Sources for seed

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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mooch91
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Sources for seed

Post by mooch91 » April 17th, 2019, 3:59 pm

All,

Looking to see where you buy your seed, both online and locally.

Since I've got 1.5 acres, I was thinking of switching exclusively to TTTF for future renovation work. I had been using a home-blended 90/10 mix of TTTF and KBG to somewhat match my northern mix.

I'm open to other varieties as well that will be very good quality and low maintenance for a partially irrigated large lot. I'm not looking for the high maintenance KBG monostand. Feel free to give me some recommendations.

My current source has been Tractor Supply (DLP seed), but I think the quality of their "premium" TTTF has contributed to a couple of failed renovations. I believe the cost was $75 for 50 lbs.

I definitely want to avoid noxious weeds and undesirables (triv, etc.) in future renovations, but I don't think "sod quality" is required (nor would it be economical).

I prefer local so I can review labels and avoid high shipping costs. I could need some fairly high quantities before too long if I tackle a full renovation of the property.

I haven't found the big-box stores to be affordable.

Are the SiteOne products good and consistent? Other online sources with reasonable prices?

Any and all recommendations appreciated!

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PSU4ME
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by PSU4ME » April 17th, 2019, 5:14 pm

Preferred seed is an online vendor, super seed store as well but they can get pricey. Good for researching though. You can get seed cheaper if you can find a valley Green type store that does seed mixing, I found them to be about 50% cheaper than SSS...... could make things worth a drive.

mooch91
Posts: 130
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by mooch91 » April 17th, 2019, 5:30 pm

PSU4ME wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 5:14 pm
Preferred seed is an online vendor, super seed store as well but they can get pricey. Good for researching though. You can get seed cheaper if you can find a valley Green type store that does seed mixing, I found them to be about 50% cheaper than SSS...... could make things worth a drive.
Thanks. It's funny, I live in central PA where ag supply is a huge business, but turf is not a high priority. So I don't know if a Valley Green-type store exists out here. I did find a local place to get my fertilizer (urea and controlled-release nitrogen) at a very affordable rate, but they don't have any turf specialty products (no herbicides, no insecticides). I have a SiteOne about 1.5 hours west, and another the same distance south. That's why I've inquired about the quality of their seed.

spectrum1c
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by spectrum1c » April 17th, 2019, 7:58 pm

The last batch of Tall Fescue I bought was Regenerate from Amazon of all places. It was under $140 for 50lb delivered. The same seed at SSS is $213. I tried finding local places to buy cheaper, but didn't have any success in my area.
As an aside, the regenerate looks fantastic in my yard. You can tell the areas that are pure regenerate as they were the first to greenup and have already received compliments from neighbors. The remainder of my back yard is the Preffered Seed "Summer Green Supreme ", so still a premium mix, but the regenerate seems to really standout early even though its more recently planted.

mooch91
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by mooch91 » April 17th, 2019, 8:23 pm

I stand corrected in my note above: my recent source was Tractor Supply who sells DLF Pickseed. There were three varieties of TTTF in the mix: Annihilator, Warhawk, and Mason. The first two seem respectable, can't find anything on the third. I think the real problem was in the rest of the label: it was 0.01% other weeds, but 2.31% other crop seed. I recall the fine folks on this forum got really concerned about the 2.31% other crop, which the vendor told me would be "like-sized" seed - probably not triv, but could be K31 and might be why I'm seeing what I am now in the spring following a fall reno.


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darkcrisis
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by darkcrisis » April 17th, 2019, 10:09 pm

I get my seed from Hogan Seed Company. The tag says 0.00 weed and other crop but is not sod quality/certified. I'd get a TTTF and KBG mix if I had to do it over again. The repairability of the KBG would be really nice. With TTTF the only solution is to overseed.

mooch91
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Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by mooch91 » April 17th, 2019, 11:07 pm

darkcrisis wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 10:09 pm
I get my seed from Hogan Seed Company. The tag says 0.00 weed and other crop but is not sod quality/certified. I'd get a TTTF and KBG mix if I had to do it over again. The repairability of the KBG would be really nice. With TTTF the only solution is to overseed.
Thanks.

I've been looking at a couple of the different high quality mixes available online.

Debating between a triple variety TTTF, a TTTF/KBG mix, a TTTF/PR mix, or a TTTF/PR/KBG mix. Definitely don't want the typical northern mix with the fine fescues.

My current lawn grows like gangbusters, even when I don't fertilize, requiring 2x/wk mowing (if not more) to look somewhat uniform. I'm hoping for a seed that is relatively drought tolerant (big areas of the yard won't be irrigated), slow growing, some uniformity, and decent color. I guess that's the holy grail everyone is searching for. :)

ENVY23
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by ENVY23 » April 18th, 2019, 9:36 am

I just want to point out something, and I don't mean any offense and I hope you take it for what it is. You said sod quality seed isn't economical for the amount of seed you need for 1.5 acres. You bought 50lbs of seed for $75, but it failed twice and I'm assuming this year will be your third reno. So $75 per 50lbs for 3 renos is essentially $225 per 50lbs, not including all the time/work you have invested in renovating each time. Seed Superstore, one of the more expensive places to buy seed, has a sod quality TTTF blend, SS1000, for $213 per 50lbs(includes shipping). You can find sod quality TTTF even cheaper from other suppliers. So while sod quality does come with a higher upfront cost, long term you're actually coming out ahead by going with the good stuff and only having to do it once. Again, I'm not trying to give you a hard time, just trying to offer some constructive criticism and a different perspective to hopefully help save you some money/time/effort over the long term.

mooch91
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Grass Type: KBG, PR, TTTF
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by mooch91 » April 19th, 2019, 9:22 am

No offense taken. You are right - I could have saved my money by now, and I agree. Just verifying there weren’t any good quality, affordable solutions before I sprang for something like sod quality. Clearly the Tractor Supply seed isn’t it, didn’t know if there were any value leaders out there, or different ways to purchase. The local golf course has hooked me up with a seed distributor contact, I may give them a call to see what they say. Thanks!

Green
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by Green » April 19th, 2019, 9:27 pm

mooch91 wrote:
April 17th, 2019, 11:07 pm
Debating between a triple variety TTTF, a TTTF/KBG mix, a TTTF/PR mix, or a TTTF/PR/KBG mix. Definitely don't want the typical northern mix with the fine fescues.

My current lawn grows like gangbusters, even when I don't fertilize, requiring 2x/wk mowing (if not more) to look somewhat uniform. I'm hoping for a seed that is relatively drought tolerant (big areas of the yard won't be irrigated), slow growing, some uniformity, and decent color. I guess that's the holy grail everyone is searching for. :)
From what you're saying, it sounds like a TTTF/KBG mix is what you're looking for. But instead of buying an off-the-shelf mix from one of the suppliers, have a look at creating your own, using seed cultivars that grow slower, such as "Summer" and "Siesta" TTTF, and "Bewitched" KBG. There are others, too. You can check NTEP to see how they do in your area; many of them get tested.

LaurensLawn
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by LaurensLawn » August 14th, 2019, 7:50 pm

I just bought a 25lb bag of Bewitched from Preferred Seed for $238.00 shipped...

Other crop: 0.01%
Weeds: 0.01%
Noxious: none

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andy10917
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by andy10917 » August 14th, 2019, 7:54 pm

Preferred always does that "0.01" stuff - I guess the lawyers are running the place. Was it gold-tagged Sod Quality?

LaurensLawn
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by LaurensLawn » August 14th, 2019, 8:20 pm

It wasn't tagged with anything other than the seed identification tag. Nothing that I see to identify it as gold-tagged.

LaurensLawn
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by LaurensLawn » August 14th, 2019, 8:33 pm

I also bought a 25lb bag of Midnight from Hancock Seed, for $110.00. I asked them if it was certified, and they said:

"Our Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass is not certified which means that a state representative didn’t go to the field where the seed was harvested and issue a document stating that it is Midnight Kentucky. Our seed is Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass with a high purity and germination percentage but it doesn’t have the paperwork that certifies it. Let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help."

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andy10917
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by andy10917 » August 14th, 2019, 8:46 pm

"Certified" (Blue Tag) and "Sod Quality" (Gold Tag) are not the same. Use the Search capability to understand the differences.

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turf_toes
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by turf_toes » August 15th, 2019, 7:47 am

LaurensLawn wrote:
August 14th, 2019, 7:50 pm
I just bought a 25lb bag of Bewitched from Preferred Seed for $238.00 shipped...

Other crop: 0.01%
Weeds: 0.01%
Noxious: none
That would give me pause. Poa Triv falls under “other crop.”

LaurensLawn
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by LaurensLawn » August 15th, 2019, 7:19 pm

"that would give me pause. Poa Triv falls under “other crop.”

I actually bought the bag from Preferred online without looking into the seed identification tag, and first saw it when it arrived. I do, however, agree with Andy that it may be labeled as such for liability reasons, as it does have a legal disclaimer on it that Hancock doesn't have. We shall see bc I'm putting it down.

As for Hancock... I should have been more specific before, but I emailed Hancock after buying the seed asking why it wasnt blue tag (SSS is), and asked how their midnight compared, and that was how they replied. NOTE: Midnight from Hancock was 0.00 across the weed board. (So was their Granite)

LaurensLawn
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by LaurensLawn » August 19th, 2019, 8:50 pm

I did ask Preferred about their price-to-purity ratio, and they sent me the actual lab results of their Bewitched KBG:
Purity: 98.26
Inert: 1.74
Weed: .00
Other crop: 0.00
Noxious: None
Germination: 91%

It's tagged differently on the bag to stay in tolerance with NYS.

flyingfish88
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Re: Sources for seed

Post by flyingfish88 » August 20th, 2019, 7:59 am

If this is a duplicate please delete.

If still shopping, Hancock is running sales through Aug 23

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