New Turf vs Reseeding a Lawn

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Both produce a lawn. They cost very different amounts, take very different lengths of time, and suit different situations — and the honest answer is that seed is underrated.

Turf

• Instant. A lawn on the day it is laid, which for a sale, a letting or an event is sometimes the whole argument
• More expensive — several times the material cost of seed, plus the laying
• Usable in weeks rather than months
• Suppresses weeds immediately, because it covers the ground
• Works on a slope, where seed washes off
• Laid in almost any month the ground is workable
• Limited choice of grass mixture — you take what the grower produces

Seed

• Far cheaper — a fraction of the cost for the same area
• Slow. Germination in one to three weeks, a usable lawn in two to three months, a hardwearing one after a full season
• Narrow sowing window — essentially spring and early autumn. Soil must be warm enough to germinate
• Choice of mixture, which is a real advantage: shade-tolerant, hardwearing, fine ornamental, drought-tolerant
• Vulnerable while establishing — birds, heavy rain, weeds germinating alongside it
• Deeper rooting, arguably, because the plant grows where it is from the start
• Needs the same preparation — this is the part people miss

The Point That Decides Most Cases

Choose Turf When

• You need the lawn now — a sale, a letting, a date
• The area slopes, where seed washes away
• It is outside the sowing window and you do not want to wait
• Children or a dog will be on it soon and a bare soil stage is not practical
• The area is small, where the cost difference is modest anyway
• Weed pressure is high and you want the ground covered immediately

Choose Seed When

• The area is large, where the saving becomes substantial
• You can wait a season
• It is spring or early autumn
• The site is awkward for delivery — a bag of seed goes where a tonne of turf does not
• You want a specific mixture, particularly for deep shade
• You are overseeding an existing lawn rather than starting again

The Middle Option Worth Knowing

Turf the part that matters and seed the rest. The area by the house that gets looked at and walked on takes turf; the far end, or the area under the trees, takes seed. It is often the best value answer on a larger garden and nobody offers it unprompted.

Similarly, overseeding is worth considering before replacing anything. A tired lawn that is thin rather than dead can often be brought back with scarifying, aerating and overseeding for a fraction of the cost of a new one — and we will say so if that is what we find.

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Ask Us About Your Own Garden

If you are weighing the two up, tell us the area, the aspect and when you need to use it. We will give you a straight answer, including when seed is the better buy.