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Don’t Buy Cheap Grass Seed
When planting grass in your lawn you may be tempted to buy the cheapest grass seeds that you can find. Many homeowners think that all grass seed is created equally, but this is far from the truth. In most cases, the amount of money that you spend on your grass seed is a direct indicator of the quality. This means the money that you save on these cheap varieties will just lead to higher maintenance costs, assuming you actually see growth following the planting of these budget seeds.
Budget grass seed blends should be avoided, especially if you want a healthy and low-maintenance lawn. Cheap seeds promote the growth of weeds, have a low germination percentage and contain much more filler material than high quality blends. Read on to find out more about the downfalls of cheap grass seed.
The difference between high-quality and cheap grass seed
When you buy budget grass seeds you are sacrificing quality in favor of savings. This may not seem like a big deal, but the fact is that cheap grass seed blends contain less grass and more filler. This filler is made up of empty seed hulls, dirt, stems and other materials that don’t result in healthy grass growth. There is so much filler in these blends that parts of your lawn may not see any actual seeds, leading to a patchy lawn.
The makers of higher quality blends take additional steps to remove these excess materials. Sophisticated machinery is used to filter out the stems and dirt that are harvested alongside the seeds. Budget seed blends oftentimes skip this process completely, if you fail to see healthy growth within your lawn these cheap seeds are probably to blame.
With cheap grass seed you could be planting weeds
No one wants weeds sprouting up in their lawn. When you use value priced seeds you could actually be planting these weeds in your yard. Because cheap seeds are not cleaned using an advanced process, there could be other types of seeds floating around the bag. These other seeds could be those of invasive species. By introducing weeds at the same time as grass your lawn will suffer, and the weeds will be fighting for space and nutrients from day one. If not controlled this could mean the grass could fail to grow, leaving you with a lawn full of weeds that will not go away.
When you plant weed seeds in your lawn you’ll have to use pre- and post-emergent control chemicals to keep them at bay. These chemical treatments aren’t cheap, and after just a few applications you will have spent way more money than you would have by just buying quality seeds to begin with. Not only are you spending more money, you’ll also be devoting way more of your time to lawn care.
Cheap grass seeds may fail
The germination percentage that’s listed on the bag of grass seeds that you select indicates how many of the seeds should successfully sprout. In quality seed blends this number is much higher than in budget varieties. Cheap grass seed normally have a germination percentage of less than 85%, sometimes much less. This means that more seeds are required in order to have a lawn full of grass. Not only will you spend more money on maintenance with these cheap grass seeds, you’ll also have to spread more of them throughout your lawn.
Cutting corners and buying the cheapest products you can find make rearing a healthy lawn far more challenging. By investing a little bit more money in the start you’ll save in the long run. If you still have questions about the best grass seed for your lawn, talk to a grass growth expert or lawn care provider.
TruGreen will gladly visit your property as often as needed between scheduled visits to make any necessary adjustments and to ensure your satisfaction.
Getting Started with TruGreen
- Call or fill out the form above to reach a lawn care specialist.
- Know the square footage of your yard, as well as any specific areas of concern.
- With the help of your specialist, create a customized lawn care plan that meets your lawn’s needs.
- Schedule your Healthy Lawn Analysis2 to start your service.