Seeding a lawn requires time and effort, and element of this process is ensuring that the bud seeds have the best chance for success. Including a mulch enables the seeds grow into a thick, lush lawn, but it needs to be the right sort of mulch so that the seeds get the right quantity of sunlight and moisture while being protected. Using hay for a grass seed mulch has pros and cons. It provides the right kind of protection, but you could end up with unwanted weeds and grasses mixed in with the growing seeds.
How Hay Helps
Hay helps grass seed grow in several ways. The main role of using a sulfur over grass seed is to maintain moisture, plus hay efficiently does that. Grass seed needs to remain constantly moist to germinate, and spreading hay over the area helps maintain moisture without allowing the ground get too wet, which might make the seeds moldy. The hay helps maintain the newly turned soil in place, preventing sediment so the seeds remain contact with the soil. Also, it adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes, helping feed your grass as it grows.
Hay’s Downside
Although hay offers several advantages to grass seed, it can result in problems that outweigh the perks. Hay is cut while the bud is flourishing and full of nutrition so that it may be dried and used as livestock food. Unfortunately, that usually means the hay contains seeds from both the forage grasses and weeds. Even though hay is dried until it is offered, the dormant seeds may germinate given the right conditions — often the exact same conditions your grass seed requirements. Using hay as a mulching material for your seeded lawn might cause weeds and unwanted grasses sprouting from the seeds at the hay. These sprouts take nutrients and moisture from the grass seed.
Types of Hay
Hay isn’t the most typical kind of mulch for newly seeded grass — straw is the mulch of choice. Straw is produced from the stalks leftover grain seeds heads are picked, meaning it doesn’t have as many weed or grass seeds. Standard hay fodder comprises these seeds, but salt marsh hay gives an alternate. Salt marsh hay has strong stalks that provide protection for the grass seed longer than standard hay or straw, and many seeds hidden in the bundles thrive only in marshy, salty conditions which aren’t located on your lawn.
Proper Use
Getting the most from this hay mulch — rather the salt marsh hay — means locating the proper coverage balance. The hay should maintain moisture without keeping the ground wet; some water has to be permitted to evaporate to keep the seeds from rotting. Expand the hay at a layer thin enough which it is possible to observe the soil in spots involving the stems so sunlight can penetrate and moisture can escape. Sloped areas might need up to 80 to 100 pounds of hay per 1,000 square feet, while level areas require 30 to 50 pounds within the same place.
