I killed the weeds and grass with glyphosate last week and was going to scrape off all the dead weeds and grass before applying new grass seed. Then I realized I was just going to put something like straw on top of the seed to help control it from washing away. Besides ensuring better seed-to-soil contact, is there any reason I NEED to remove that dead grass? Won't that work just as well as putting straw on top?

I did the same thing on a different part of the yard last year and it turned out awesome, but I tried removing all that dead sod with a tiller and it just wasn't working. The tiller didn't get through the sod very well. I chopped as much as I could and raked it all away. Then I planted seed and applied a thin layer of compost on top of it. I have a sharp hoe that will shave it off, but it's going to be a lot of work. I'd rather not go through all that work if the dead grass will just compost-away on its own.

So what do you think?

BTW -- there is no thatch. So the seed will get to the soil.