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oscarlawn

Which seed is better?

oscarlawn
11 years ago

Could someone please tell me which seed would work better for my lawn restart? I round upped the whole front and am waiting 7 days until till it and lay some top soil and reseed.

Lesco

26% Compete tall fescue

27% Mojave II Tall fescue

27% Padre tall fescue

18% Pacesetter perennial ryegrass

or

Schultz

23% Brooklawn KBG

19% Panterra Italian ryegrass

19% Pirouette perennial ryegrass

19% premier perennial ryegrass

14% contender creeping red fescue

Thank you

Comments (9)

  • Lawn_Hobby
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is not an answer to your question since I don't have experience with those particular grasses.

    The thing is, if you're just going to lay topsoil on killed grass, and then scatter seed, you're almost certainly going to have issues with rooting. You really need to disturb the soil somehow...unless you're laying like a foot of topsoil.

  • tiemco
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Where do you live? What are the conditions of your yard (full sun, sun and shade, partial shade, shady, dense shade). What kind of lawn are you looking for? Just green and healthy? Nice? Really nice? Best on the block? How much time are you willing to spend on your lawn? To be honest I don't like either mix. The first one is mostly tall fescue, which is fine, but the perennial rye in my opinion shouldn't be in there. The second one is a typical Northern mix that will give you an OK lawn, nothing special, and it will probably be somewhat inconsistent in appearance. Without knowing about your yard however, I can't recommend either one.

  • oscarlawn
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, I plan too rent an tiller and break it all up, remove the old clumps and then spread the a little soil before seeding.

  • Lawn_Hobby
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You would do better with aerating and/or verticutting rather than tilling. There are lots of reasons to not till, as I recently learned. I'm sure tiemco and others can give you a good explanation, but the gist is, it can lead to bumpy soil even further into the future.

    btw, tiemco always has tons of great advice and info about tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass.

  • tiemco
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are my thoughts on those two mixes as well as some other aspects of turf seed.

    Lesco Mix: So essentially what you have is a 80:20 TTTF/PR mix. Not sure why you would have a mix like this, why not just go all TTTF? I guess the PR does add some genetic diversity, and quick germination and establishment, but TTTF is fast as well, maybe a week or so behind PR in terms of the first mowing. I have a TTTF yard that has some random PR in it due to some cheap seed I used a few years ago. It blends pretty well in terms of color and texture, but a few days after a mowing, it stand above the TTTF. Thankfully it is a tiny amount, but if it was 20%, I imagine it would give the lawn a shaggy look a few days after it was cut. Also the TTTF cultivars in that mix are older average ones, there are better ones available.

    The second mix is what is often referred to as a northern mix. The Italian rye is an annual grass and will die off next summer. So after that you will have a lawn that will be more or less 50% KBG, and the rest PR and Fine Fescues. In a full sun lawn the fine fescues will probably be brown and dormant for the summer as it is more of a niche grass better suited to shady spots. KBG and PR mix well, but if you don't mow often, you will have the same shaggy issues with the PR much taller than the KBG. KBG/PR mixes are often used on sports fields, but they are mowed low and often, unlike most lawns. Again, not a huge fan of this mix.

    Of the two, I would probably go with the first one as it will take less time to establish, and look very good about a month and a half after your seed goes down. It's also a bit easier to take care of.

    A few thoughts on mixes and blends. PR can make a great lawn that is up and running in about a month. You can mow it a bit shorter if you like, as PR is used to overseed southern golf course fairways. It has a reputation for being a bit thirstier than other grasses, but irrigation should be a part of any healthy lawn. If you aren't willing to do so, you can get some die off as PR doesn't go dormant as well as say KBG. It is a bunch grass that doesn't spread, so any bare spots will need to be overseeded in a PR lawn. Personally I think PR looks the best by itself, not as part of a blend.

    TTTF is a good choice for most of the country but can have issues in areas of long snow covers and very cold temps. It is pretty tough stuff and can tolerate heat well, and has very good shade tolerance. It looks very good by itself, but also mixing in 10-20% KBG will add diversity and spreading ability (TTTF spreads very slowly, and usually only when mature). It has good drought tolerance, due to deep roots, but with no water it will go dormant, and then can die off after a short dormancy. It germinates and establishes quickly, usually takes a month before its first mowing.

    KBG is generally considered the best looking grass. It produces a lush dark turf that spreads to fill in any bare spots. It does well in colder climates and can be grown well into the transition zone. It has some shade tolerance (some culitvars more than others), but does best with at least 5 hours of full sun. It is generally slow to germinate and establish, but once it's about a year old then it really starts to hit its stride. It requires a bit more care, fertilizer, and water (in the first year esp), but once mature it can survive periods of drought by going dormant for months at a time. It can be cut low (Yankee stadium) or kept at lawn heights (2-3.5 inches).

  • nykenny
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Tiemco, would you advise against oscarlawn just placing topsoil and seed over the dead lawn? Just curious, cause I'm in the same boat, and thats what I was planing on doing? Thanks

  • tiemco
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If the dead grass is very thin and short, and the soil and seed can easily move past it, then that's fine. If it is thick and you are essentially burying dead grass with soil, then I would advise against that. You want good seed to soil contact.

  • oscarlawn
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Tiemco: The dead grass is thick, and I don't think the seed would move past. Should I till, aerate/verticut? to remove the dead grass before laying soil? I don't know what verticut is?

    Thanks for the heads up on the seed. I will go with the TTTF.