Technical Information

Annual Ryegrass - Lolium Multiflorum
Very quick establishment rate.  Quick, inexpensive, and temporary ground cover.  Used in erosion control mixes to help control erosion until the slower growing legumes and grasses are established.  Germination period of 5 to 7 days.   Seed count of 200,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 1 to 6 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 100 to 250 pounds per acre depending on site conditions.

Birdsfoot Trefoil - Lotus Cornicalatus
Used mainly for erosion control purposes on slopes and other critical areas.  Can also be used for forage in wild life seed mixes.  It grows to a height of 2 feet and produces yellow flowers from May to July.   Requires 2 years for complete cover.  Excellent drought tolerance, poor shade tolerance and will tolerate poorly drained soils unlike Crownvetch.  Grows in poor infertile soils.  Can be used for forage in wild life areas.  Germination period of 21 days.  Seed count of 375,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 6 to 10 pounds per acre or 1/4 to 1/2 pound per 1,000 square feet.

Chewings Fescue - Festuca Rubra Commutata (Fine Fescue)
Bunch type root structure.  Extremely fine bladed.  Very good drought tolerance.  Very good shade tolerance.  Low fertilization requirements.   Excellent for low maintenance lawns and natural areas.  Fair traffic tolerance.   Requires well drained soils.  Recommended mowing height of 2 1/2 inches or more.  Tolerates lower soil pH than other turf grasses.  Medium thatch formation.   Germination period of 14 days.  Seed count of 350,000 seeds per pound.   Seeding rate of 5 pounds per acre.  The seeding rate can be reduced to 100 pounds per acre in low maintenance areas which will not be mowed regularly.  Similar to the Creeping Red Fescue.

Creeping Bentgrass - Agrostis Stolonifera
Used mainly on putting greens due to its high maintenance requirements.   Fair drought tolerance.  Fair shade tolerance.  Requires well drained soils when used on putting greens.  High thatch formation.  High fertilization requirements.  Viper is an improved variety that exhibits a higher shoot density than Penncross.  Penncross greens can be overseeded with Viper.  Germination period of 21 days.  Seed count of 6,000,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 1 pound per 1,000 square feet.

Creeping Red Fescue - Festuca Rubra Rubra (Fine Fescue)
A fine fescue with a tillering spreading type root structure.  Extremely fine leaf blade.  Very good drought tolerance.  Very good shade tolerance.  Low fertilization requirements.  Excellent for low maintenance lawns and natural areas.  Fair traffic tolerance.  Requires well drained soils.  Recommended mowing height of 2 1/2 inches or more.  Tolerates lower soil pH than other turf grasses.  Medium thatch formation.  Germination period of 14 days.  Seed count of 350,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 225 pounds per acre.  The seeding rate can be reduced to 1 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 100 pounds per acre in low maintenance areas which will not be mowed regularly.

Crownvetch - Coronilla Varia
Used mainly for erosion control purposes on slopes and other critical areas.   Crownvetch grows to a height of 3 feet and produce pinkish white flowers June to September.  Requires 2 to 3 years for complete cover.  Excellent drought tolerance, poor shade tolerance, and requires well drained soils.  Grows in poor infertile soils.  Germination period of 28 days.  Seed count of 110,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 25 pounds per acre or 1/2 to 1 pound per 1,000 square feet.

Hard Fescue - Festuca Longifolia (Fine Fescue)
Bunch type root structure.  Extremely fine leaf blade.  Very good drought tolerance.  Very good shade tolerance.  Low fertilization requirements.  Excellent for low maintenance lawns and natural areas.  Fair traffic tolerance.   Requires well drained soils.  Recommended mowing height of 2 1/2 inches or more.  Tolerates lower soil pH than other turf grasses.  Medium thatch formation.  Very slow establishment rate and lower mature plant height.  Seed count of 500,000 seeds per pound.  Similar to the Creeping Red Fescue.

Kentucky Bluegrass - Poa Pratensis
Excellent traffic tolerance.  Rhizome spreading aggressive root structure increases sheer strength of turf.   Fair drought tolerance, some improved cultivars such as Merit, and Allure are more drought tolerant than common kentucky bluegrass.  Poor shade tolerance.  Allure exhibits improved shade tolerance.  Will tolerate somewhat poorly drained soils.  Tolerates mowing heights as low as 1 1/2 inches under a high maintenance regime.  Medium to high thatch formation.  Medium to high fertilization regime.  Will require irrigation during periods of drought.  Germination period of 21 days.  Slow establishment rate.  Seed count 1,200,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 2 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 75 to 125 pounds per acre.

Perennial Ryegrass - Lolium Perenne
Improved cultivars exhibit dark green turf color and fine bladed leaf textures similar to kentucky bluegrass.  Excellent traffic tolerance.  Tolerates mowing heights as low as one inch under a high maintenance regime.  Good drought tolerance.  Fair to good shade tolerance.  Quick recovery from damage.  Used for overseeding kentucky bluegrass athletic fields due to its quick establishment rate.  Will tolerate poorly drained soils.  Low thatch development.  Bunch type root structure.  Low to high fertilization regime.  Germination period of 7 to 10 days.  Seed count 280,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 6 to 9 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 250 to 400 pounds per acre.

Rough Bluegrass - Poa Trivialis
Ideally used in turf areas which are both wet and shady throughout the season.  Used often in wetland seed mixtures.  Extremely poor drought tolerance, requires poorly drained soils.  Excellent shade tolerance, more shade tolerant than fine fescues.  Requires constant irrigation when used in shady areas which are not naturally wet.  Bunch type root structure.  Germination period of 21 days.  Seed count 1,200,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 2 to 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 75 to 125 pounds per acre.

Tall Fescue - Festuca Arundinacea
Excellent drought tolerance due to its deep root structure.  Good shade tolerance.  Excellent traffic tolerance.  Medium leaf texture.  Tolerates poorly drained soils.  Low to high fertilization requirements.  Bunch type root structure.  Low thatch development.  Recommended mowing height of 2 1/2 inches or more.  Germination period of 14 days.  Seed count 220,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 7 to 10 pounds per 1,000 square feet or 300 to 400 pounds per acre.

Timothy - Phleum Pretense
Excellent forage grass for horse pastures.  Can also be used in wildlife and reclamation areas for wildlife food and cover.  Mixes well with legumes.  Seed count of 1,100,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 15 pounds per acre or 1/4 pound per 1,000 square feet.

White Clover - Trifolium Repens
New Zealand, Dutch, and Haifa are low growing varieties which can be used in lawns and low maintenance areas.  Excellent drought tolerant, better than most turf grasses.  Fair shade tolerance.  Used in low maintenance lawns because of its ability to fix nitrogen into the soil.  Can also be used for forage in wildlife seed mixes.  Seed count of 800,000 seeds per pound.  Seeding rate of 1/4 to 1/2 pound per 1,000 square feet in turfgrass lawns.