Purchasing Lawn Seeds

Buying poor quality plants or seed often results in less than satisfactory performance, pest and weed problems, and poor quality lawns. Read the information on the seed label carefully. Look for the following items:

Name of Seed: Each kind of seed is listed by the percentage of the total weight. Look for improved cultivars by name. Be leery of seed containers that list “variety not stated.”

Germination: The germination percentage will tell you how well the grass should come up. The higher the number the more seeds that will germinate. The minimum percentage allowed by state law is 85 percent. Also check when the germination test was conducted; it should not be more than 9 months prior to your purchase.

Other crop seed: This could include seeds that are grown as a crop somewhere. Examples include dandelions, clover, and bermuda grass. The percent crop seed should approach zero.

Weed seed: Any weed seed is listed as a percent by weight. Make sure this number is as low as possible.

Noxious weeds: This category includes weeds that are extremely difficult to control. Avoid purchasing seeds that contain noxious weeds.

One way to be sure you have quality seeds is to purchase certified seeds. A blue certified tag indicates that the seed or plants have met certain standards to assure high quality and low levels of contaminants.

You should consider more than just the price on the bag. Fine textured seeds cost more per pound but you need fewer pounds since there are more seeds in a pound. Also, consider the germination percentage. If the seed is priced at $2.00/pound and has only 80 percent germination and 85 percent purity the actual cost per pound of viable seeds is $2.90. Poor quality seed is not a bargain at any price.

The use of blends and mixtures consisting of fescues and bluegrasses are strongly recommended. The ideal mixture should contain 80 to 90 percent fescue and 10 to 20 percent bluegrass by weight. This should include the use of two cultivars of fescue and two cultivars of bluegrass.

Consumer Horticulture | Quick Reference