AY-25
Purchasing Quality Grass
Purchasing grass seed for your lawn can be
a difficult task given the large selection of
brands, vendors, and turfgrass types avail-
able. The first step before purchasing any
seed is to determine what species of grass to
plant. Factors to consider when selecting a
grass for your lawn is the level of mainte-
nance you are planning, irrigated or non-
irrigated, how much shade or sun, etc. Table
1 lists the species of turfgrasses that are
recommended for homelawns in Indiana.
For specific cultivars of turfgrass species
recommended in Indiana, please refer to
AY-5, Turfgrass Cultivars for Indiana.
Some other points to consider:
• If you have moderate to heavy shade in
your lawn, it may be advantageous to
plant shade-loving ground covers
rather than turfgrass.
• If there is regular traffic on the lawn,
tall fescue has the best wear tolerance
of grasses adapted for Indiana. How-
ever, it must be established for 8-12
months before heavy traffic is allowed.
If you can't keep traffic off the area for
that length of time, consider perennial
Table 1. Turfgrass species recomendations for selected sites in Indiana.
Sun Condition
Full Medium-high maintenance
(regular mowing,
fertilization, and irrigation)
Full Low maintenance
(limited irrigation, infrequent
fertilization, mowing)
Partial Dry area
shade (limited irrigation, proper
drainage)
Partial Damp area
shade (irrigation and/or poor
drainage)
Seed for Your Lawn
Zac Reicher and Clark Throssell
Purdue University Turfgrass Specialists
Reviewed by Tom Voigt, Univ. of Illinois
ryegrass which germinates quickly and
is also fairly wear tolerant. Plan on
overseeding on an annual basis with
perennial ryegrass for maximum
performance.
• When seeding very late in the fall, a
cover crop such as annual ryegrass or
wheat can be used to germinate and
hold the soil until spring. Plan on
reseeding next spring with a recom-
mended turf species. Unless this is the
case, avoid purchasing seed lots that
contain any annual ryegrass.
Interpreting Turfgrass Seed Labels
The ability to understand seed labels is
critical when selecting good seed. The
information on the seed label will help you
determine if the seed is of high quality.
Table 2 lists the preferred ranges of items
found on the seed label.Be sure to save the
label from the your seed in case you need to
purchase more seed later or a problem with
the seed lot develops after seeding.
Purity
The purity figure indicates the percent,
by weight, of pure seed of each compo-
Seed Rate
Species (lbs/1000ft2)
100% Kentucky bluegrass 2
80-90% Kentucky bluegrass + 3-4
10-20% perennial ryegrass
100% turf-type tall fescue 6-8
100% turf-type tall fescue 5-6
100% Kentucky bluegrass 2
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
30-50% shade-tolerant 4-5
Kentucky bluegrass + COOPERATIVE
50-70% fine fescue
100% turf-type tall fescue 6-8
EXTENSION SERVICE
100% turf-type tall fescue 6-8
100% shade-tolerant 2 WEST LAFAYETTE
Kentucky bluegrass
INDIANA 47907
 nent in the mixture. Not all the pure Table 2.Preferred ranges for items on the label of a
seed is live seed. The purity for Big good quality seed lot.
Preferred
Big Boy Kentucky bluegrass in the Item Range
sample seed label is 22.82%. Purity >90%
Germination Germination >80%
The germination figure indicates the Crop <0.5%
Weed <0.3%
percent of pure seed that has been tested
Noxious Weed 0
for germination and should grow when
Inert <8%
seeded. The germination for Big Boy
Date Tested last 9 months
Kentucky bluegrass in the sample seed
label is 85% which means that under
optimal conditions 85 out of 100 seeds Date Tested
will germinate. Check the date on the seed label. This
date should be within the last 12
Crop
months.
The crop figure indicates the percent, by
weight, of seeds in a package that are Final Thoughts
grown as a cash crop. Examples of
Avoid the following when purchasing seed:
crop may include orchardgrass, timothy,
• Buying out of bulk bins
redtop, clover, and bentgrass which are
considered weeds in turf. • Seed from the weekend newspaper
circulars
Weed • Seed mixes that contain 'Linn' perennial
The weed figure indicates the percent, ryegrass
by weight, of weed seeds in the package. • Seed mixes that contain annual ryegrass
A weed is any seed that has not been • Seed mixes where the varieties are not
included in pure seed or crop. stated
Noxious Weeds The best bet on getting good quality seed is
This defines the number per pound or to buy name brands from a reputable seed
ounce of weed seeds considered legally house or garden shop. Generally, the more
undesirable. Most of those listed for expensive the seed, the better quality it is.
Indiana are not problems in turf areas. Paying a few extra cents per pound for
good quality seed is insignificant when
Inert compared to the added expense of trying to
Inert indicates the percent, by weight, of maintain an attractive lawn that was from
material in the container that will not poor quality seed.
grow. This includes corn cobs or chaff
for bulk to make the package larger. More information and mentioned
Sand may be added so that the package publications are available at
can meet weight requirements. www.agry.purdue.edu/turf

Premium Sunny Mix

Only The Best Seed Company
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN
AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS,
STATE OF INDIANA, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, Pure Seed Germ. Origin
AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 22.82% Blue Boy Kentucky bluegrass 85% Oregon
COOPERATING; H. A. WADSWORTH,
DIRECTOR, WEST LAFAYETTE, IN. ISSUED 32.10% S523 Kentucky bluegrass 83% Oregon
IN FURTHERANCE OF THE ACTS OF MAY 8 31.09% Erin Kentucky bluegrass 85% Idaho
AND JUNE 30, 1914. THE PURDUE
UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE 10.94% Clark perennial ryegrass 90% Oregon
EXTENSION SERVICE IS AN EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY/EQUAL ACCESS
0.02% Crop Test Date: February 1997
INSTITUTION 0.20% Weed Noxious Weeds: None
2.01% Inert Lot: 22-OR-661
.
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