It could be you scattered the seed in a patchy pattern, but I would suspect you covered it with topsoil unevenly and that stopped some of the seed from sprouting. Grass seed should not be covered with anything. Once you scatter the seed it should be rolled down or walked on (for very small areas) to press the seed into the surface. That's all.

You can mow when the grass is upwards of 4 inches high. Then mulch mow it down to 4 inches.

NEVER rototill in preparation for a lawn. Many people feel the need to till the ground, but I think the jury is out as to whether it is ever beneficial. As for lawns it is definitely going to be a problem for you for years to come. How deep did you till originally?

I would agree some patches probably got covered with too much soil. I laid down new seed in bare spots a couple of weeks ago and it is growing in nice except where my neighbor "helpfully" covered my seeds with more soil because she saw birds eating the seed. Sigh. I have scattered more on top and lightly raked it in in hopes that it will take.

hi all,

thank you for your comments and this is really helpful. sad to know that we did some mistakes. But I am confused how to avoid danger of washing away during watering, or blow away during winds (its windy in Livermore, CA now).

It was recommended on the bags as well and some youtube videos also.

Anyways, will follow some guidelines as you all recommended and monitor the results.

Thanks,

Deb

It does help to put a little soil down but you only need 1/8 to 1/4 of inch and this can be hard to control. I find it's easier just to put the top dressing first and then lightly rake it in. You can use a roller to press it down but I just walked over it. Maybe not ideal, but seems to have worked. If you are keeping the seeds slightly moist by frequent light watering, usually the wind won't carry it away.

I'm no expert, but I'd be inclined to scatter some more seed in the bare spots.

your best to use a rake and rake over the soil scratch it if you call it after you do that you put your grass seed into a spreader on a high setting then walk after your finished put over top soil or compost then lightly rake then water in

I was just wondering how things turned out for you with your patchy lawn. It's always interesting to follow up on great topics like this. Speaking of lawns, I recently bought a house in California as well, but the previous owners filled the backyard with concrete. I'm thinking of removing it and putting in a nice lawn instead. I found one website that sells turf rolls, and I'm curious to know your thoughts on them. Anyway, I hope you were able to get your lawn looking the way you wanted. As a newbie to this forum, I'm always excited to connect with other homeowners and exchange tips and ideas about lawn care and landscaping.

Hi Dean. Since your question is basically unrelated to the originator of this topic, you should open a new with your own subject, so people can respond and follow your progress. When you post it is much more helpful to mention where you live. California covers every USDA zone, climate, and soil type, so you can't just pick a grass type for 'California.'