How to Choose the Right Grass Seed for Your Lawn
First, consider everything you and your family do or want to do in your yard. Are you looking for a play area that can stand up to all the running around done by your kids and pets? Do you want your lawn to be a visual delight with little anticipated foot traffic? Do you need a lawn that’s able to endure heavy traffic? Will you have the resources to water your lawn? The answers to these questions will help determine your appropriate grass options, so consider them carefully and consider how your new lawn will fit into your family’s intended uses and needs. Here are some considerations when choosing the best grass seed types for your yard.
Which grass types performbest in Midwest lawns?
Cool-season grasses like turf-type tall fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass perform the best in the Midwest. Early spring green-up and year-round good looks of fescue and bluegrass make beautiful lawns with the least maintenance. Grass Pad recommends cool-season grasses like Heat Wave, Heat Wave Plus, Macho Mix, Blue Wave, Estate Mix, and Stadium Special. Use on home lawns, business green zones, and athletic fields.
What is your sun exposure?
The best grass seed for sun and shade conditions will be turf-type tall fescue blends such as Macho Mix or Heat Wave. Bluegrass blends such as Blue Wave and Estate Mix are sun worshippers who perform best in full sun and tolerate partial shade areas. The best grass seed mix for heavily shaded areas under big trees is a unique blend of shade-tolerant grass seed varieties in Uncle’s Premium Shade Mix.
How often will you water your lawn?
With an easily accessible water source, such as an in-ground irrigation system, the cool-season bluegrass blends in Blue Wave and Estate Mix will outperform all other types. The bluegrass varieties in these blends are aggressive and self-repairing for heavy traffic. In addition, bluegrasses have excellent disease resistance requiring the least amount of maintenance, and stay greener longer into the winter season than fescue varieties. Bluegrasses require more frequent watering during the summer for the best performance.
What are the best grasses for drought tolerance?
Turf-type tall fescue blends like Heat Wave and Macho Mix are the most tolerant to heat making them outstanding performers in transitional zones. The heat and drought-tolerant turf-type tall fescue varieties contained in Heat Wave and Macho Mix have root systems that enable them to reach deeper into the ground for water. For the best performance, turf-type fescues require deep but infrequent watering to stand up against extreme heat and summer drought and avoid turf disease.
Which grass performs best in heavy traffic?
Heavy traffic, whether in backyards or sports fields, need grasses that grow vigorously to stand up to wear and tear. Aggressive self-repairing bluegrass varieties in Blue Wave and Estate Mix will do the best. In addition, frequently overseeding play areas and dog runs with sports turf perennial ryegrass in Stadium Special throughout the year will support your existing lawn and blend well with bluegrass or fescue.
What type of grass seed do you have?
Are you unsure what type of grass you currently have in your yard? If you are trying to match your existing grass, your lawn could be a mix of several grass varieties the previous homeowners have thrown down. Bring us a sample; either bring a clump of the grass into the Grass Pad or bring us a detailed photo of the grass blade and root structure. The closer the photo’s focus is to the individual blade, the easier it will be for us to see what grass variety it is. Our green team grass experts will respond quickly.
Why Grass Pad weed-free grass seed is the best?
High-quality Grass Pad grass seed does not have fillers or fluff in the bag. Grass seed should be 98% pure and 100% weed free. Don’t assume fancy branded bags are pure grass seed. Most are half full with peat moss or coated with some “magic dust” or other inert matter. That makes an expensive seed and expensive peat moss. The high-quality grass seed mixes at Grass Pad are all seed blends with no fillers added. Remember, the magic is in the grass seed, not the filler or coating. All Grass Pad seed varieties are University tested for performance and laboratory tested for purity.
60 years of experience in the professional turf industry. Grass Pad is a pioneer in sod production and an active member of Turf Producers International. As a major turf seed and fertilizer supplier to premier sod producers in the Midwest, Grass Pad gives homeowners access to the same quality turf products the professionals’ demand. Sod farms don’t buy seed and fertilizer for turf production at box stores or hardware stores; why should you? Come on down to the Grass Pad and speak to our green team about all your lawn needs.
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