Broadcasting and Raking In Native Grass Seed on a Dry Mountain Lot With a Steel Bow Rake: Double the Rate, a Quarter Inch of Soil, and a Late Fall Window

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Bare dirt left over from a septic job, a new driveway, or an old burn pile will not stay bare for long. If you do not seed it, the weeds will.

Broadcast native grass seed at double the drill rate onto a clean, firm seedbed, then rake it in so the seed ends up about a quarter to three-quarters of an inch deep and pressed against the soil. For dryland seeding, the best window is late fall, before the first big snow, so the seed sits over winter.

What the extension guidance says

Colorado State University Extension's grass seeding guide for the eastern Front Range says a good seedbed is free of old weeds, rocks, and clods, and should be fluffy yet firm. Its test is walking across it: your footprints should sink about a quarter inch.

The same guide says dryland seeding can be done from November 15 to April 30 on unfrozen ground, at a depth of a quarter to three-quarters of an inch. For small areas seeded with a hand broadcaster, it says to double the listed rates and then rake the area.

CSU Extension's high-altitude native grasses page says the best dryland window is late fall before the first big snow, with late June or early July ahead of the monsoon as a riskier second option. It also says to double the rate when broadcasting and work the seed into the soil as well as you can.

Getting the seedbed right

1. Pull or hoe out every live weed and rake off the old weed trash. Seed that lands on a mat of dead weeds never touches soil.
2. Pick out rocks bigger than a golf ball and toss them off the patch.
3. Break clods with the back of the rake and level the surface with the flat side.
4. Walk across it. If your boots sink deeper than a quarter inch, roll or walk the whole patch to firm it.

Seeding by hand

1. Weigh out the seed for the area at double the drill rate printed on the bag or seed tag.
2. Split it into two equal piles.
3. Broadcast the first half walking north-south, the second half walking east-west, for even coverage.
4. Pick a calm day. Wind on an open ridge will carry fine seed to the neighbors.

Raking it in

1. Hold the rake tines down and pull it lightly across the patch in short strokes, just enough to cover the seed.
2. Rake in one direction, then cross-rake once. You are mixing seed into the top half inch, not burying it.
3. Flip the rake and tap the surface with the flat back, or walk the patch, to press the seed against the soil.
4. If you see more than a little seed still sitting on top, give it one more light pass.

A 16-tine steel bow rake is stiff enough to break clods and level the bed, then gentle enough to cover seed when you lighten your grip.

The classic mistake is raking the seed in too deep, as if it were a garden row. Native grass seed is small, and seed buried an inch or more often never makes it to the surface.

Gear and choosing seed

Tractor Supply and most feed stores carry native grass mixes and hand broadcasters. Pick species for your site; the high-altitude page notes blue grama does best on open south- and west-facing slopes, while western wheatgrass is easy to establish and handles drought.

If the bare patch you are seeding came from stripped turf, here is a related walkthrough on cutting sod for a new 4 by 12 perennial bed.