Reseeding lawn evenly?

[james]

If you reseed your lawn, what is the proper way to cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil so that the seeds can be kept moist and are not visible to birds?

Last time I had the idea of seeding the lawn in 2-foot stripes so I can shovel some soil aside before I spread the seed, and then sprinkle the soil back on top of the seeds. However this results in stripes of lawn with different grass density.

Some people says to rake the seeds into the soil. I tried that but some seeds would still be visible, plus raking would disturb the distribution of the seeds and may cause uneveness.

Suggestion? How do sod farms do it?

[brooklyn1]

Not sure what you mean by "reseeding"... why would anyone reseed a lawn... they either "seed" (new lawn) or "overseed" (build density). When seeding a loose cover of hay will hinder birds from taking seed... when overseeding one puts down excessive seed, some will be lost to birds but so what, with proper irrigation most will germinate quickly and survive. Birds will take some but actually most will be lost to nocturnal rodents... also when grass seed is put down too heavily (as most are wont to do) it will begin to compost, in heavily seeded spots the seed will cook itself.

With a seeded lawn some uneveness can't be avoided, but so what, within a short time grass will spread to fill in those small bare spots. When seeding lawns less is more.

[Phisherman]

Grass seed (like most seeds) need to be in direct contact with soil. If not, much will rot, carried off by ants, etc. If the area is not too large, I like to sift garden soil over the seed but this is not necessary. Raking in LIGHTLY is better than no raking at all--this will not make the seed uneven. Protect the area with straw and keep moist (water/mist every day or every other day). I can not think of anything better than a layer of straw to protect the seed/seedlings. Do not use hay.