Grass Seed Buyer's Guide

Why You Should Be Reading the Analysis

Every season there is a bit of blarney in the seed business. Some seed companies are now adding fillers and coatings to their grass seed and selling it as magic. Glossy seed bags are now only half full with grass seed, the rest is labeled as “inert” matter. Often the half full bag commands the highest price on the shelf. The plastic jugs are now stacking up on the end caps at big box stores. Four-pound plastic jugs are being sold with an only one-quarter pound of seed inside. My Uncle says in the old days folks would pour water into the whiskey jug and label it “Jack Daniels.” Back in the hills of Tennessee you would get shot. Today the scallywag gets rich. Kansas Sen. John James Ingalls wrote that, “Grass is the forgiveness of nature – her constant benediction.” He probably didn’t like water in his whiskey, either.

Are You Getting the Best Value on Grass Seed? 

Do the math, bring your pocket calculator and always calculate the one pound price when buying grass seed. Modern packaging makes the true weight and cost of grass seed a bit of a math quiz. It’s like buying a carton of eggs. You don’t know if the price is right until you know how many eggs you get. Other bogeys include inflated “recommended coverage” and “new discoveries” advertised on the internet.

What Else Is in a Bag of Grass Seed?

Every grass seed bag has an analysis label. It is usually on the back of the bag in super fine print. The label or tag will list what seed varieties are in the mix, and will show the inert matter, and weed and crop content. Avoid ugly weeds and grasses like annual rye, orchard grass, and coarse bladed K-31. Read the analysis label and only pay for the real grass seed.

Small amounts of “inert” matter naturally occur in any grass seed bag. Inert matter includes seed hulls, stems and dust that are the natural residue of the seed cleaning process. Careful seed farmers strive to produce grass seed that is free of weed and crop with as little “inert” matter as possible. A master seed cleaner can clean and bag grass seed with less than two percent inert matter. “Inert” matter is what he throws away. The grass seed is what he keeps.

Grass Seed Does Not Need Coatings or Fillers to Grow

Buyers beware! Mother Nature has let her grass grow for a billion years without any help from coatings or fillers. These magic coatings and fillers are used as marketing distractions masking lesser quality grass seed. Buyers for national companies care nothing about the grass seed quality or weed and crop content but about keeping their shelves full. We call it marketing magic, turning filler into gold.

At the Grass Pad, we think Mother Nature put the magic in the grass seed. Green environmental magic in every green grass plant, we recommend more seed, not less. We put fifty pounds of grass seed in a fifty-pound bag and suggest you use it all. Overseeding provides genetic diversity and youthful vigor to grass habitat on the high plains as well as your home lawn. Mother Nature takes care of one; the Grass Pad takes care of the other.

Why Grass Pad Grass Seed Is Your Best Value

No matter which type of grass you choose for your yard, feel confident when you buy grass seed from the Grass Pad, you are getting the newest and most improved generation available. With over 60 years of dedication to the grass seed and sod industry, Grass Pad has built its reputation around researching and choosing only the cleanest seed varieties that perform the best for our region.

See Related: Choosing the Right Grass Pad Grass Seed