Why You Shouldn’t Use Straw on Your Newly Seeded Lawn Though straw is the traditional covering for newly seeded lawns, it isn’t the best option. George Weigel Starting with fresh, quality seed and getting that seed into good contact with the soil are the first two steps of seeding or overseeding a lawn. The third critical step is keeping the ground constantly damp so the seed germinates well – and so young roots don’t immediately die in dry soil. Straw is a traditional aid that is often recommended to go on top of a newly seeded bed, mainly to help hold in moisture. But is it essential to get grass to sprout, or the only option? Absolutely not. Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Use Straw: Straw and hay can easily be confused. If it's hay, this grain product comes with seed heads attached, which can germinate along with the grass seed. Grass seed germination can be inhibited if you cover the ground too thickly with straw. Straw can blow around and detract from the look of the new lawn until mowed for the first time. You'll need to rake off the unsightly straw after the grass is up, but will also risk damaging young grass blades and roots if you do. Straw and hay can both be highly contaminated with weed seeds. GreenView Fairway Formula Seeding Success is a better option when seeding new lawn areas, as it helps to get the grass off to the best start, while not introducing weeds to the area. Another, BETTER option for mulching newly seeded areas: GreenView Fairway Formula Seeding Success is a seeding mulch alternative that combines paper mulch with a starter fertilizer and a tackifier to keep the seed in place. The pellets in this bagged product absorb three times their weight in water, which helps keep moisture in place at the soil surface. You’ll water newly seeded areas less if you use Seeding Success to cover the seed as it keeps it moist longer. The pellets protect the seed from sun, birds, and soil erosion, and they break down to add organic matter and nutrition to the soil. The starter fertilizer also releases into the soil to get new grass off to a fast start. Unlike straw, Seeding Success pellets don’t blow away, they don’t introduce weed seeds, and they biodegrade quickly so raking isn’t needed. Apply the pellets so they cover about one-quarter of the seeded ground. They darken when wet and lighten in color when dry to indicate when it’s time to water.