Are you dealing with bald patches or an uneven lawn that isn’t responding well to scattered grass seeds?
You’re probably thinking to yourself how you can permanently fix the issue.
Only a few years ago, the only answer was relaying turf, but carrrying wheelbarrow loads of heavy, muddy turf to get it laid flat is back breaking work.
Biodegradable grass seed mats are an easier, affordable solution for getting your lawn laid, as well as a more consistent result than grass seed.
Sounds great right?
In this Article – We’ll go through the three best biodegradable grass seed mats easily available online and how to get it laid for that lush green lawn of your dreams.
What is a biodegradable grass seed mat?
Specially designed biodegradable grass seed mats or blankets, grass seed rolls, or lawn rolls are a whole new concept for easily and quickly growing a uniform lawn.
These mats comprise a thin sheet of biodegradable material that is saturated with grass seed and fertilizers, that you can lay on the ground like a mat and it will eventually grow new grass.
When the mat is positioned on the ground, the grass seed in the rolled-out mat germinates and grows through the disintegrating matting to create new grass growth.
The grass seed mats are typically 120% loaded with seed to ensure that it will attain a dense covering of grass.
Eventually, when there is established lawn growth, the matting will be invisible and you can mow and treat your new lawn as usual.
Advantages of a biodegradable grass seed mat for your new lawn
The numerous advantages of using a biodegradable grass seed mat are making them an increasingly popular option for growing a hot lawn.
Here are the need-to-know benefits of using a grass seed mat.
Grass seed mats are lightweight
A grass seed mat is mad convenient and light material so you can easily cut it long and short and lay it.
And you don’t have the shipped weight of turf or have to clean up when hands on it.
Grass seed mats are cheaper than turf
A good quality sod for a lawn gives great results but gets more and more expensive.
As shown below, a grass seed mat is much cheaper, will mean you have saved on labor as you can lay the mat your self in a few hours.
Grass seed mats provide a consistent distribution of seed
It’s pretty frustrating to scatter seeds and not only not get it clear, but wind, rain, and birds will destroy your new growth.
The manufacturers are impregnating the grass seed mat with a high-quality grass seed variety and the biodegradable matting is protecting the new growth from birds and providing support as it grows.
3 best biodegradable grass seed mats (Available online)
If you’d like to tackle that bare area of your front lawn with a grass seed mat, you can order these online quickly and easily.
We can help you with your search by listing out 3 of the more common grass seed mats.
1. Amturf Sun and Shade Mix Central States/Northern Lawn Seed Blanket
Specification
- Grass seed type: Northern and central local grass seed varieties
- Base: Biodegradable mulch
- Number of pads per package: 1
- Coverage: 25 sq ft (2.32 sq m)
- Mat size: 7.5 x 7.5 x 30 in (19.05 x 19.05 x 76 cm)
- Weight: 6.69 lbs (3.3 kg)
Description
Amturf is one of the most well-known grass seed brands in the US and has developed a great reputation for their biodegradable grass seed products, which can deliver a safe and attractive green lawn.
This biodegradable mulch blanket is easy to apply and is intentionally pre-seeded with grass seed to give you the consistent seed coverage required for a luscious lawn.
Amturf uses its proprietary Double Time™ technology to get grass seed growing quickly while controlling the weeds that may detract from the beauty of your lawn.
This will save you chemicals, fertilizer, and water. All the materials are non-toxic to no animals or your pets.
Pros
- Quality: 99% weed-free grass seed is in this product
- Speed: Patching your lawn isn’t an all day task. Simply cut out and lay the amount of matting you need and water it in to get things going,
- Amturf selects grass seed for central and northern states: Amturf selects its grass seed mix based on local climate to provide gardeners with the best possible results. This grass seed mat is designed for the climate in the central and northern states.
Cons
- Mixed results: For many buyers, germination and then growth of the seeded mat were not even. Some people used seed to reseed the bare spots to have reasonable results.
- The mat turns whitish as it deteriorates: After rains and watering the green background color of the mat changed to white.
Just unroll the all-in-one grass seed blanket, cut it to the size of the bare area in your lawn and staple it down.
The mulch holds water and keeps the seedlings in place, encouraging them to grow.
2. Grotrax Biodegradable Grass Seed Mat
Specification
- Grass seed mix: Bermuda Rye
- Base material: layered bio fabric
- Number of pads in the package: 1
- Coverage: 50 sq. ft (4.64 sq. m)
- Mat size: 12.09 x 5.16 x 5.08 in (30.5 x 13.1 x 12.9 cm)
- Total package weight: 1.63 lbs (0.73 kg)
Description
Grotrax is a top dog in the turf roll game that you can use for any lawn repair or laying a new lawn.
This biodegradable seed mat system is a simple all-in-one system that contains a special seeded fabric (that incorporates the fertilizer and mulch you need to develop a great lawn!).
You don’t have to worry about the evenness of your growth results as their placement of seeds is at a density that is over 100% of its recommended planting rate.
Grotrax also sources its quality Bermuda Rye seed from reputable growers in Oregon.
The Grotrax layered bio fabric will feed the developing grass and provide your grass a controlled level of protection to survive extreme conditions like high heat. Simply roll it out and water your mat into place.
Pros
- Super Lightweight: I can’t stress enough how light this grass seed roll is. Don’t take that as a sign that it’s a cheap product. The roll is over 50 square feet of grass-seeded material and is easily cut to size, ready to go and easily moved.
- Sticks to the ground: The bio fabric holds to the ground so no need to worry about pieces of fabric rolls blowing away in the wind. It also makes this roll very capable of seeding sloped areas.
- All weather seed types: This mat has high-quality fine-bladed lawn seed, and it is medium to high drought tolerant.
- It doesn’t matter which side of the mat you lay down on the soil: Growtrax seeds are completely sandwiched in the middle.
Cons
- Some buyers felt the mat was too light: While this mat was easy to lay, some people felt it blew away with strong wind and rain.
You won’t need any stakes/pins, Growtrax made the grass roll to bond to earth. Pretty nice!
The seeds are in-between bio fabric and have fertalaiser surrounding them for rapid germination and growth. It is simple and easy, plus cheaper to use than sod or turf.
3. Jonathan Green Black Beauty SeedRoll Grass Seed Mat
Specification
- Grass seed types: Kentucky bluegrass, Tall fescue, Perennial rye.
- Base material: Biodegradable mulch.
- Number of pads in package: 1
- Coverage: 50 sq ft (4.64 sq m).
- Felts dimension: 12 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches (30 x 13.9 x 13.9 centimeters).
- Package weight: 2.06 pounds (1.17 kilograms).
Description
Jonathan Green Lawncare has a longstanding tradition of delivering the products and expertise you need for a great lawn.
This family business has developed its own biodegradable grass seed mats that are perfect for any bare spots, slopes or other tricky areas in your yard.
This pack provides a generous 50 square feet of material that you can lay however you like.
This seed roll is a complete package of Black Beauty Ultra grass seed, starter lawn fertilizer and a weed-suppressive mulch.
Simply unroll and cut to the size with scissors and shape where you want to cover bare spots, place, and water into place.
The Black Beauty Ultra grass seed is a cool season blend, including Tall fescue, perennial rye and Kentucky bluegrass.
The lush deep-green blades are drought-tolerant and disease-resistant. Jonathan Green Lawncare has formulated this lawn blend specifically to grow uniformly well in sunny and shady conditions, germinating within 20 days.
Pros
- Seed quality: Jonathan Green Lawncare know a lot about lawn care and they consider themselves experts in designing the seed selection to provide vigorous, quality, weed-free growth.
- Fast germination: Purchaser feedback indicated that seed germination happened quickly within 10 to 20 days.
Cons
- Weak materials: The material used to produce biodegradable grass seed mats “degrades” easily as source information shows. This is a universal issue with these mats and people become frustrated when the winds, rains, and extreme weather wash away their hard work.
The mat material will protect your seed from being washed away from rain or eaten by birds in your area.
Light and water will reach the seed to allow faster germination and to establish healthy growth of lawn.
Frequently asked questions about biodegradable grass seed mats
When should I lay my grass seed mat?
Don’t put in your biodegradable grass seed mat until after your last frost. Don’t lay your mat during significant wind and rain.
Generally, it is best to lay the mat when the local temperature is above 50°F (10°C) and unlikely to go lower than 40°F (4°C). Plant your grass seed mat earlier in the growing season for maximum growing time, and better establishment of your lawn.
How do I prepare the ground for my grass seed mat?
Get the area where you plan to put your grass seed mat cleaned out of all weeds, stones, and debris and level the ground.
You will want to rake the top two inches of soil to ensure good contact of the soil and mat. Water well and let it soak overnight before applying the mat.
The next day, you’re ready to lay the grass seed roll over the exposed soil.
How do I lay a biodegradable grass seed mat?
Lay the seed mat down over the soil and just wet it enough to stick it to any exposed soil. When wet, the grass seed roll will stick to the soil. Cut away any excess mat. If you have set down strips, overlap the edges of the strips a little.
You can also pin or stake the mat to secure it. Make sure all of the mat is in contact with the soil as this is necessary for germination. Once you have covered an area of ground, water the mat with sufficient water before proceeding with your next area.
How do I look after my biodegradable grass seed mat?
Hopefully, your turf mat will germinate and grow to form a dense and luscious lawn.
The hard truth is that grass seed mats do take a long time to establish as compared to laying turf, and there will some portions that will not grow consistently.
Here are a few tips to maximize the success of your grass seed mat.
- Once you’re done laying your grass seed mat where you want it, water it in, and then be sure to continue to water your mat two to three times each day with a hose or sprinkler. The mulch will need continued moisture levels to allow the seeds to germinate.
- Don’t use a strong jet of water that will wash out the seed.
- Just don’t walk on your grass seed mat once it’s laid. If it needs to be held down, use garden stakes to hold it down.
- When the grass grows to 3 inches in height, continue to water until it reaches that height.
- Once grass height exceeds 3 inches, it is time to mow.
Rounding up
Grass seed mats are awesome options for fast-tracking a balding lawn because you can cover the ground quickly and getting really rapid growth.
That said, people state results can be really, really mixed, and the matting needs considerable water and as much growing season as possible to get reasonable results.
The very reasonable price of these grass seed lawn rolls and quick results should make you want to give it a shot and just burnish it with some more shed grass seed.