Seeding

Love your lawn? Treat it well by seeding it properly.

Proper lawn maintenance is essential to maintaining a good quality lawn, but quality seeds are also important. Your mixture should be high in physical seed attributes like purity and germination and it should also contain the best composition of grass species for the use intended. Most grass seeds are packaged as blends, which produce a more durable lawn over time.

Which blend is best for your lawn? Soil fertility, moisture availability, light levels and traffic all play a role.

There are three common varieties of grass seeds found in blends that aid in attaining a lush, healthy lawn:

1. Kentucky Bluegrass – A perennial, winter hardy species that produces a dense, wear-tolerant lawn. The grass is fairly slow to establish, so early spring or late summer seeding is recommended. Leaves have a boat shaped tip, providing a thick, dense lawn. Kentucky Bluegrass will tolerate reduced sunlight, but generally does not perform well in dense shade.
2. Perennial Rye Grass – Quick, vigorous germination makes this a very easy to establish grass. Perennial rye will establish quickly but don't spread well. The leaves are dark green with a very shiny appearance. They can be mowed short and used successfully to overseed high traffic areas, or damaged lawns.
3. Creeping Red Fescue - Performs well as a low maintenance grass in areas that are hard to mow, on slopes, along creeks and roadsides. This grass is shade tolerant and exhibits good drought resistance. Narrow blades will lose less moisture in hot, sunny weather.

Check out the local nurseries and garden centres in Calgary for drought tolerant blends of lawn seed.

Pests, extreme weather conditions and neglected management can damage lawn, even when the soil is in good condition. If your lawn is a little thin, proper mowing, fertilizing and water practices may be all it needs. However, if that doesn't help, overseeding with a quality lawn seed may be the answer. Before you broadcast the seed over the thin areas, make sure there is good soil-to-seed contact, and rake away any dead grass of debris. Dethatchers or vertical mowers can also be used to prepare the lawn prior to overseeding.

For more information, visit our YardSmart.​​​​