Why is Grass Seed Blue?

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You’re at the store looking at types of grass seed because you’ve got bald spots on your lawn or you’re planning on overseeding your lawn. As you’re looking at the selection in the grass seed aisle, you notice the smurf-like blue grass seed and it’s got you scratching your head. How in the heck did they make that grass seed blue?

Simply put, the blue coating on grass seed is a chemical formula that helps to fertilize the seeds, reduce the amount of water you need for the seed to germinate and grow and it protects the seed from disease.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about if it’s worth buying blue grass seed vs. ordinary uncoated grass seed.

Coated vs. Uncoated Grass Seed

Who would have known that something as simple as grass seed now has “options”. You can get the plain-jane grass seed that Dad always used for years on the lawn or you can get this super-cool “coated” seed that promises to grow 2x faster. It’s like grass seed on steroids!

But is it really worth buying the blue grass seed? Typically, it’s a little more expensive than regular grass seed so what justifies the cost?

Benefits of Coated Grass Seed

Here’s what I know from experience: coated grass seed does actually work and grow grass. The blue stuff makes a lot of sense for people that don’t want to blow the money or time on watering.

If you’re just fixing a patch in your lawn from where the dog peed or just a dead spot, coated seed is the “set it and forget it” option. Just throw it down on a day when it’s supposed to rain and you’re good to go. Expect grass to grow within a week or so.

Blue or coated grass seed is also great for overseeding your lawn. I dump about two bags in my fertilizer spreader after I’m finished dethatching and aerating every fall and apply to my lawn. Turn the sprinklers on for about a half hour or do it before it rains and you can basically count on great results as long as it rains a few times in the following days after overseeding.

I like using the blue seed because it’s easy and the seed itself is quality. When buying a bag of regular seed, you can expect there to be weed seeds in it. From experience, there’s a lot less junk in the bag of coated seed.

Uncoated Grass Seed: Is It a Thing of The Past?

Non-coated grass seed still has it’s place for serious lawn care people.

It’s much cheaper than the coated seed, meaning you can buy more with the same amount of money. If you’ve ever seeded your lawn before, you’ll know there’s no such thing a applying too much seed. You can definitely apply a lot of seed to your lawn without hurting it. Plus, you grow more grass!

Another benefit of uncoated grass seed is that you’re not putting any chemicals on your lawn. For those that follow organic lawn plans religiously, you don’t have to worry when using the old tried and true grass seed. It’s also safer for dogs as well since uncoated grass seed doesn’t contain any fertilizers or harmful chemicals.