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Where Is The Grass Greener?
You may have seen an ad in the local paper stating that the best seed for our area is a single seed variety versus using a blend; that blends give you grass seeds you don't need.
There is NO single grass seed that can live up to the hype of being "THE seed" for our area.
Because we live south of the Mason-Dixon and north of the deep south, we live in what's known as a transition area. Our weather is wet, dry, hot, cold, and everything else in between. That's the main reason the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension Service recommends using blends over single seeds. Here are two other reasons:
- Monoculture-growing a single seed type-is like playing Russian Roulette. If the seed gets a disease, you've lost your entire lawn.
- A blend of seeds gives you the best opportunity to have a nice lawn in different sun/shade conditions.
OK-So What Seeds Should You Use?
The Virginia Tech experts at Blacksburg release a list every two years that names the top performing grass seeds for our area. To become VT recommended, the seed must perform well for three years straight at various testing sites throughout Virginia and Maryland.
The Ken Matthews Grass Seed blend has four grass seeds, three of which are recommended by Virginia Tech-Avenger Tall Fescue, Constitution Tall Fescue, and Titanium Tall Fescue. The fourth grass seed-Jaguar 3 Tall Fescue, we chose because we know it does great in the shade and in cooler temperatures. Plus, it was on the VT recommended list for over 20 years!
And Don't Forget...
There are two things to look for on grass seed tags and you can be sure Ken Matthew Grass Seed always meets these standards:
- Be sure the date is current on the grass you want to buy-old seed will have lost some germination.
- The weed content: the noxious weed content should be 0, but don't ignore the regular weed content. That should be less than 1%.
Be Knowledgable:
Educate yourself! Be familiar with the recommended grasses for Virginia. To see what grass seeds Virginia Tech recommends and view the lawn care calendar click on the links below!
2008-2009 Virginia Turfgrass Variety Recommendations
Ken Matthews Lawn Care Calendar
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