Cool season or warm season grasses?
Annual or Perennial Ryegrass? Choosing the right grass seed for
overseeding, renovation or turf replacement can be a daunting task. However,
knowledgeable seed selection carries benefits that make the effort worthwhile.
Overseeding to achieve the proper mix
of warm season and cool season grasses allows uniformity of color while the
grasses transition between dormant periods. Cool season grasses can be spruced up
with new cultivars of the same species to introduce disease resistance and other
improved qualities. Turf-type tall fescues are extremely disease resistant and,
in most climate zones are green all year. This is a good choice for low
maintenance sports turf such as high school playing fields. Overseeding can be
used to effect repairs to this bunch-type grass. On sports turf and golf courses
bluegrass, with its self-repairing qualities, is an excellent all year grass.
Overseeding a warm season grass, such
as Bermuda, with Perennial Ryegrass is a good choice to keep a constant green
appearance in the cooler zones. Perennials are usually more expensive
but may be cost effective in cool climates. Yet Annual Ryegrass remains popular
because of lower costs and ease of transition to the warm season grass. Check with
S&S Seeds for answers that
make sense for your clients.