Compost vs. Wheat Straw When Seeding New Lawns
When seeding new lawns, Soil³ compost is superior to wheat straw as a "mulch" to provide a nutritious cover over your seeds and seedlings. It's important to cover your seedlings to help reduce water loss and to help hide them from hungry birds.
Wheat straw is notorious for smothering seeds and seedlings, and, not only does it bring in wheat seeds, it brings in other weed seeds to your new lawn. Weeds are everywhere, even living in your soil for years until they germinate, but you don't need to bring in more by using wheat straw.
Soil³ compost is preferable because you can spread it thinner so it doesn't smother seeds and seedlings, it's naturally heated to 160℉ to kill most weed seeds present at the time, plus compost provides nutrients.
Wheat straw germinating in a bale at a store.
Why Use Compost for Grass Seed Mulch?
Here are all the reasons why compost is a preferable grass seed mulch than wheat straw.
- Compost does not smother seeds or seedlings like wheat straw can, especially when wheat straw is spread too thick
- Wheat straw brings in weed seeds, while Soil³ compost is cooked to 160 degrees, thereby killing weed seeds that are in the material at that time
- Compost adds nutrients, but straw ads none
- Compost improves germination and speeds up grass coverage by ensuring consistent moisture retention of the soil and because the dark color of the compost helps it hold heat from the sunlight
Regarding those nutrients from Soil³ compost, it adds natural nutrients and speeds up germination and coverage as seen on these case studies on Zenith Zoysia seeds and Elite Tall Fescue seeds.
How to Use Compost Instead of Wheat Straw
The process of using compost to create a new lawn is simple:
- Amend Your Ground: It begins with the traditional ground prep of incorporating compost to improve your dirt
- Spread Your Grass Seeds: Use a broadcast spreader to evenly scatter your grass seeds
- Mulch with Our Compost: Use a shovel or compost spreader to spread 1/4" of Soil³ compost on top of your seeds
- Irrigate Your Seeds & Seedlings: Water, water, water until your grass seeds germinate
Compost spreaders, like in the top photo, come in many forms from small drums you push to larger gas-powered spreaders that are self propelled. You can often rent them at your local equipment rental store.
While compost is not a traditional "mulch" for garden beds (rather it is a soil amendment to improve soil quality), for all the reasons previously listed, it functions as a superior mulch when growing lawns from seed.
Related Articles:
To purchase Soil³ compost for your new lawn from any type of grass seed, order online or give us a call.
