GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Grass seed explained |
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GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Grass seed explained
It is time to look after a few weak or dead patches of grass.
It is time to look after a few weak or dead patches of grass. Do you know which grass seed will grow best in your yard and blend with your existing lawn?
Most good quality lawn seed will contain a blend of seed varieties. Once you’ve sown the seed and it begins to grow, the varieties will jockey for position and depending on your soil and environment, eventually one will dominate while the others take a back seat.
GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Grass seed explained Back to video
Seed blends usually contain three or four varieties listed in fine print on the package. Read the list carefully to help you choose the seed best suited for your lawn.
Kentucky bluegrass is a sun-loving seed that produces lush grass that you might see on photos of golf courses. Its colour is true green, perhaps with a tint of blue. With care, Kentucky bluegrass produces grass so dense and healthy that weeds are smothered.
Buy a roll of sod and you likely are buying 100 per cent Kentucky Bluegrass. Pound for pound, Kentucky bluegrass is expensive because its seeds are smaller.
With all of Kentucky bluegrass’s positive traits, why would we add other seed varieties to the lawn?
Kentucky bluegrass loves to grow where conditions are perfect, but suffers when the going gets tough.
It’s the first grass to suffer in times of drought. It needs good soil and wants fertilizer to maintain fine quality. When insects and disease appear, Kentucky bluegrass is often the target.
In a grass seed blend, Kentucky bluegrass is slow to sprout, relying on other seed varieties to act as nurse grass to assist its sluggish growth.
Fescue grasses, including creeping red fescue and chewing fescue, produce fine grass that performs well in residential landscapes. Roots go deep and are less reliant on water and fertilizer.
Fescue grasses sprout quicker than bluegrass and are a good choice for backyards that are active with dogs, soccer balls and swing sets. It’s the top choice for shady areas.
Perennial ryegrass is the most gratifying grass seed to sow because it sprouts quicky and gives almost instant results. Colour is bright green. Its roots go deep, it offers good drought tolerance, and its tough and tolerant of pests and high traffic.
Improved perennial ryegrass varieties often have lateral spread technology, helping to create denser grass with enhanced rhizome growth.
For patching small areas of turf, look for a seed blend with a high percentage of perennial ryegrass.
Poa trivialis is a fine-leaved bluegrass that tolerates deep shade and damp soil. A small percentage of Poa may be added to seed blends where grass growth is stubborn because of shallow-rooted trees overhead.
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