How important is the species and variety of grass seed in creating a beautiful lawn?
More than 200 varieties of Kentucky bluegrass are offered by seed companies throughout the United States. Low-priced seed probably will have a low germination rate and quite a bit of weed seed and fillers. Avoid buying seed with a VNS (variety not stated) label. These factors often make it more expensive than high-quality seed. Look for aggressive varieties of Kentucky bluegrass that require lower maintenance, such as South Dakota Certified, Nassau, Park, Ram 1, Rugby, Nugget, Newport, Aquilla, Monopoly and Nassau. Available single-variety seeds include Midnight-KBG, Midnight II, Brilliant, Blue Ridge, Kenblue and Moonshine. All these are hardy, disease resistant, and they form dense, quick-filling turf. Many of these new varieties can be cut shorter, have better color and are more disease-resistant. Be aware of incompatible landscape features such as a high-quality lawn that is heavily shaded. For 2007, Pennington’s MidAmerica Super Shade containing fine fescues and bluegrass is excel
