New lawn vs overseed
Bare dirt gets the full new-lawn rate. Tall fescue runs 6 to 8 lb per 1,000 sq ft. Nothing is there to fill the gaps, so every square foot needs its own seed.
Overseeding goes into living grass. About half the seed. Tall fescue drops to 3 to 4 lb per 1,000 sq ft, because the old turf already covers most of the ground.
Pick the overseed condition that matches the yard. Thin lawns sit low in the range. Patchy lawns take the top of it. Mostly bare takes one and a half times the top, which is getting close to a new-lawn job anyway.
Pounds are half the job. Timing is the other half. The overseeding calculator gives your window by ZIP code, with a countdown.
Coated seed
Coated seed carries a clay or fertilizer shell. You pay for that shell by the pound. The calculator multiplies the rate by 1.5 when you flip the coated toggle, the same factor our overseeding calculator uses.
NC State Extension says coated bermudagrass may need double the rate. So read the bag. If the label gives its own rate, that number wins for that product.
At the store
- Buy the high end. Running out halfway across the yard costs a second trip and a stripe.
- Compare price per pound across bag sizes. Enter each bag size and price above and the calculator does the bag math.
- Check the label rate. Blends and coated seed print their own coverage, and it often differs from the bare-grass numbers above.
- Spread it in two passes at half the rate, crossing directions. Even coverage, fewer skips.