Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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CreepyPurpleFescue
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Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by CreepyPurpleFescue » October 5th, 2019, 6:52 pm

Does one have to buy "professional" grass seed (such as ones where a 50 lb bag is $233) in order to get a good lawn?


I'm intrigued by these products... the bags are white, they are not sold in hardware stores, and they have high price tags.


Is it really better seed, or is it really just a function of corporate pricing to golf courses and high-end office complexes that isn't adjusted for residential use?

Green
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by Green » October 5th, 2019, 9:48 pm

CreepyPurpleFescue wrote:
October 5th, 2019, 6:52 pm
Does one have to buy "professional" grass seed (such as ones where a 50 lb bag is $233) in order to get a good lawn?
Not necessarily. But often these do represent the best grass genetics you can get, and usually their weed seed percentages that are low as humanly possible, too. Sometimes, the "big-box" name-brand seed blends or mixes will contain one or two of these top-notch varieties/cultivars as well; by reading labels, you can determine the type, quality and weediness of any seed. For example, a few years ago I saw (and purchased) a small bag of Scotts seed that contained the TTTF cultivar "Faith", which is considered an elite or professional level variety.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by KBGkicksazz » October 6th, 2019, 6:25 am

If it’s gold tag yes.

Otherwise the only advantage is being able to get custom

Most big box stores only sell blends.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by schreibdave » October 6th, 2019, 8:23 am

Depends on how u define "good lawn" and what is good enough. Proper fertilization, irrigation, mowing, weed control can produce "a good lawn" even with hardware store seed. And even the best seed wont produce an acceptable lawn if those bases aren't covered.

But if u already are doing everything right and still want better, then better seed makes sense.

I needed to reno this year and decided that the extra $$ for better seed was worth it considering the time, energy and $$ i already invest.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by Rp9110 » October 6th, 2019, 7:25 pm

I've had better success with what you're calling "professional" turfgrass seed over big box store seed. You can find some really good clean professional quality seeds at your local nursery / feed store. These seeds are more geared towards your climate and region. The big box store seeds seem to be more "one size fits all". See if you have a local Southern States retailer or something equivalent. As others have said proper fertilization, irrigation, mowing and weed control is key.


CreepyPurpleFescue
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by CreepyPurpleFescue » October 7th, 2019, 6:45 am

Re: my own opening post, well pardon me! I apparently was just kidding around. Forget $233... now we are up to $595 for 50 lbs. Hmmm.

I am tempted to buy a poor-man's helping of such seeds and see what gives.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by turf_toes » October 7th, 2019, 7:39 am

CreepyPurpleFescue wrote:
October 7th, 2019, 6:45 am
Re: my own opening post, well pardon me! I apparently was just kidding around. Forget $233... now we are up to $595 for 50 lbs. Hmmm.

I am tempted to buy a poor-man's helping of such seeds and see what gives.
You need to shop around. No way you should be paying that kind of price for 50 pounds.

Assuming you want a showcase lawn, the seed is the most important thing and ultimately not a huge cost. But hey, if you want to buy box store seed, go for it. There is a reason this seed costs what it does. There’s also a reason you won’t find sod farms and better golf courses sourcing their seed from Home Depot.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by schreibdave » October 7th, 2019, 9:17 am

I think I paid $160 for 25 lbs of quality KBG at Seedsuperstore but I picked it up so there was no shipping cost. But if I had to pay $600 for 50 lbs I would have a stiff drink and click the "place order" button. Considering what you will spend over the next 10 years on other inputs to the lawn, I would do it. But it all depends on how high you want to set the bar.

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turf_toes
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by turf_toes » October 7th, 2019, 9:26 am

schreibdave wrote:
October 7th, 2019, 9:17 am
I think I paid $160 for 25 lbs of quality KBG at Seedsuperstore but I picked it up so there was no shipping cost. But if I had to pay $600 for 50 lbs I would have a stiff drink and click the "place order" button. Considering what you will spend over the next 10 years on other inputs to the lawn, I would do it. But it all depends on how high you want to set the bar.
It’s also worth noting that SeedSuperstore is almost always the most expensive vendor. If you shop around, you’ll be able to find less expensive options. Where did you find the $500 quote and what cultivars are you trying to source?

CreepyPurpleFescue
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by CreepyPurpleFescue » October 7th, 2019, 9:38 am

turf_toes wrote:
October 7th, 2019, 9:26 am
schreibdave wrote:
October 7th, 2019, 9:17 am
I think I paid $160 for 25 lbs of quality KBG at Seedsuperstore but I picked it up so there was no shipping cost. But if I had to pay $600 for 50 lbs I would have a stiff drink and click the "place order" button. Considering what you will spend over the next 10 years on other inputs to the lawn, I would do it. But it all depends on how high you want to set the bar.
It’s also worth noting that SeedSuperstore is almost always the most expensive vendor. If you shop around, you’ll be able to find less expensive options. Where did you find the $500 quote and what cultivars are you trying to source?
The quote was from seedsuperstore, and it was for 60% KBG, 20% PRG, 10% chewings, 10% creeping red.

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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by This is me » October 7th, 2019, 10:32 am

I've seen lawn that is quite nice from just Scott's seed. A lot of it depends on the soil, correct amount of water, sun vs. seed type, and your cutting.
With my new lawn, I went with local Valley Green. I got 50lbs each of blue tagged Moonlight, Blueberry, and Bewitched for a total of 150lbs for $720 after tax. They said they don't get Gold tag because not a lot of farms will go through the process of gold tag.

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turf_toes
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by turf_toes » October 7th, 2019, 11:33 am

I think I paid $160 for 25 lbs of quality KBG at Seedsuperstore but I picked it up so there was no shipping cost. But if I had to pay $600 for 50 lbs I would have a stiff drink and click the "place order" button. Considering what you will spend over the next 10 years on other inputs to the lawn, I would do it. But it all depends on how high you want to set the bar.
As noted, that place (seed superstore) is almost always the highest priced option. It’s why I tend to avoid it myself. Ymmv

If you shop around, you’ll be able to find less expensive options. Where did you find the $500 quote and what cultivars are you trying to source?

schreibdave
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by schreibdave » October 7th, 2019, 9:08 pm


Factor
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Re: Are "professional" turfgrass seeds the only way to have a good lawn?

Post by Factor » October 8th, 2019, 1:16 pm

I was able to find some TTTF RTF from Barenbrug for $130 per 50 pounds. I called the local landscape supply store. I guess it would depend on the type of Seed you want as well.

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