Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Sun & Shade Mix

IT WORKS!!!! My grass doesn’t grow in our dry, sandy dirt backyard. I’ve tried other Scott’s products and they don’t work. The pics I added are only a 2 weeks difference! I bought another bag to put down for patchy areas. Although it is pricey.

This seed grows nicely I'm not a person with a lot of experience growing grass but both times I used this seed once in full sun once in part shade it grew great just watered it and about a week later I have nice grass. A little pricey but you only have to plant it once grows no weeds.

Update August 2024I have purchased this same seed for many years and have had good results....until now. The last bag I purchased was in March of this year and have been pretty disappointed. It seems like I am getting more crabgrass, and other weeds I can't identify, in newly planted areas, more than in the past. As I stated in my original review, I only have a small area in my back yard that I try to keep nice. I put down a pre-emergent in the spring to help control weeds, most specifically...crabgrass, and it usually does the trick. I might get an occasional one in later in the summer when it's hot, which is normal, but not like this year. I have been using it to see newly planted areas as well as for over-seeding.It may be that we have more crabgrass this year than in the past, but it's still a potential problem so I have decided to try another brand to see if I get similar or better results. For now, and mainly because my process has not changed, I have changed my rating too four stars.Original ReviewI 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 with a mix of top soil and sand 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 though to wash away the strong nutrients in the urine.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.

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.

I have spent all summer turning my yard into something my dog deserves and my journey in doing this will help all of you reading this review <3I have used 6 or 7 different seeds from a wide variety of different vendors and this is probably my favorite so far. The pictures are over the course of a month. After 2-3 weeks I was struggling to find where I had planted the seed. It's nearly impossible (at the time of writing this post) to tell that there were bare spots at all to begin with. In fact, I had to go through my camera roll and use landmarks to help guide me to the right spot to take the last pictures.Even while watering about half as much as directed, I still got these great results! The bright light green grass in the background of one of the pictures is a completely different seed from another company and was planted before I used this Scotts product. That area still has some bare spots, but you can bet I'll be using Scott's to fix that hahaha