Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix with Fertilizer and Soil Improver, Thrives in Many Conditions, 5.6 lbs.

I’ve purchased this grass seed at least five times. It works PERFECTLY as long as you do it right. If it doesn’t work for you, it’s because you didn’t do it properly and didn’t put in the effort during the first seven days. :) I started with dirt and three weeks later have a full blown lawn. For reference, I’m in Maryland - and have two dogs. You have to put in the proper prep and care for the first week! If you want this stuff to work:- Before you even think about opening the bag, you have to make little holes in the places you want grass to grow. You don’t need to dig up the dirt with a machine or anything crazy (unless you have a massive yard and too much to do by hand), but you do want to fluff it up and make spots for the seed to fall into. I suggest wetting the dirt with a hose (or right after a rain), and use a pitchfork or something with spikes to stab the dirt to make holes and loosen it up. But don’t like dig UP the dirt. Just get it a little soft. If you skip this step, don’t even bother laying the seed. It took me like 30mins, but it is very laborious. If you have a husband, make him do this part. <3- As soon as the dirt is wet and fluffed up, sprinkle the seed (I liked to use my hand - but maybe wear a glove or else it’ll stain your skin). Use a generous amount. I do MORE than a dusting.- Water it immediately after sprinkling the seed. The goal is to get the seed deeper into the soil, not pushed around on top. You don’t want to use a strong setting on your hose or else it’ll move the seeds around. You want them to go IN to the ground.- Then, I know this sucks, but for the first WEEK, water that area every morning and evening - twice a day. I planned mine out with the rain. If it looks like you’ll have a rainy week, you can use the rain to your advantage so you don’t have to water them so much. But you really gotta do this step for the first 7 days, and then you should be golden. If it rains in the morning but not in the evening, water it that evening. If it’ll rain at night but not in the morning, water it in the morning. Must water twice a day for 7 days. And again, don’t use a high setting on your hose, because you don’t want to push the seeds around - you want them to go down into the dirt. Turns out, I liked getting outside for 10mins every morning and evening, so I actually ended up enjoying the watering twice a day for that one week.- I stopped watering my seeds after the 7th day and they were good to go. Grass was sprouting by the second week and I’ve never watered it again.The attached picture: I don’t have a before, but it was literally just dirt. Hard dry dirt. And three weeks later it’s this! You HAVE to wet the dirt and make the holes/fluff it before hand, you must use a generous amount of seed, and then you 100% need to water it twice a day for a week.Also note: I’ve tried other seeds and even laying seed rolls. This is the best as long as you put in the 60mins of prep and water twice a day for the first week.

This is our second bag.Bought 1st bag to reseed the existing yard.Works in sun and shade. Under the live oak tree in front yard I now have grass. Backyard full sun existing grass is plush like a carpet.Germination came up in the two week window.2nd bag will spread again in the existing front yard to add density.

This grass seed is my go to for quick growth in different types of soil and sun/ shade levels. My son is constantly digging something up in the yard and a quick sprinkle of the seed provides growth within a week. The grass blends well with my current lawn and doesn’t look patchy like some grass seeds.

I live in the country so taking care of my lawn is not a high priority. I do not believe it watering a lawn and cut only when it needs to be cut. I am all about low maintenance when it comes to lawn care.That said now and then repairs are needed and having a good an easy to use dependable seed and one that grows in sun or shade, is a must for me. I have tried a number of different types of seed over the years and came across this brand and mix at a local hardware store and it seemed to work out very well for those occasional repairs and patching projects. It grows fast and fills in pretty thick which helps keep weeds at bay in new areas and over-seeding in the fall seems to help choke out weeds in the spring before they get a chance to take root - for the most part anyway.The summer of 2021 I started to take back up golfing and I practice in my back yard which is about an acre. When using irons it is typical to take a divot which, if you hit as many balls as I do, sometimes 200+ a session, can do some serous damage to your lawn over time. To fix these areas I started using the Scotts Turf Builder Sun and Shade Mix. I decided to create a large area, about 1800 sq ft to use just for practicing. The idea being to practice in one spot then repairing that spot after practice is done and moving to an adjacent spot. I researched the type of seed used for fairways on golf courses and this mix is about the same and seems to work really well. The area varies in the amount of sun and shade and this mix works well in that regard too.I have tried a few methods to do repairs. I tried raking with a stiff rake to loosen the soil then sprinkling the seeds on top and re-raking it with a leaf rake to spread the seed evenly which worked fine, but I found that when watering it's too easy to wash the seeds from one area creating spotty growth. It does fill in eventually, but I wanted a method that would be quicker and guarantee even growth.What seems to work best is to fill any deep holes with soil, put down a soil/seed mix, then cover it a small layer of soil to help retain the moisture and tap it down lightly with my foot. I keep a bucket witha mix of top soil and sand and another with a top soil+sand+seed mix that I use just for this purpose. I water two to three times a day with a hose or watering can with a sprinkler head. This method also works well to repair any urine spots my dog makes. It does require flushing the spot real good with water and baking soda first to lower the acidity of the soil.I cut this area with a push reel mower which allows me to cut it real low. Which is another plus to this blend in that it can be cut very low without any problems. However, I normally keep it a little longer in new areas so not to stress the new growth.Since the area is so large area I decided to buy the seed in a larger quantity (20 lb) and found it on Amazon for a real good price. I ended up getting a second bag so I could over seed the area before winter. When over-seeding, I normally just spread it by hand although I have used a hand held spreader too. This worked very well and I was amazed at how dense it was in the spring.Overall I am very pleased with this seed. It is very easy to use, requires minimal maintenance and looks great. If you are looking for a low maintenance seed that is easy to use and grows quickly in sun or shade this will work very well.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Not a miracle, but pretty darn good. I’ll have to overseed, but these pics are day 1 and 6 weeks later after first mow (today). Lower backyard lot had a lot of weeds come up, but not the fault of the product. It was all weeds last summer and I took most of them out with weed and grass killer. Shaded area grew the best. Watered twice a day and got some helpful rain along the way.