Should the soil be compacted after seeding grass?

[james]

I just removed the old grass and weeds, tilled the soil and reseeded the area with new grass seeds. Then lightly covered the seeds with soil.

Since the soil is very loose, the grass could be easily uprooted by the wheels if I try to mow them or even just walk over them later on. So I wonder if it would be a good idea to compact the soil now before the seeds germinate.

[trader4]

I don't have personal experience with your question, but see your point. I probably would lightly roll it, but don't over do it. I've re-seeded several lawns and always avoided all that extra work. I just kill everything that is there with Roundup, wait a week, then mow it very short and rake up the debris. Optionally, you can use an aerator at this point, topdress if needed, etc. Then I use a slit seeder to re-seed. Much less fuss and muss.

I'd only do the tilling route if the soil was real crap and needed a lot of ammendments added.