7 Best Grass Seeds to Repair a Patchy Lawn (2021 Review)

Waiting for grass to grow can be a bit like watching paint dry; a very slow and tedious process. However, if you’re a little short on time or patience, Miracle-Gro’s EverGreen Multi Purpose Lawn Seed seems to move a bit quicker than most, with signs of germination visible even in the space of five days.

Made up of a combination of Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass and finer Fescue grasses, this seed germinates faster than most but still remains hardwearing thanks to its ryegrass content.

It works well for both over-seeding or creating a new small lawn, and one bag can be used on an area of around 56 m². This makes it a fairly mid-range option price wise; neither the best value for money nor the worst in terms of coverage vs. price. That said, it’s also likely that you’re paying slightly more for the convenience of quicker growth.

In general, this seed doesn’t require quite as much maintenance after sowing as some other grass seeds; watering is still required, but you may not need to use as much water overall – only enough to keep the seeds moist.

Conditions do need to be pretty optimal to achieve the coveted five-day germination, which means it’s important to choose the sowing time (between March and October) carefully based on the weather.

Finally, if your garden has a lot of shade, you may find this isn’t the best grass seed mix for your garden; this seed grows best in sunlight and struggles in darker areas.

When it comes to growing grass in shady gardens, be they north facing or shrouded by trees, the results can often be disappointing.

If you’ve been let down by standard grass seed in the past, The Grass People have come up with a SUPERSTAR: Back Lawn 10kg Grass Seed which contains a mix of different grasses, selected for their ability to grow even in dry, wet or shady conditions.

Whereas other grass seeds are more focused on creating soft, fine lawns, this particular mix is made up of 80% Perennial Ryegrass and 20% Strong Creeping Red Fescue which is a hardy combination, well cut out for thriving in less-than-optimal environments.

Visually, the results are pretty much the same; you’ll still get a greener, healthier looking lawn, and it also grows pretty fast – you can start reaping the rewards of your labour after a couple of weeks when the lawn starts fill out.

Standard seeds don’t often survive under the shade of big trees either, but this mix sees grass growing right up to the trunk, creating an attractive and even lawn which is tough enough to stand up to kids’ playtime as well as pets.

It comes in a large 10 kg bag which can cover an area of approximately 200 m²; however, if that sounds like too much, it will also keep for the next year as well, so any that you don’t use won’t be wasted.

For the first few weeks, this grass seed requires a fair amount of maintenance in the form of a lot of watering and attention. So, although once grown the lawn will look after itself, it’s a good idea to sew these seeds when you’ve got some time on your hands, and not just before heading off on holiday!

As we all know, the UK climate can be unpredictable at best and atrocious at worst. Certainly, it’s not always an easy environment for us gardeners to work in! It’s also not the best climate for all types of grass either, which is why seed mixes like GBW’s 1 kg Grass Seed use selected grass species tailored to thrive in the UK weather.

This seed has a more varied mix than some others featured here, with 43% Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass, 40% Creeping Red Fescue, 12% Chewings Fescue and 5% Browntop Bent. It’s a varied combination, intended to produce a lawn that can cope with excessive rain as well as drought, and everything in between.

Results can be truly impressive, as long as the instructions are closely followed to a tee. This certainly isn’t a grass seed that can be thrown over the ground with abandon, hoping for life to grow, but if you have the time and patience to suitably prepare the earth, it has the potential to elevate a bald garden to a fully-turfed green.

A certain amount of patience and trust is required as well, as the seed can lie relatively dormant for quite some time. Watering day and night, for as long as 15 days, is needed to start noticing small shoots appearing.

It should be noted that we’re not talking about a cheap product here either, with this 1 kg bag costing around 1/3 of some 10 kg bags, but it’s still worth considering if you have the available budget simply due to the finish that can be achieved.

One bag covers around 35 m² for new lawns and 55 m² if you are reseeding a sparse existing lawn. Application can be done by hand but is best measured out accurately to avoid unnecessarily using too much seed (a mistake which can be quite costly!).

GroundMaster’s Hard Wearing Tough Garden Premium Grass Seed is just the ticket for lawns that are looking like they need some real TLC.

It’s a hardy grass mix that is easy to spread and will evenly fill in bare patches and worn-out areas. Basically, if the lawn has been looking a little patchy and tired lately, this is a great option to consider.

Containing a mix of perennial ryegrasses and 30% Strong Creeping Red Fescue, the results are aesthetically enviable – green, thick and even – but there’s a hidden benefit in the fact that these grasses are also hardwearing.

If you have pets or children, the combination of grass species presented in this mix will also prevent the lawn from getting so worn out in the future. Using strong ryegrasses and Red Fescue is a way to reduce the necessity for repeated reseeding as well.

Application is straightforward, given that these seeds can be sown by hand straight out of the 10 kg bag. Depending on the state of your lawn, you might find that you need to use a lot of seed, especially if you have a larger garden; although GroundMaster states that one bag will cover an area of around 300 m², logically this will depend on how much your specific circumstances require.

Overall, it might take a little longer to see results with this seed than some faster-growing mixes, meaning a fair amount of watering is required in this germination period, but once established the results are impressive and achieve an even coverage.

Getting the right balance between hardwearing grass and a comfortable soft lawn isn’t easy; tough grass can be coarse, but softer grass easily wears out.

This 10 kg grass seed from AM Pro-25 has a 1:1 ratio of Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass and Strong Creeping Red Fescue, which provides a good balance of strength and comfort. It feels slightly softer than mixes that have a higher ryegrass content, creating a lawn which is more comfortable to sit or lie on, yet still remains hardwearing.

It’s one of the best grass seed mixes for families who have energetic children or pets running around the lawn, who also want grass that they can flop down onto for a comfortable sunbathe.

The high content of Strong Creeping Red Fescue means that even if you have a lot of shade in your garden, this grass seed won’t have a problem growing there. Whereas other grass species can’t cut it in the shadows, the Red Fescue in this grass seed will help create cushiony areas under the trees, perfect for sitting in and keeping cool during summer.

Best results are achieved by following the instructions closely, which can require scarifying the lawn before beginning – the results can be impressive if all of the pre- and post-application steps are completed, so it’s worth putting in the extra time.

One 10 kg bag is sufficient to cover an area of approximately 285 m², which is enough to fully reseed a small to medium garden; however, the seed doesn’t keep very well so don’t necessarily expect to be able to use it again next year after a winter in storage.

If you don’t have the greenest thumbs, a hardy grass seed like RUNADI’s Speedy Grass Lawn Seed is a good option for those who are newer to the world of gardening. It doesn’t require quite as much preparation or maintenance as some of the other seed mixes featured here, and it produces results that are long lasting and easy to maintain.

Raking the area, sowing the seeds, and then sieving on topsoil is all that is really required to encourage this Speedy Grass Lawn Seed to grow. It will need regular watering, but only enough to keep the seeds slightly damp – if the weather conditions are good, with some drizzle as well as sun, you may not even need to water that much all.

In these kinds of optimal conditions, the grass can be seen to germinate in around seven days, although it really does depend on the weather – if the temperatures drop, it can take as long as two weeks to notice germination, and if the soil temperature is below 9°C, there is a chance it won’t germinate at all.

Choosing the right time to sow, anytime between March and October, can make all the difference; this is probably the most important part of preparation when it comes to these particular seeds.

For some, the grass species mix of two different types of perennial ryegrass may feel too coarse; it’s certainly not the softest combination of grasses featured on this list. On the plus side, this seed mix results in grass that is very hardwearing and grows quickly. If you’re worried about maintenance, this combination requires very little once the grass is established.

It’s also long-lasting grass so, again, it’s great for those who are new to gardening and don’t want to be frequently reseeding due to worn-out patches.

Birds eating grass seed before it has a chance to germinate can be a very irritating waste of money, so it’s nice to see that Gro-Sure have factored in a solution to this problem with their Multi-Purpose Grass Lawn Seed.

Covered with a green coating, it seems to deter birds – possibly because they can’t see it as easily, or because it no longer smells like seed to them. Either way, once raked in, they are less likely to steal it all away than they might with other seed.

Within two weeks of sowing, seeds start germinating and adding thickness to the lawn. Depending on the weather conditions, within another two weeks grass can already be several centimetres long – it does need to be sown when the soil temperature is above 10°C and general temperatures are below 19°C though, so be sure to pick your time window carefully.

It’s a pretty easy seed to use, not requiring too much attention except for the usual watering to make sure the area is kept damp. If there is heavy rain within the first few days after sowing, there could be a chance of some seeds getting swept away, so it’s fair to say that the weather can affect results significantly.

Whether your lawn is non-existent and you’re looking to establish a new one, or you want to give a little boost to the grass you already have, this Grass Lawn Seed is suitable for either purpose. The 3.6 kg bag covers 102 m² when spread sparingly, but don’t expect it to go as far if you’re reseeding an area – it also might be necessary to go over patches more than once, depending on conditions and how well the seed takes.