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Lawn Seeding and Care Gear
Seeding or repairing a lawn takes the right grass seed for your area, a spreader, starter fertilizer and steady watering; aerating and dethatching help an existing lawn. This guide lists 12 products checked on the maker or store page on 12 Nov 2026.
Photo: Shaded green lawn behind a house with shrubs and mature trees on a summer day. Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
What you need
Grass that fits your area
Tall fescue is a cool-season grass; bermuda, centipede and zoysia are warm-season grasses. Your county extension office can say which suits your county.
A spreader
A push broadcast spreader for whole lawns, or a handheld one for small areas and patches.
Starter fertilizer
Made for new seed, sod, sprigs or plugs; use the bag rate.
Aerator and thatch rake
A step-on core aerator pulls soil plugs; a thatch rake pulls out dead grass.
Water
A sprinkler on a hose timer keeps new seed moist.
A soil test
Lime and fertilizer rates for lawns come from a state lab soil test.
12 products checked on 12 Nov 2026
Spreaders
Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader
Holds up to 5,000 sq ft of Scotts product; EdgeGuard blocks the right side of the spread.
Scotts Wizz Handheld Spreader
Battery powered, 23 settings, holds enough for 2,500 sq ft.
Cool-season seed
Scotts Turf Builder Tall Fescue Mix, 16 lb
Label coverage: up to 4,000 sq ft overseeding or 1,330 sq ft new lawn.
Pennington Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue, 40 lb
40 lb bag; label coverage 8,000 sq ft.
Warm-season seed and plugs
Pennington Smart Seed Bermuda, 8.75 lb
8.75 lb bag; label coverage 5,000 sq ft; the label calls for 8 or more hours of full sun.
Pennington Centipede Grass Seed and Mulch, 5 lb
5 lb of seed mixed with mulch; label coverage 2,000 sq ft.
Sod Pods Zoysia Grass Plugs, 32 Count
32 live, rooted zoysia plugs.
Starter fertilizer
Scotts Turf Builder Starter Food for New Grass, 15 lb
15 lb bag; label coverage 5,000 sq ft; for seed, sod, sprigs or plugs.
Aerating and dethatching
Corona MAX YardBREATHER Aerator LG13605
Step-on aerator that pulls 3.5 in soil plugs and ejects them.
Ames 19-Tine Adjustable Thatch Rake
19 tines in two rows on a 54 in hardwood handle.
Watering
Melnor Turbo Oscillating Sprinkler XT45000
Covers up to 4,000 sq ft with 18 nozzles and an adjustable range.
Orbit 1-Outlet Programmable Hose Timer 56619
Single outlet timer for a standard outdoor hose faucet.
Prices are as listed on the linked store page on 12 Nov 2026 and change often. Amazon buttons are affiliate links: State Gardening may earn a commission at no cost to you. See the affiliate disclosure.
Lawn advice for your county
Each county page lists the nearest county extension office, which gives lawn advice for that county, and the state pages give frost dates and USDA zones.
- Tennessee gardening by county
- Georgia gardening by county
- North Carolina gardening by county
- Texas gardening by county
- Pennsylvania gardening by county
- Ohio gardening by county
For soil tests and state lab prices, see the soil testing guide.
Lawn Seeding and Care Gear: questions
Which grass seed is cool-season and which is warm-season?
Tall fescue, including Kentucky 31, is a cool-season grass. Bermuda, centipede and zoysia are warm-season grasses.
How much area does a bag of grass seed cover?
It is printed on the bag. The 16 lb tall fescue mix here covers up to 4,000 sq ft overseeding or 1,330 sq ft of new lawn; the 40 lb Kentucky 31 bag covers 8,000 sq ft.
Do I need a push spreader or a handheld one?
The handheld spreader here holds enough for 2,500 sq ft and the push spreader up to 5,000 sq ft of product.
Who can tell me the best grass for my county?
Your county extension office. Each county page on this site lists the nearest office with its address and phone number.
Where are the prices from?
Each price is what the linked store page listed on 12 Nov 2026.
Does State Gardening earn from these links?
The Amazon buttons are affiliate links. County data is not affected by them.
More gear guides
Photos: Shaded green lawn behind a house with shrubs and mature trees on a summer day: Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Freshly seeded front lawn turning green beside bare soil and a garden hose: HA1256, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Community vegetable area with brick paths, timber beds and flowering plants: David Hawgood, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of green and red lettuce growing in wooden-edged beds with drip irrigation: SA, The Green Ark, Bostanie, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rainbow chard growing beside orange marigolds in a raised garden bed: Missvain, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Rows of tiny green seedlings growing in black plastic seed trays: Pascal Kings, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Raised wooden vegetable bed planted with rows of lettuce and salad greens: Acabashi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Dark finished compost filling a wooden compost bin in a garden: Bernard Dejean, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Community vegetable garden with chard, squash and staked tomato plants in summer: Gavin Anderson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.