Grass seed - how long until it can be carefully walked on?

Five days ago I sowed some grass seed - naturally it's not come up yet (apparently it takes about ten days for this seed type) but when it does shoot I'm curious as to when it can be carefully walked on.

I ask this because there are already some weeds showing and I'd like to remove them once the seeds have sprouted and are becoming established. I will of course do this carefully and avoid stepping on the new shoots as much as possible.

Would I need to wait until it can be mowed for the first time? So maybe a month after it has sprouted? Or longer than that?

Thanks

 

I would only walk on it, to start with (unless I put a board down to spread the weight). I think removing weeds will disrupt the soil, and the grass roots, unless you can cut the weeds off (with scissors ... but that's a bit of a labour of love ). The weeds will get away faster than the grass, but I wouldn't expect them to be a problem for a week or two, so sorting them a bit later on should still be OK.

 

Thanks, noted.

How soon after the seeds have sprouted can it be carefully walked on?

 

I would not walk on the new grass for a month, then only lightly for 6-8 weeks at least. Don’t worry about the weeds; the first mowing will see to most of them. You may need to water the young grass for the first six weeks or so if there is no rain.

 

You can "walk" on it with a plank as much as you need to. Don't leave the plank down for too long as it will prevent light getting to the grass, of course.

Avoid walking or playing on a newly seeded area until you have mowed the grass three or four times. You can mow the grass when it is one-third taller than the desired height (e.g. 2.5"), and then take off no more than 1/3rd at each mowing (e.g 1/2" - 3/4"). make sure the mower blades are sharp. After the 4th cut the mowing height can be gradually reduced and should be fine to walk on it then, but try to keep traffic low the firs season (no football maybe ...)

Rolling the new lawn once seeds emerge is a good idea ... you could move the plank along, and stand on it, to simulate that.

 

Thanks all for the great advice.