Lawn Care
The lawn renovation product kit, in buying order
Reseeding a lawn is five purchases, and the order matters more than the brands. Two of the five are useless if you buy them in the wrong week.
Affiliate disclosure: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which product we rank first — here is how we're funded.
We have not tested these units. Every spec on this page comes from the manufacturer's own documentation and is linked to it. Every computed figure is arithmetic you can redo. Prices are checked daily — last verified October 11, 2026. Here is exactly how we pick.
There is a method page for reseeding a lawn and this is not it. This is the shopping list: the five things you actually buy, what each one publishes as its rate, and the order they get used in — because two of the five do nothing useful if they arrive in the wrong week, and one of them can set the project back a year.
The short answer
The five purchases, with published rates
| Order | What to buy | Published rate or figure | Why it is in this position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MySoil Soil Test Kit | Lab nutrient panel with a pH figure | Purchases 2 and 5 are both conditional on the result. Buying them first is guessing. |
| 2 | JG Mag-I-Cal Plus, Acidic & Hard Soil (if pH is low) | 7.2 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn; 3.6 established | Correcting soil has to happen before seed lives in it, not after. |
| 3 | Scotts EdgeGuard DLX spreader | Hopper rated to 15,000 sq ft; factory calibrated, no assembly | Everything after this is a rate per 1,000 sq ft. Uneven application wastes all of it. |
| 4 | JG Black Beauty Ultra grass seed | 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft new; 2.5 lb overseeding | Seed goes down on corrected soil, into a spreader you can set. |
| 5 | JG Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer | Formulated for seeding and sodding | Establishment nutrition, with or just after the seed. Not a regular lawn food. |
Rates and figures transcribed from each maker's own published page, all five cited below. Jonathan Green publishes a new-lawn and an established-lawn rate for the pH amendment and a new-lawn and overseeding rate for the seed; both pairs are reproduced here rather than averaged. No price appears in this table — prices move daily and the buttons carry the live ones with the date checked.
Why the order is the point
Each of the five has a window, and three of the windows are set by the ones before them.
1. The soil test
MySoil returns a lab-analyzed nutrient panel with a pH figure. You need the number in two bands: whether pH is below 6.7 (raise it), above 7.0 (lower it), or between the two, where no product in our registry publishes a rate — which is the makers' own way of saying leave it alone.
The alternative is ranked beside it in best soil test kits, which compares what each one reports and how long the turnaround is. Turnaround matters here: a renovation has a window, and a test that comes back after the window has closed is next year's test.
#ad Check the MySoil Soil Test Kit price on Amazon — how we're funded.
2. The pH amendment, if the test calls for one
Jonathan Green publishes 7.2 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn and 3.6 for an established one, an 18 lb bag covering up to 2,500 sq ft on the new-lawn rate, derivation from gypsum, calcium carbonate, iron humate and soy protein hydrolysate, biochar in the mix, and frequency by measured pH band — once a year from 5.9 to 6.7 and twice a year at 5.9 or below.
Note the coverage halves at the new-lawn rate. An 18 lb bag covers 5,000 sq ft on an established lawn and 2,500 on a renovation, which is the sort of thing that sends people back to the store mid-job.
#ad Check the Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil, 18 lb price on Amazon — how we're funded.
3. The spreader
Scotts publishes SKU 76232B, a hopper rated to hold up to 15,000 sq ft of product, full factory calibration out of the box with no assembly, EdgeGuard blocking of the right side of the pattern, and suitability for fertilizer, grass seed, granular controls, ice melt and salt.
The calibration is the reason it is here rather than any spreader: the dial numbers correspond to the settings printed on Scotts bags, which removes the largest single source of error. The honest gap is that Scotts publishes no spread width, so pass spacing still has to be established by walking it — the full accounting, including what Scotts does not publish, is in our EdgeGuard DLX review, and what to do with a third-party bag is in spreader settings.
#ad Check the Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX Broadcast Spreader price on Amazon — how we're funded.
4. The seed
Jonathan Green publishes a species mix of tall fescues, Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass for Black Beauty Ultra, a 7 to 14 day germination window, a 6-plus hours of sun requirement, and coverage that works out to 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn and 2.5 lb for overseeding.
Five pounds against the Scotts mix's 7.5 for the same job is a 50% difference in seed volume, and the two agree exactly at 2.5 lb for overseeding — a detail that tells you both coverage tables were calculated from rates rather than estimated. The full comparison, including the shade and sun variants, is in best grass seed.
#ad Check the Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed price on Amazon — how we're funded.
5. The starter fertilizer, not a lawn food
Jonathan Green publishes Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer as formulated for seeding and sodding — establishment nutrition rather than top growth. This is the purchase people substitute with whatever bag is in the garage, and it is the substitution that costs the most: a high-nitrogen lawn food pushes leaf on a plant whose whole job that month is putting down roots.
The class is ranked in best fertilizer for new grass, and what happens in the six weeks after — which is mostly watering, done the opposite way to an established lawn — is in watering a new lawn.
#ad Check the Jonathan Green Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer for Seeding & Sodding (12-18-8) price on Amazon — how we're funded.
Who this kit is for, and who should skip it
It is for you if you are reseeding a thin or failed lawn this season, you have between about 1,000 and 15,000 sq ft to cover, and you would rather buy five things once than make four trips. It is also the right list for a first renovation, because the order protects you from the two mistakes that cost a year.
Who each purchase is for. The soil test is for everyone on this page, without exception. The pH amendment is only for someone whose test came back outside 6.7 to 7.0 — and only in the matching direction. The spreader is for anyone who does not already own a calibrated one; skip it if you do. The seed is for a lawn with 6-plus hours of sun, which is what Jonathan Green publishes for Black Beauty Ultra — a shadier lawn wants the dense-shade mix instead. The starter fertilizer is for anyone putting seed down, and nobody else.
Skip the whole kit if your lawn is thin because of shade rather than wear — reseeding into deep shade fails whatever you spend, and moss and shady lawns covers the real options. Skip it if you applied a crabgrass pre-emergent this season, because seed will not establish through it. And skip it if you are past your region's seeding window, in which case the test is still worth buying now and the rest waits for next year.
What is deliberately not in this kit
- A pre-emergent. A crabgrass preventer stops seeds establishing and cannot tell your seed from crabgrass seed. Renovation and pre-emergent are different months of the same year — see best crabgrass preventers.
- A regular lawn food. Covered above. Its month comes later.
- An aerator or dethatcher. Often worth doing first, and often not — it depends which problem you have. Dethatching vs aerating settles it, and it is a rental decision as much as a purchase.
- A roller. Useful for pressing seed into contact, harmful on clay. Not a default purchase — best lawn rollers covers when it earns its place.
What we cannot tell you
Whether your renovation will take. We have run no seed trials and no soil samples. MySoil publishes what its panel covers but no accuracy tolerance against a state lab. Jonathan Green publishes no calcium percentage and no time to effect for the pH amendment, so the size and speed of a pH shift cannot be predicted from the label. Scotts publishes no spread width for the spreader, which is the figure pass spacing actually needs. Germination percentages, weed seed content and inert matter are on the seed tag rather than the product pages we cite, so we have not reproduced them. And the biggest variable is not on this list at all: seed-to-soil contact and consistent moisture in the first three weeks decide more about the outcome than any product choice here, and neither can be bought.
The products discussed
Specs are the manufacturer's own and linked to the page they came from. Prices come from a live daily check; where we have no verified price we say so rather than print a stale one.
MySoil Soil Test Kit
MySoil · Mail-in lab test · Our score 8.9/10
#ad Price as of October 11, 2026. Prices change; we check daily. How we're funded.
Thirteen plant-available nutrients plus pH, with the only published turnaround time of any kit here -- six to eight days.
Published specs
| Nutrients reported | 13 plus pH |
|---|---|
| Nitrogen forms | Nitrate and ammonium, reported separately |
| Also reported | P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, B, Cu, Zn, Na |
| Turnaround | 6-8 days |
| Return postage | Prepaid |
| In the box | Sample jar with resin capsule, scoop |
| Recommendations | Custom fertilizer recommendations included |
| Samples per kit | Not specified |
Source: MySoil Test Kit, mysoiltesting.com
MySoil publishes 6-8 days; Soil Savvy's own how-it-works page publishes no turnaround at all, and the figure quoted for it elsewhere is 7-10 days. Taking the published windows at face value, MySoil's worst case (8 days) matches Soil Savvy's best case, and its best case is 4 days ahead of the alternative's worst. For a fall seeding window that closes in mid-October, days matter.
What the numbers favor
- Splits nitrogen into nitrate and ammonium rather than reporting one number
- 6-8 day turnaround published outright
- Prepaid return postage in the box
- Resin-capsule method measures what the plant can actually take up, not total soil content
- Custom fertilizer recommendations come with the report
What they don't
- Does not publish how many samples one kit covers
- No published lab accreditation
- Thirteen nutrients to Soil Savvy's fourteen -- aluminum is the one missing
- A mail-in test is a snapshot; it cannot show you how the soil changes through the season
you need an answer this afternoon. Every mail-in kit costs you a week before you can act on it.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil, 18 lb
Jonathan Green · Soil amendment (raises pH) · Our score 8.5/10
#ad Price as of October 11, 2026. Prices change; we check daily. How we're funded.
The only product here whose application frequency is published as a function of your measured pH -- which is the correct way to sell a soil amendment.
Published specs
| Direction | Raises soil pH |
|---|---|
| Coverage, 18 lb bag | Up to 5,000 sq ft established, or 2,500 sq ft new |
| Coverage, 54 lb bag | Up to 15,000 sq ft established |
| Rate, existing lawn | 3.6 lb per 1,000 sq ft |
| Rate, new lawn | 7.2 lb per 1,000 sq ft |
| Frequency at pH 5.9-6.7 | Once per year |
| Frequency at pH 5.9 or below | Twice per year, at least one month apart |
| Derived from | Calcium sulfate dihydrate (gypsum), calcium carbonate, iron humate, soy protein hydrolysate |
| Also published | Contains biochar; helps loosen hard soils |
| Nutrients named | Calcium, sulfur and iron |
| Calcium percentage | Not published on the product page |
Source: Mag-I-Cal Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil, jonathangreen.com
Jonathan Green publishes 3.6 lb per 1,000 sq ft to shift pH on an established lawn. Espoma publishes 12 lb per 1,000 sq ft to raise pH. That is 3.33x the material for the same stated direction of travel, from two makers' own published rates. Neither publishes a calcium percentage, so the difference cannot be traced to the chemistry -- only to the instruction.
What the numbers favor
- Application frequency is published as a function of measured pH, so a soil test result maps straight onto a rate
- Publishes separate rates for an existing lawn and a new one
- The lowest application rate of any pH product here at 3.6 lb per 1,000 sq ft
- Names three nutrients and a four-item derived-from list
- Publishes a biochar and soil-loosening claim separately from the pH claim
What they don't
- No calcium percentage and no calcium carbonate equivalent, so the pH shift cannot be computed
- No stated time to effect -- Espoma publishes 6 to 8 weeks and this does not
- The 18 lb bag covers only 2,500 sq ft on a new lawn, half its established-lawn figure
- Useless, and possibly harmful, without a soil test first
you have not tested your soil. Every figure on this product is conditional on a pH number you do not have yet, and the alkaline version of the same product does the exact opposite -- guessing has a 50% chance of making the problem worse.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX Broadcast Spreader
Scotts · Push broadcast spreader · Our score 8.7/10
#ad Price as of October 11, 2026. Prices change; we check daily. How we're funded.
The only spreader in our registry that arrives calibrated and can block one side of its own pattern -- and the one whose maker publishes no spread width at all.
Published specs
| SKU | 76232B |
|---|---|
| Type | Broadcast (rotary) spreader |
| Hopper | Holds up to 15,000 sq ft of product |
| EdgeGuard | Blocks the right side of the spread pattern |
| Calibration | Fully calibrated out of the box; no assembly |
| Wheels | Plastic, open-spoke design |
| Spreads | Fertilizer, grass seed, granular weed/insect/disease controls, ice melt, salt |
| Guarantee | ScottsMiracle-Gro No-Quibble Money Back Guarantee |
| Spread width | Not published by Scotts |
| Weight and hopper capacity in pounds | Not published by Scotts |
| Scotts list price | $114.99 |
Source: Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX Broadcast Spreader (76232B), scottsmiraclegro.com
Scotts rates the hopper at 15,000 sq ft of product and publishes Halts at 10,000 sq ft per 20.12 lb bag. 15,000 / 10,000 x 20.12 = about 30 lb. Scotts publishes the hopper only in square feet, never in pounds, so this conversion is ours and it holds only for the specific product you are spreading -- grass seed and ice melt have different densities entirely.
What the numbers favor
- Arrives calibrated, which removes the single largest source of error in spreading
- EdgeGuard blocks one side of the pattern, so a bed edge or a driveway does not get fertilized
- The largest published hopper rating of any spreader in our registry at 15,000 sq ft
- Rated for ice melt and salt as well as lawn product, so it works twice a year
- Scotts publishes a list price, which gives the live Amazon figure something to be checked against
What they don't
- Scotts publishes no spread width, so pass spacing has to come from a retailer listing or from walking it
- No published weight and no hopper capacity in pounds
- Plastic open-spoke wheels, and no wheel diameter is published
- The guarantee is a refund window, not a mechanical warranty
your lawn is under about 2,000 sq ft. A 15,000 sq ft hopper on a small lawn is a storage problem, and a hand-held spreader finishes the job faster.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed
Jonathan Green · Seed (no power) · Our score 8.6/10
#ad Price as of October 11, 2026. Prices change; we check daily. How we're funded.
Half the seed per thousand square feet of the mass-market bag, on a tall fescue base that publishes its species list.
Published specs
| Species | Tall fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass |
|---|---|
| Percentages | Not published |
| New lawn coverage | 200 sq ft per lb |
| Overseeding coverage | 400 sq ft per lb |
| Bag sizes | 1, 3, 7, 25, 50 lb |
| Germination | 7-14 days |
| Sunlight | 6+ hours per day |
| Shade tolerance | Rated excellent by the maker |
Source: Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed, jonathangreen.com
The 25 lb bag is rated for 5,000 sq ft of new lawn and 10,000 sq ft of overseeding. 25 / 5 = 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft new, and 25 / 10 = 2.5 lb per 1,000 sq ft over an existing lawn. Every bag size in the range works out to the same two rates, which is a sign the coverage table was calculated rather than guessed.
What the numbers favor
- Species list published, even without percentages
- 5 lb per 1,000 sq ft for a new lawn is a third less seed than the Scotts mix asks for
- Germination window published as 7-14 days
- Range runs from a 1 lb patch bag to a 50 lb reseed
What they don't
- No published cultivar names or blend percentages
- Needs 6+ hours of sun despite the shade rating
- Tall fescue base has a coarser leaf than a bluegrass lawn
you are patching a warm-season lawn. This is a cool-season mix and will not persist in bermudagrass country.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Jonathan Green Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer for Seeding & Sodding (12-18-8)
Jonathan Green · Fertilizer (no power) · Our score 8.9/10
#ad Price as of October 11, 2026. Prices change; we check daily. How we're funded.
18% phosphate is the whole point: new seed is building roots, and a starter analysis puts phosphorus where a lawn food does not.
Published specs
| Guaranteed analysis | 12-18-8 |
|---|---|
| Coverage | 5 lb covers 1,500 sq ft; 15 lb covers 5,000 sq ft; 45 lb covers 15,000 sq ft |
| When to apply | The same day you seed or lay sod |
| Seeding windows | Mid-August to mid-October, or mid-March to mid-May |
| Slow release | 25% |
| Feeding duration | 2 months |
| Derived from | Urea, polymer-coated urea, muriate of potash, diammonium phosphate |
Source: Green-Up Fertilizer for Seeding & Sodding, jonathangreen.com
15 lb over 5,000 sq ft is 15 / 5 = 3 lb of product per 1,000 sq ft. At 12% nitrogen that is 3 x 0.12 = 0.36 lb N -- deliberately low, because seedlings burn. At 18% phosphate it is 3 x 0.18 = 0.54 lb of P2O5, which is the figure a 0-phosphate lawn food cannot deliver at any rate. The 5 lb bag works out identically: 5 / 1.5 = 3.33 lb per 1,000 sq ft, close enough that the coverage table is internally consistent.
What the numbers favor
- 18% phosphate, the nutrient new roots need and most lawn foods now omit
- 0.36 lb N per 1,000 sq ft is gentle enough for seedlings
- 25% slow release published as a percentage
- Three bag sizes, from a 1,500 sq ft patch to 15,000 sq ft
- Nitrogen sources named individually on the label
What they don't
- Feeds two months, against three for the same maker's established-lawn bag
- Phosphorus is restricted on established lawns in several states -- this is a new-lawn product only
- Muriate of potash means chloride, which some soils do not need more of
- The rate per 1,000 sq ft has to be derived from the coverage table, not read off the bag
your lawn is already established. At that point phosphate is the nutrient you are least likely to be short of, and several states restrict it.
How it scores
Scores are our editorial weighting of the published specs above, not a test result. They are deliberately kept out of this page's structured data.
Where to buy the tools on this page
Every link below is an Amazon affiliate link. We show no price we have not verified today, so where there is no live figure the link says "check price" and takes you to the listing to read it there.
Best turnaround
MySoil Soil Test Kit
MySoil · Mail-in lab test
Best for a soil test under 6.7
Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil, 18 lb
Jonathan Green · Soil amendment (raises pH)
Best hopper for the money
Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX Broadcast Spreader
Scotts · Push broadcast spreader
Best coverage per pound
Jonathan Green Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed
Jonathan Green · Seed (no power)
Best for new seed
Jonathan Green Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer for Seeding & Sodding (12-18-8)
Jonathan Green · Fertilizer (no power)
#ad As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we're funded.
Common questions
What do I need to reseed my lawn?
How much grass seed do I need per 1,000 sq ft?
Do you put fertilizer down before or after grass seed?
Should you lime before seeding?
What is the cheapest part of a lawn renovation to skip?
When should you renovate a lawn?
Sources
- MySoil Soil Test Kit, mysoiltesting.com
- Mag-I-Cal Plus for Lawns in Acidic & Hard Soil, jonathangreen.com
- Scotts Turf Builder EdgeGuard DLX Broadcast Spreader (76232B), scottsmiraclegro.com
- Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed, jonathangreen.com
- Veri-Green Starter Fertilizer for Seeding and Sodding, jonathangreen.com
Read next
- Lawn Care
Cutting the grass is a third of the job. This is the other two thirds.
- How to overseed a lawn
Published extension seeding rates, the late-summer window, and the passes-per-lawn arithmetic.
- Best grass seed
Coverage claims converted to pounds per 1,000 sq ft, checked against Extension seeding rates.
- Best fertilizer for new grass
Starter versus lawn food on published analyses, with the nitrogen and phosphate arithmetic per 1,000 sq ft.
- Best soil test kit
Two mail-in lab kits on nutrients reported, nitrogen detail, turnaround and recommendations.
- Watering a new lawn
Germination windows from three seed makers, and the watering pattern that has to change once they close.
- Best lawn lime, and the one product that goes the other way
Published rates by measured pH, 3.6 against 12 lb per 1,000 sq ft, and the only published time to effect in the category.