure.”source ↗
“I did a complete lawn renovation Wednesday and hydroseeded. I’m sitting here not knowing what to think!”source ↗
“heavy rain before germination is trouble since it washes seed away or moves it around.”source ↗
“So we just put down seed for 'new lawn' a few days ago across a portion of our yard. We currently are scheduled to have contractors come through next week to put in heat pumps (which would include an outdoor unit), and the outdoor unit is going to be pretty much right in the center of that area we seeded.”source ↗
“I'm wondering if it's better to still have them come next week and maybe still have a chance to seed back over where they mess up, or wait a month and have them walk over and install on top of the freshly grown lawn..?”source ↗
“Did a bit of overseeing yesterday without anticipating the sheer volume of rain that hit us today. Between the rain and my dog, it’s taking a beating out there.”source ↗
“Then we got five straight days of rain. Yard is soaked. A few low spots have standing water or look like seed may have drifted.”source ↗
“I seeded the 12th and this all popped up today!”source ↗
“There was originally sprinklers here and there when I first seeded; but not this much rain.”source ↗
“I’m in Columbus. Same thing. Fucking bullshit and annoying as fuck. Sorry I’m pissed. So far I’m just keeping my lawn watered all day so far.”source ↗
“I’m worried about seed washing away specifically in a few of the very bare spots, should I take seed from the lawn to those spots if some are bare, or just leave it as is at this point and hope for the best?”source ↗
“Not quite sure what else I could do to prevent more runoff other than buying expensive seed blankets which doesn’t seem worth it.”source ↗
“Had exactly the same problems.”source ↗
“All that work is about to be eroded away and theres nothing you can do except top it off next season”source ↗
“I just had 3 inches of rain within 40 minutes and my newly seeded yard is flooded. I know I'll probably get pythium blight or some other fungus so I need to get ready to treat or prevent it.”source ↗
“I’ve had massive rainfall events over the past month to 6 weeks, highly unusual for my area. It’s either way above normal temps or raining cats and dogs. I’ve had ponding issues multiple times almost on a daily basis. And of course, this is my year to overseed.”source ↗
“Outside of having to throw down more seed due to washing away, I’ve surprisingly not had any issues yet with those that have germinated”source ↗
“Now crossing my fingers that’s we don’t have any torrential downpours for the next week or so.”source ↗
“Plugged, seeded, and spread compost. Did I waste my time and what should I do when it stops raining?”source ↗
“My yard slopes pretty severely. I rerouted gutters and put down baffles to try and redirect some of the runoff but can’t stop Mother Nature.”source ↗
“TTTF (Resilience 2) planted 2 weeks ago (now about 1 inches tall) with 2.5 inches of rain over the next 3 days. Do I do anything?”source ↗
“It says on my focast "rain" then "light rain" ... never "heavy rain". But it will be constant Friday-Sunday. Any advice?”source ↗
“Storm will likely wash a lot of it away these next 48 hours.”source ↗
“I seeded the hell out of my lawn last year and water the hell out of it. Nothing stuck except what washed into my ditch from a storm.”source ↗
“there is a 100% chance that most (likely all) of the new seed washed away”source ↗
“Seed is gone.”source ↗
“Me when I overseeded Saturday with calls of light scatter showers Sunday morning…. Ended up with about 4” of rain in a few hours.”source ↗
“I think the majority of seeds will be washed away, bummer. Happened to some of mine with this recent multi day rain across the country.”source ↗
“I had the same thing happen with my Reno, washout of my Resillience II here in the mid-Atlantic.”source ↗
“Sooooo.... there a potential for remnants of a hurricane on the 23rd 24th. I know, a long way out and it WILL change, but want to at least start mentally preparing.”source ↗
“Last weekend I scalped/dethatched an 8000sf area of my back yard. I had a local meeting Tuesday, so got my seed (Artimuss tttf) down Wed (9/9) evening and then Scott's triple action and sprinklers set on Thurs morning (9/10).”source ↗
“We're forcast for some potentially heavy-ish rain tonight/tomorrow morning If all goes well and it's not too bad I should be in good shape for the potential remnants of the hurricane with regard to germination.”source ↗
“BUT, if tonight is bad and I have to reseed again, I won't get the seed until midweek, lets say 9/16.”source ↗
“Spread a generous layer of top soil and heavy seeded this area. Nashville had the driest September since 1963 and two days after all my hard work we got a very heavy rain.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 12Will new grass survive a harsh winter?
- 20Will heavy rain wash away grass seed after overseeding?
- 4Do I actually need straw to keep grass seed wet?
- 3How to handle a downspout draining onto newly seeded grass
- 7How to stop birds from eating new grass seed when overseeding
- 20How to water new grass seed with a full-time job