How much bermuda grass seed per square foot? (per 1,000 sq ft, new lawn and overseeding, zoysia too)
Bermudagrass is seeded at 1.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn, the midpoint of the 1-2 lb range in the NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns: 0.0015 lb per square foot, or 2.4 oz per 100 sq ft, 1.5 lb for 1,000 sq ft and 7.5 lb for 5,000. Overseeding takes half, 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft. Zoysiagrass carries the same rate. The tables below give ounces per 100 sq ft for every grass type, the seed and sod for lawns of 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft, and the warm-season calendar for mowing and feeding; the arithmetic is the grass seed calculator's.
Open the grass seed calculator
How much bermuda grass seed per 100 square feet, and the other grasses?
Rates are written per 1,000 sq ft; ÷ 10 and × 16 gives ounces per 100 sq ft, the figure for a patch repair. Bermudagrass and zoysiagrass share the NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns rate; the cool-season grasses come from Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1. Overseeding is half the new-lawn rate where the extension page gives no separate figure (Ohio State University Extension). Read on 2026-09-20.
| Grass type | New lawn, lb per 1,000 sq ft | per 100 sq ft | Overseeding, lb per 1,000 sq ft | per 100 sq ft | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky bluegrass | 2.5 | 4 oz | 1.25 | 2 oz | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 seeding rates |
| Tall fescue (turf-type) | 7 | 11.2 oz | 4 | 6.4 oz | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Perennial ryegrass | 4.5 | 7.2 oz | 5 | 8 oz | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Fine fescue | 4.5 | 7.2 oz | 2.75 | 4.4 oz | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 |
| Bermudagrass | 1.5 | 2.4 oz | 0.75 | 1.2 oz | NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns, seeding rate |
| Zoysiagrass | 1.5 | 2.4 oz | 0.75 | 1.2 oz | NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns, seeding rate |
| Sun and shade mix (bluegrass, fine fescue, ryegrass) | 3.5 | 5.6 oz | 1.75 | 2.8 oz | Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1 mixtures |
How much bermuda grass seed for my lawn?
1.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft × the lawn in thousands of square feet; overseeding at 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft. The last two columns are the alternative the Clemson HGIC 1216, Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program names for large bare areas in May, sod: CT Sod, How many square feet of sod comes on a pallet rolls of 10 sq ft with 10% extra for cuts, 50 to a pallet, as in How much sod do I need for 500 square feet?. Zoysia takes the same seed figures.
| Lawn | Seed, new lawn | Seed, overseeding | Sod rolls | Pallets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | 1.5 lb | 0.75 lb | 110 | 3 |
| 2,000 sq ft | 3 lb | 1.5 lb | 220 | 5 |
| 3,000 sq ft | 4.5 lb | 2.25 lb | 330 | 7 |
| 4,000 sq ft | 6 lb | 3 lb | 440 | 9 |
| 5,000 sq ft | 7.5 lb | 3.75 lb | 550 | 11 |
| 6,000 sq ft | 9 lb | 4.5 lb | 660 | 14 |
| 7,000 sq ft | 10.5 lb | 5.25 lb | 770 | 16 |
| 8,000 sq ft | 12 lb | 6 lb | 880 | 18 |
| 9,000 sq ft | 13.5 lb | 6.75 lb | 990 | 20 |
| 10,000 sq ft | 15 lb | 7.5 lb | 1,100 | 22 |
Type your own area in the grass seed calculator: pick bermudagrass or zoysiagrass, new lawn or overseeding, and it gives the pounds and the bags for any size. For a field, How much grass seed per acre? scales the rate to 43,560 sq ft.
The warm-season calendar: mowing, feeding, repairs
Warm-season lawn (southern US) in the calculator follows the Clemson HGIC 1216, Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program: mow bermudagrass at 1-1.5 in (University of Maryland Extension, Maintaining an Established Lawn, mowing height), no nitrogen until after green-up, then 3 feeds of ½-1 lb per 1,000 sq ft, the last before 15 August. On the 32-0-4 bag that is 1.56 lb to 3.13 lb per feed per 1,000 sq ft; How much fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft? has the other analyses.
| Month | Mowing | Fertilizer | Repairs, aeration, water |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | Mow at around 1 in before green-up. | Avoid nitrogen until after green-up (coastal, frost-free areas excepted). | Core aerate, combined with dethatching, after the threat of frost passes (not if a pre-emergent was applied). Dethatch when thatch exceeds ½ in (blade spacing 2-3 in, ¼ in deep). |
| April | Mow at around 1 in before green-up. | Avoid nitrogen until after green-up. | Core aerate after the threat of frost passes. |
| May | Start at 1¼-1½ in, gradually down to 1 in at the lowest; raise it during heat stress. | Early May: ½-1 lb N/1,000 sq ft. | Replant large bare areas in May with sod, plugs or sprigs. Water ¾-1 in when the lawn shows stress, deeply and infrequently. |
| June | 1¼-1½ in; raise during heat stress. | June-July: ½-1 lb N/1,000 sq ft, high-potassium formulation. | Water ¾-1 in when the lawn shows stress. |
| July | 1¼-1½ in; raise during heat stress. | June-July: ½-1 lb N/1,000 sq ft, high-potassium formulation. | Water ¾-1 in when the lawn shows stress. |
| August | 1¼-1½ in; raise during heat stress. | Before 15 August: ½-1 lb N/1,000 sq ft, the last of the year (2-4 lb N/1,000 sq ft a year in total). | Water ¾-1 in when the lawn shows stress. |
| September | Raise the mower slightly once nights fall below 70°F. | No nitrogen; potassium only if a soil test calls for it (1 lb K2O/1,000 sq ft, 4-6 weeks before the first frost). | Keep watering to prevent drought stress. |
Every figure above is the seed and fertilizer calculators’ own arithmetic on the extension rates, whose sources and dates are listed on the calculator pages; the label on the bag wins, and the lb per 1,000 sq ft figure on it is the one to type in.
Frequently asked questions
- How much bermuda grass seed per square foot?
- 0.0015 lb: the NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns rate of 1-2 lb per 1,000 sq ft at its midpoint, 1.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft, divided by 1,000. Nobody weighs seed per square foot, so use 2.4 oz per 100 sq ft on a patch and pounds per 1,000 sq ft on a lawn; the calculator takes any area.
- How much bermuda grass seed per 1,000 sq ft for overseeding?
- 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft, 1.2 oz per 100 sq ft: half the new-lawn rate, the rule of thumb from Ohio State University Extension. The label on the bag wins.
- How much bermuda grass seed for 5,000 sq ft?
- 7.5 lb for a new lawn, 3.75 lb for overseeding: five times the figure per 1,000 sq ft. The size table runs from 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft; measure the lawn once in the calculator (shapes minus beds and paths) and it gives the pounds for your area.
- How much zoysia grass seed per 1,000 sq ft?
- 1.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn, the same NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, chapter 9 Lawns, seeding rate rate as bermudagrass (1-2 lb, midpoint), and 0.75 lb per 1,000 sq ft for overseeding; the size table serves both grasses. The mowing height differs: zoysia 1.5-2.5 in, bermuda 1-1.5 in (University of Maryland Extension, Maintaining an Established Lawn, mowing height).
- How much less seed does bermuda take than tall fescue?
- 1.5 lb sows a thousand square feet where tall fescue takes 7 lb (Penn State Extension, Lawn Establishment, Table 1): 4.7 times less by weight, the two extension rates side by side. Spreading 2.4 oz evenly over 100 sq ft is the hard part, which is why the table gives ounces per 100 sq ft: portion the seed before you start.
- When do you feed a bermuda grass lawn?
- Early May, June-July and before 15 August; none from September to green-up (Clemson HGIC 1216, Bermudagrass Yearly Maintenance Program): 3 feeds of ½-1 lb of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft. On the calculator's 32-0-4 bag that is 1.56 lb to 3.13 lb per feed and 4.69 lb to 9.37 lb a year per 1,000 sq ft. Set the climate to warm-season in the fertilizer calculator and the year's bags follow.
- How much bermuda grass seed per acre?
- 65.3 lb for a new lawn (1.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft × 43.56), 32.7 lb for overseeding. The acre guide has every grass type and the sod for the same ground.
More guides
- How much grass seed per square foot? (rates by grass type)
Seed rates by grass type for a new lawn and overseeding, in lb per 1,000 sq ft and kg per 100 m²; seed, sod and fertilizer by lawn size.
- How much grass seed per acre? (pounds by grass type, new lawn and overseeding, ¼ to 5 acres)
Grass seed per acre from the extension rates: tall fescue, bluegrass, ryegrass, fine fescue, bermuda, zoysia; new lawn and overseeding; ¼ to 5 acres.
- How much fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft? (pounds of 32-0-4, 24-0-6, 16-8-8 and 10-10-10 at 1 lb of nitrogen)
Pounds of fertilizer per 1,000 sq ft at 1 lb of nitrogen, by N-P-K from 32-0-4 to 10-10-10; bags and cost for a year on 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft; UK per m².
- How much sod do I need for 500 square feet? (rolls, pallets and cost, 100 to 2,000 sq ft)
Sod for lawns of 100 to 2,000 sq ft: rolls and pallets with the extra for cuts, the cost from the price per roll and the weight to expect; UK turf rolls in m² too.
Last updated 2026-09-22. Rates from university extension guides and product labels, each with its source and date: the label on the bag wins.