All Purpose Grass Seed, 25-kg $83.99 (Reg. $119.99)

50% Tall Fescue
20% Perennial Ryegrass
30% Annual Ryegrass

does not hot

SomeGuyNamedBob wrote: ↑ 50% Tall Fescue
20% Perennial Ryegrass
30% Annual Ryegrass

does not hot

Could you share some details to help others in the pursuit of quality grass seed?

1. Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on the website.

2. What grass types should we be looking for? I am aware that "Annual Ryegrass" will show quick growth when it is planted but not re-grow the following year so is of questionable value.

Thanks in advance.

JWL wrote: ↑ Could you share some details to help others in the pursuit of quality grass seed?

1. Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on the website.

2. What grass types should we be looking for? I am aware that "Annual Ryegrass" will show quick growth when it is planted but not re-grow the following year so is of questionable value.

Thanks in advance.

This isn't a bad bag if you're trying to establish a lawn from scratch (though you should consider sod if time is important). The Ryegrass will limit the weeds infiltrating in year 1 and allow the fescue to establish nicely/easily.
But most people visually like KBG better. I find it's more maintenance and I've got three kids so the lawn gets trampled daily.

I like tall fescue personally. Those little seed pod heads that come out in the summer gives the yard a more natural look.
That being said, I introduce clover and other grass alternatives to my grass so I'm obviously part of the minority.

This is a bad bag if you're just overseeding.

My wife was saying this blend is used for hydro-seeding by the landscaping company she works for primarily for areas with no grass. While it's true the Annual Ryegrass won't survive the Winter or drought conditions it establishes quickly and helps the other grasses (which are both perrenial) which take longer to establish and will eventually replace it.

What's the best type of grass to get? I bought a bag from a nursery: 35% Kentucky Blue, 40% Creeping Red Fescue, 25% Turf Type Perennial Rye How's that? Kentucky Blue is pretty good??

JWL wrote: ↑ 1. Where did you get this info from? I couldn't find it on the website.

Click on the 'questions' tab under the 'ratings & reviews'... the sketchy thing is that Cdn tire has a habit of changing the % mix from year to year. Notice 3 yrs ago they said it was 50% Tall Fescue, 20% Perennial Ryegrass, 30% Annual Ryegrass. 2 years ago they said it's 5% KBG but gave no other percentages, and last year the answer was "While we do not give out the exact contents of the product we can say it has a diverse mix of seeds to enable a successful lawn under all growing conditions"... which is industry speak for 'the cheapest mix we can find' (ie no KBG)

JWL wrote: ↑ 2. What grass types should we be looking for? I am aware that "Annual Ryegrass" will show quick growth when it is planted but not re-grow the following year so is of questionable value.

Anything sold as 'quick grow' or 'contractor mix' will have a high % of annual rye, some perennial rye, and very little KBG... which is good if your yard is 90% dirt and you are looking to sell your house in 3 weeks
Anything sold as 'shade mix' will have a high % of creeping fescue (and no KBG)... Creeping fescue will grow relatively easily but looks like fine matted animal fur (not what most people picture grass to look like)
Anything sold as 'sun mix' should have the highest % of KBG (compared to the other mixes) and perennial rye... takes the longest to germinate / needs lots of sun but will be very durable once it matures.
Anything sold as 'all purpose' will be a mix of the above (but likely will have very little KBG)

Most manufacturers won't label the actual seed mix % on the bag but the seeds will be listed in order of decreasing %. Not listing anything at all likely means that it's a poor quality mix.

Value is of course relative... not everyone wants to spend a month watering twice a day to grow KBG. I have friends that prefer to throw on some easy annual mix every spring, have a nice green lawn for summer BBQs and let most of it die over the winter.

lleb13 wrote: ↑ This isn't a bad bag if you're trying to establish a lawn from scratch (though you should consider sod if time is important). The Ryegrass will limit the weeds infiltrating in year 1 and allow the fescue to establish nicely/easily.
But most people visually like KBG better. I find it's more maintenance and I've got three kids so the lawn gets trampled daily.

I like tall fescue personally. Those little seed pod heads that come out in the summer gives the yard a more natural look.
That being said, I introduce clover and other grass alternatives to my grass so I'm obviously part of the minority.

This is a bad bag if you're just overseeding.

This. People don't seem to understand that there is no "best" type of grass. It depends on your personal needs (sunny/shady, high/low traffic, preferred mowing height/frequency, watering frequency etc.). I personally hate tall fescue because it grows in clumpy bunches, with very coarse thick blades and often gets mistaken for a weed/crabgrass in a KBG yard:



That said, if your entire lawn is tall fescue, it'll look amazing and be very resilient (shade/drought/traffic). Most people however prefer creeping grasses that expand laterally through rhizomes/stolons creating a lusher carpet that is more resilient to weed invasion. The prime example of creeping grasses in our climate are Kentucky Blue Grass (KBG) and creeping red fescue (which has finer blades that match better with KBG and shade tolerance to fill in shady areas)--which is the mix I prefer.

If your yard has been poorly maintained and is full of weeds and has bald spots--get whatever grass seed. Once your grass is well established and you're at the point where the sight of bunches slightly thicker bladed grass, or grass that has a different sheen, or grass that is faster growing are what tick you off about your yard, then you're in the area that paying attention to seed composition matters.

Might pick this up for my parents cottage thanks.... might steal some for my property as I have lots of blank spots