Scotts Thick R Lawn Vs. Rapid Grass: My Honest Takedown

If you’re standing in the lawn care aisle right now, staring at a wall of blue Scotts bags, I feel your pain. You have a thin, patchy, sad-looking lawn, and you’re facing two products that sound like they do the same thing: Thick R Lawn and Rapid Grass.

You’re wondering which one will actually fix your yard and which one is just expensive marketing. My main goal here is to help you put the right bag in your cart. I’ve used both for very different problems, and I’m going to share my entire experience so you can choose the right one for your specific lawn.

A Brief Comparison Table

My Experience With Scotts Thick R Lawn

My first battle was with my front yard. It wasn’t dead, but it was tired. It was an established lawn, probably 10 years old, and you could see the soil between the grass blades. It was thin, weak, and just looked old. I knew I needed to overseed, but the idea of buying separate bags of seed, starter fertilizer, and a soil conditioner was overwhelming. That’s when I saw the Thick R Lawn bag. The “3-in-1” promise felt like it was made specifically for me: seed to fill the gaps, fertilizer to boost the existing grass, and a “soil improver” to help the new seed. It felt like a total lawn renovation in a single bag.

I decided to do it right, which meant the prep work was a serious chore.

I’m telling you this because the product’s success depends on it. I rented a power rake (a dethatcher) and ran it over the entire lawn.

It pulled up an astonishing amount of dead, matted grass, leaving me with a very short, very “combed” looking lawn where the soil was exposed.

I mowed low and bagged all the clippings. The lawn looked worse before it looked better.

I opened the bag of Thick R Lawn.

The texture is a mix: you can clearly see the grass seed, but it’s blended with fertilizer granules (the little blue dots) and a dark, rich, almost compost-like material. That’s the soil improver. I set my broadcast spreader to the “overseeding” rate on the bag and got to work. It spread easily and evenly.

Then came the hard part: watering. This product needs to be kept damp, period. For the first two weeks, I was out there twice a day (morning and late afternoon) with the hose, misting everything. It was a serious commitment.

Here’s the key observation: the fertilizer worked first. Within about 5-6 days, my existing tired grass turned a deep, dark, almost-blue green. It looked incredible. But there was no new grass. I was getting nervous. Then, around day 10, I saw it. A faint, green “fuzz” in all the bare areas. This was the ryegrass germinating. It took a full 21 days before I really saw the other, finer grasses (like the fescue and bluegrass) start to come in.

But at the 6-week mark, the result was undeniable. My lawn was thick. The new grass had filled in every gap, and the old grass was stronger and darker than it had ever been. Thick R Lawn didn’t just patch my lawn; it rebuilt it. It was a total revitalization, and it was absolutely the right choice for that specific problem. It was a marathon, not a sprint, and the results were worth the wait and the work.

Read More: Comparison Of Mother Earth Groundswell And Foxfarm Ocean Forest

Pros Of Scotts Thick R Lawn

• The 3-in-1 Powerhouse Formula: This is the single biggest advantage.¹ You are not just buying seed. You are buying a complete overseeding system in one bag. The Seed is a high-quality, multi-variety blend (for the Sun & Shade mix, this includes Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, and Kentucky Bluegrass) designed for resilience and a long-term, beautiful lawn.² The Fertilizer is a separate, potent NPK mix that is designed to feed not only the new seedlings but also your entire existing lawn. This is what creates that incredible dark green color and strengthens your old turf. The Soil Improver is the unsung hero. It’s a compost-like organic material that helps retain moisture right at the soil level and provides a better medium for the new seeds to germinate in. This combination is what “thickens” your lawn from every possible angle. It’s a holistic approach, not just a patch.
• Excellent for Strengthening Existing Turf: This product’s true purpose, in my opinion, isn’t just to grow new grass; it’s to make your old grass better. My existing lawn blades became visibly healthier, stronger, and more robust within a week of application. The fertilizer component is a high-nitrogen blend that wakes up your entire lawn. This is a crucial distinction. It doesn’t just fill in the bare spots; it makes the entire lawn more dense. This two-pronged attack—feeding the old and sprouting the new—is what creates that “carpet-like” feel that a thinning lawn is missing. If your lawn is just tired and weak, this product is the perfect shot of adrenaline and nutrition it needs.
• Builds a High-Quality, Permanent Lawn: You get what you pay for in the seed blend. The inclusion of Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) and fescues is a sign that this is meant to be a permanent solution. Ryegrass (which is also included) sprouts fast and provides quick cover, but it’s the Fescue and KBG that build a dense, fine-bladed, and resilient lawn that can repair itself over time. Rapid Grass is all about the sprint (Ryegrass). Thick R Lawn is about the marathon. You are building a lawn that will last for years, be more drought-tolerant, and be less susceptible to disease because it has a diverse blend of high-quality grass types. It’s an investment in the future of your yard, not just a quick fix for today.

Cons Of Scotts Thick R Lawn

• It Is Absolutely Not “Rapid”: The name is “Thick R Lawn,” not “Fast R Lawn.” This is the number one expectation you need to manage. I was spoiled by the fertilizer green-up, but I was tapping my foot waiting for the actual seed. The perennial ryegrass in the mix will pop up in 7-10 days, but the high-quality, desirable grasses—the Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescue—are slow. Bluegrass can take up to 30 days to germinate.³ You will be watering bare-looking, damp ground for weeks, convinced you’ve been ripped off. You have to be patient. If you need a green patch now for a party next weekend, this is the wrong product. You are choosing quality over speed, and that requires a long-term commitment.
• Requires Significant Prep Work for Best Results: This is the “hidden cost” of the product. It is a 3-in-1 product, but it is not a 1-step process. You cannot, I repeat, cannot just toss this onto your matted, un-mowed lawn and expect it to work. The bag even says so. For seed to grow, it must make contact with the soil. This means you must do the prep work. At a minimum, you have to mow as low as your mower will go and bag the clippings. Then you must vigorously rake the lawn to remove dead grass and expose the soil. For the absolute best results (like I did), you need to rent a dethatcher or an aerator. This is a hot, sweaty, dusty job. If you skip this prep, 90% of your seed will just sit on top of old, dead grass, and it will be a complete waste of money.
• Not Ideal for Large, Completely Bare Spots: This seems counter-intuitive, but Thick R Lawn is an overseeding mix. It’s designed to be spread over a thinning, but existing, lawn. It is not the best choice for a 10-foot-wide circle of dead dirt from a construction project. The “Soil Improver” component is helpful, but it’s not the same as the “mulch” in Rapid Grass. The seed is still largely exposed. On a big, bare patch, the seed will dry out incredibly fast and be more prone to washing away in a heavy rain. It’s designed to be “sheltered” by the existing grass blades around it. For big patches of nothing, you’re better off with Rapid Grass.

My Experience With Scotts Rapid Grass

My next lawn problem was completely different. We had a large dead patch from where our inflatable kids’ pool had sat for two weeks, plus a few spots near the patio that the dog had dug up. These were bare spots—just raw, exposed dirt. My Thick R Lawn experience told me that product wasn’t right for this. I needed new grass, and because it was right in the middle of the yard, I wanted it fast.

I grabbed a bag of Scotts Rapid Grass. The promise on this bag is all about speed, claiming it grows “2x faster.”

When I opened this bag, it looked nothing like the Thick R Lawn. There were no separate fertilizer granules or dark soil improver.

Instead, every single seed was encased in a thick, fluffy, pale green coating.

This is the “all-in-one” technology: the seed, a tiny bit of starter fertilizer, and a water-holding mulch are all in that one little package.

The prep was much easier. I didn’t need to dethatch. I just took a hard-tined rake and vigorously scratched up the bare dirt to loosen it.

Then, I applied the Rapid Grass by hand (you can use a small spreader, but for patches, it’s easy to just shake it out). The goal is to see the green seed mix, but not so thick that it’s mounded up.

Then came the watering, and this is where Rapid Grass blew my mind. When the coated seed gets wet, that pale green mulch turns a dark, “forest-green” color. This is an ingenious visual indicator. You can tell exactly when it’s damp enough and, more importantly, when it’s drying out (it turns pale green again). This took all the guesswork out of watering. I still had to water it twice a day, but I knew it was working.

The results? Fast. I’m not kidding, I saw the first tiny green sprouts in five days. It was shocking. By day 10, the entire patch was covered in a fine, bright-green “fuzz.” It was like a chia pet.

Now, here’s the trade-off. It grew fast, but it was very thin, “baby grass.” It was clearly ryegrass, which is known for speed. It solved the bareness problem, which was my main goal. It covered the dirt. But it didn’t look like the rest of my mature lawn. It was a different color and texture. It also didn’t get that “super dark green” boost that Thick R Lawn did, because there’s no separate, powerful fertilizer in the mix to feed the surrounding grass. It’s a “grass plug” and a very effective one, but it is not a lawn improver. It’s a patch. It did its job perfectly, but it was a completely different tool for a completely different job.

Pros Of Scotts Rapid Grass

• Unbelievably Fast Germination Speed: This is the product’s entire reason for existing, and it absolutely delivers. I saw green sprouts in five days. This is a massive psychological victory. When you have an ugly bare patch of dirt, seeing it turn green that quickly feels like magic. This speed is achieved through two things: a high-percentage of fast-germinating perennial ryegrass and the coated seed. If you have a dog spot, a walkway that got worn down, or a place you just dug up, and you need cover immediately, this is the only product I would recommend. It’s a “problem-solver” in a bag, and the “2x faster” claim is not just marketing hype; it’s a real, visible result.
• The All-in-One Coated Seed Is Genius: This is the key feature that makes it different from Thick R Lawn. It’s not a mix of seed, fertilizer, and soil improver. It’s an encapsulation. Each seed is wrapped in a thick, paper-like mulch that also contains a small dose of starter fertilizer. This coating is the star of the show. It absorbs and holds a massive amount of water, keeping the seed perfectly moist. This makes the watering process so much more forgiving. Even better, that coating turns a dark, rich green when it’s wet and fades to a pale, chalky green as it dries. This is a built-in visual cue. You can look at the patch and know exactly when it’s time to water again. It completely removes the guesswork.
• Perfect for Patches and Bare Spots: This is its ideal use case. Because of that protective mulch coating, you can put it down on bare, exposed soil. The mulch acts like a tiny, protective blanket for each seed. It holds it in place, keeps it damp, and protects it from the sun. Thick R Lawn, when spread on bare dirt, just looks like seed on dirt. Rapid Grass looks like a patch kit. It’s what I now use exclusively for all my small-area repairs. It’s a “patch and repair” specialist. It’s designed for high-stress, exposed areas where you need to get roots down fast to prevent erosion and cover up the mud.

Cons Of Scotts Rapid Grass

• Not a Long-Term, High-Quality Lawn Builder: This is the trade-off for speed. You get fast grass, but it’s not the best grass. Perennial ryegrass is known for its quick-start, but it’s not as fine-bladed, drought-tolerant, or self-repairing as the Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescues found in the Thick R Lawn mix. The grass that grows in is often described as “fuzzy” or “lime green” and may not perfectly match the rest of your mature lawn. It solves the bareness problem, but it doesn’t create a resilient, premium lawn. You’re getting cover, not permanent quality. You will likely need to overseed that same area with a better-quality mix in the fall to improve it.
• Extremely Expensive for Large Areas: This is the most practical con. Look at the coverage area on the bag. A 5.6-lb bag of Rapid Grass might only cover 1,000 sq. ft. for overseeding (not its intended use) or much less for bare spots. A 40-lb bag of Thick R Lawn covers 4,000 sq. ft.⁴ A lot of the weight in the Rapid Grass bag is the paper mulch coating, not the actual seed. This is fine for a 10-foot patch. But if you tried to overseed your entire 5,000 sq. ft. yard with Rapid Grass, you would spend an absolute fortune. It is economically designed to be used in small, targeted areas only.
• Does Not Improve Your Existing Lawn or Soil: This is the final, crucial difference. The fertilizer in Rapid Grass is a tiny “starter” dose attached to the seed. It’s only there to feed the new seedling. It does nothing for the existing, healthy grass around the patch. It won’t make your thin lawn thicker. It has no “Soil Improver” component to build up the organic matter of your yard. It only addresses the spot you put it on. If your whole lawn is thin and tired, Rapid Grass will do nothing for it. It’s like putting a band-aid on a problem that needs a vitamin shot.

Also read: My Thoughts On Pearl’s Premium Grass Seed 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Conclusion

After using both, my conclusion is simple: this isn’t a competition. This is a “right tool for the right job” scenario. Both products are excellent, but they are not interchangeable.

My advice to you is to look at your lawn and be honest. Is your entire lawn just thin, tired, and pale? Do you want to make the whole thing healthier, darker, and denser? If yes, you need Scotts Thick R Lawn. It’s a long-term investment and a “marathon” project.

Or, do you have specific, ugly, bare spots of dirt from a dog, a walkway, or a dead-on-arrival patch? Do you need to get cover on that spot as fast as humanly possible? If yes, you need Scotts Rapid Grass. It’s a “sprint” product and a perfect patch-and-repair kit.