grass that germinates very fast

[grass disaster]

what kind of grass seed germinates fast and is also annual

is rye grass the fastest thing out there?

[Talon1189]

Yup..........that is what I would use :)

[6'7 330]

what kind of grass seed germinates fast and is also annual

is rye grass the fastest thing out there?

Are you talking about annual, germinates and dies after one season? Or a perennial, keeps coming back out of dormancy season after season? Either case it is rye.If you plan to seed an all rye lawn, seed at a fairly rate,and get a good blend of turf type cultivars.With the right conditions, many times I have seen rye germinate in a few days.

[PSUturf]

Annual rye germinates a few days faster than perennial rye. There is really no good reason to use annual rye on a lawn or other fine quality turf. The average winter in MN is too cold for perennial rye. I use to work at a golf course in St Paul where we would interseed our practice tee with perennial rye because it would fill in the divots fast. Almost every spring all of the perennial rye would be dead. It's ok to use in a seed blend if it is less than 25% of total seed.

[grass disaster]

then what should i use i want something that is quick and grows every year.

[gammon landscaping]

tall fescue

[PSUturf]

Use a seed mix with not more than 25% perennial rye. This will germinate fast and act as a cover crop for the other turf. Other components in mix should be Kentucky Blue (about 50% of mix) and creeping and / or chewings fescue. Stay away from tall fescue, not a good choice for MN. % of fescue and Kentucky blue can vary but stay under 25% rye otherwise it will predominate. At less than 25% perennial rye if it did winter kill there would be enough of the other species to keep the lawn full.

[6'7 330]

I didn’t pay any attention you are in Minnesota. Some winter hardy cultivars of rye have been bred over the last 10 years, cold tolerant enough for Chicago anyway...But I agree with PSU turf, and would go with a mixture of Bluegrass, crewing fescue and ryegrass, instead of a rye blend. We use a blend of 20% percent each of three bluegrass cultivars that equals 60% Blue grass in the mixture, and 20% chewings fescue and 20% ryegrass that is excellent here in Chicago.Don't use Tall fescue, even the finer type types.

[Grassmechanic]

I've been getting 5-7 day germination with the new varieties of KBG. I did a lawn two summers ago, 100% blue, 4 varities. Came up in 6 days. The owner is extremely happy. With that kind of performance, I'll stay away from the rust-loving Rye.:waving:

[PSUturf]

Hey Grassmechanic - Would you happen to know what those KBG varieties were or where you bought that seed? What were the weather conditions like when it was seeded?

[6'7 330]

Hey Grassmechanic - Would you happen to know what those KBG varieties were or where you bought that seed? What were the weather conditions like when it was seeded?

I have been useing three very good cultivars in a KB blend.I would like the cultivars he's useing to.We plant tons of KB , I'm always ready to here about better cultivars.

[Grassmechanic]

Believe it or not, the lawn was planted in mid July. We had a wet summer, but the homeowner also had irrigation. Thank God it was a bit cooler than normal for July around here. Anyways, the seed blend I used was Blue Sapphire, Award, Chateau, and NuGlade. At the time they were top performers on NTEP. I purchased the seed from Turfgrass, Inc out of South Lyon, MI. I change varieties from year to year, as better varieties are always being developed. I pick 4 of the best performers according to NTEP trials. Any of the new KBG's are awesome as far as germination goes.

[adawg88]

Do you know if Turfgrass, Inc. sells to non-pros? I am in Howell so South Lyon is only a short trip if I am going to find better stuff at competitive prices with local Home Depots and Garden centers out this way.

[6'7 330]

I have used Award and Chateau previously in a blend .Both produced a very good dark green color,and have had good disease resistance.

[Grassmechanic]

Do you know if Turfgrass, Inc. sells to non-pros? I am in Howell so South Lyon is only a short trip if I am going to find better stuff at competitive prices with local Home Depots and Garden centers out this way.
Yes. Call them up at 1-800-521-8873. They'll take your order with a CC and UPS it to you. You WILL NOT find better "stuff" at HD. They have a blend called "Top Blue" which is a very good seed blend. Even Scott's Pure Premium seed has more weeds in it. I checked.

[Grassmechanic]

I have used Award and Chateau previously in a blend .Both produced a very good dark green color,and have had good disease resistance.
Yep Bill, those two cultivars are good, but as good as they are, even those varieties have been improved on. What's good today will be improved upon in a year or two. Kinda like computers....:drinkup: