How many square feet does a bale of straw cover for grass seed? One bale of pine straw can cover about 80 square feet with a 3-inch recommended depth.
You need to plant grass when you plan to refurbish your house’s front lawn. After planting the grass seed, you must cover them using organic material such as straw.
But, you might be worried about how many bales of straw you need to cover those grass seeds. This article will help you estimate how many bales of straw you need for your lawn.
How Many Square Feet Does A Bale Of Straw Cover For Grass Seed
One bale of straw is enough to cover approximately 80-100 square feet of area with a 3-inch depth. This is for the straw bale from Lowe’s, which is listed as 20 cubic ft compressed volume.
Again, some straw bale can cover around 50-45 sq. ft area with 3 inches depth. And this calculation applies to the pine straw.
However, for wheat straw, 1 bale of wheat straw can cover around 73-80 sq. ft area with recommended 2 inches depth.
Again, this depends on your area size, where you want to plant the seed, the type of seed you’ll plant, and how you will be spreading it.
Besides, if you are covering over the old straw, the amount of straw may decrease. In that case, the overall seed and straw cost per square foot for different grass can help.
Typically, one bale of straw weighs between 700lbs and to 900lbs and comes from rye or wheat plants. Straw bales are available in bulk. But, it would help if you did not use a lot of straw to cover the grass seed because they’ll obstruct the seed from growing correctly.
How Should You Cover Grass Seed With Straw
When you want to put straw over grass seed, you should consider many things to perform the task successfully. The type of seed and the straw you will use are crucial because laying down straw thicker than it requires won’t help the seed touch soil.
Also, you must ensure that you have covered the entire lawn. If you leave any part uncovered, it can cause the seed to dry off. You get two options while planting a lawn; use straw like a seedbed by laying them down, or put the grass seed directly on the lawn soil.
But, covering with straw is preferable to planting the grass seed straight in the ground. When you cover the grass seed with straw, remember the below tips:
- When you have the bales of straw, you want to put them in a straight line. If you use one line, you could disperse the straw evenly.
- Cover the seed with straw over where you have planted the seed.
- You should do it to help rake weeds, keep the cool temperature for the soil, and help save the grass seed from reaching the birds.
- Be careful to avoid packing the straw down as it can prevent running off water from the seed when you water them.
- The straw blocks the water from holding it in the soil to ensure the need for seed.
The Amount Of Straw You Need Depending On Yard Size & Other Factors
This section is for you if you want to know: how many sq ft does a bale of pine straw cover?
You already learned that you could cover up to 80 sq. feet of area with one bale of straw.
It’s possible to cover up that amount of land if you lay down the straw at a 2-inch depth. It means the amount of straw can depend more or less on different factors and the yard size.
So, you must know: how do you calculate straw? If you cover the straw thinner than 2-inch, you can use them for more area. For example, if you use the straw to make a 1-inch depth, you can cover between 100 to 300 sq. feet using one bale of straw.
Besides, 100 bales of straw per acre are required. The application rate is about two tons for every one acre of land area. It would help if you chose clean straw from wheat, rice, pine, or barley.
Average Application Rate Of Straw
The average application rate for every acre of land should be 2 tons. Or, it can be one bale of straw with 74lbs for every 800 sq. feet. Most manufacturers suggest using one bale of straw for up to 80 sq. feet with a 2-inch depth.
The dimension of one bale is (36x18x140) inches, and its compressed volume is 20 cubic feet. The bale size, on average, is 14-inch high and 18-inch wide, and the length is between 36-inch to 40-inch.
How Many Bales Of Straw Do You May Need For Your Yard
You need 100 bales of straw for one acre of land, meaning the application rate is about two tons for every one acre of land area. Also, you can use a 74lbs bale of straw for every 800 sq. feet.
When you need to plant tall fescue, you’ll want 3 to 6 bales of straw for a 2000 sq. feet lawn. On average, a bale of straw costs between $3 to $4.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Many Bales Of Straw Do I Need?
You should get 100 bales of straw for one acre of land, which means the application rate is about two tons for every one acre of land area. Similarly, you can use a 74lbs bale of straw for every 800 sq. feet.
How Much Straw Should I Put On My Lawn?
You want one bale of straw covering about 80 sq. feet with 2-inch thickness. So, if you have a lawn with 800 sq. feet, you need 10 bales of straw. But, you may need fewer straws if you lay them down thinner than 2-inch in depth.
How Many Square Feet Is A Square Bale?
If it’s a 1000lb round bale, it’ll be 20 of 50lb small square bales. Similarly, a 1200lb round bale with a 40lb small square will be 30 bales of the small square.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you got the right answer to the question: how many square feet does a bale of straw cover for grass seed? Indeed, you can cover up to 80 sq. feet of land with one bale of pine straw with a 2-inch depth.
The amount of straw will differ if you make the straw layer thicker or thinner than 2-inch. Also, it depends on seed type and the duration of the germination.
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If it has a motor Jason has a pretty good idea about how it works. Jason graduated in Automotive Mechanics Technology from Bishop State in 1992. After working on vehicles for 11 years he made the transition to selling tractors and lawn care vehicles. Currently, Jason writes and edits much of our content as he transitions into retirement with his lovely wife, Shelley.