grass seed question

[bill allemann]

i need to buy some grass seed and i was wondering if the quality is OK at HD, etc? Are the packages dated?

thanks, bill

[hallerb]

should be fine since they sell in BIG volume....

[BocesLib]

Buy the best you can afford. HD is fine for grass seed. But beware (this is for ANY place) cheap seeds have more weeds in them. They'll grow just as well as your nice grass seed. Then you'll have to deal with weed and feed to kill them. The better stuff minimalizes that problem.

Tom

[trader4]

It all depends what you are looking for. If you want average seed, targeted at the mass market, what's available at HD, etc is OK. I wouldn't worry about the age, they move stuff in volume, so it's unlikely to be old seed.

On the other hand, if you want the best grass, you won't find it at HD. There is a lot of info available online for evaluations over many years and in different areas of the country, where various specific varieties of grass have been tested and rated. The ratings are in numerous categories, like summer color, fall color, drought tolerance, disease tolerance, ect. You can then pick a specific seed and generally find it online. Search for NTEP, which is the rating program.

[Tim Fischer]

It's all on the label. The label will show you the percentages of grass seeds (by type) and weed seed. It should also have a date, or at least a "packed for the 2006 growing season" on it.

Note that some of the cheaper mixes are 70-95% annual grass. This is fine for filling in some patches very quickly, but it won't last more than the season. I like to uses mixes that are closer to 50/50 annual/perennial. The annual grasses give you quick cover, and protect the slower-growing perennial grasses as they grow.

The above is true for upper midwestern climates -- YMMV.

-Tim

[Phisherman]

Sure. Grass seed quality varies greatly. Look for one with the lowest percentage of weed seed in it. Seed packages are dated and I would not buy seed dated more than 6 months ago.

[PipeDown]

I would add that you should look for varieties of grass that will grow well in your conditions. Particularly sunny or shady and high or low traffic. A mixture of mostly dwarf rye and some bluegrass (up to 20%) works well in the SF bay area.

Call the sod farms to see what they sell regionally and then look for a seed mix with similar grasses.

[Norminn]

If you are going to all of the trouble of seeding a new lawn, or sizeable portion of one, it might pay to get a soil test beforehand. County extension service probably will do one for reasonable cost, as well as recommend a seed that is right for your area and conditions.