The Best Seed For Your Lawn Starts At Johnsons
Hello again!
A team from the garden center is making their way to Oregon this week to celebrate Monrovia Nursery's 100th anniversary. Monrovia is one of our favorite nursery suppliers. We've been sourcing premium plants from them for as long as I can remember. From our rep Ken Norgold stopping by in his sky-blue Mercedes to now our good friend Eric George, whom we bike with regularly, Monrovia's team has always been a valuable part of our business.
Harry Rosedale started his small nursery in 1926 and named it after the Southern California city where it was located. Monrovia's location gave it a great start. The heart of Southern California provided perfect growing conditions, not only for plants but for Rosedale's imagination and drive to improve quality and seek out the best new plants to grow. He is quoted in early company literature saying, "We are always looking for new and improved varieties so you can have that 'something special' to attract your customers' attention." You know their quality plants when you see Monrovia's green containers.
Beyond travels to Oregon, fall is on its way, and is the ideal time to seed cool-season turf. Whether you're planning to overseed or start a new lawn, selecting good grass seed is key. Our Johnson's Blue Ribbon Tall Fescue Blend is our go-to grass seed, and has been for years.
The blend may change from year to year depending on new test results from the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP). The program tests over 100 varieties of turf-type fescue through university research programs across the country. The turf is graded on several categories, such as seedling vigor, appearance, drought and disease tolerance, among many others. We are fortunate that Kansas State University has a Wichita research facility that participates in the study. This means the results always include seed that performs well in our local conditions.
To ensure you get the latest and best seed for your turf, we select only varieties that have ranked high in the NTEP study for our fescue blend. The blend has 0% weed seed, no 'other' crop seeds, and is very low in inert matter. With four seed varieties in the blend, you'll always be happy with the results.
After seed selection, soil preparation is very important. Getting good seed-to-soil contact is key to high germination rates, as well as good fertilization. I recommend applying ferti•lome New Lawn Starter at planting, followed by two applications of ferti•lome Winterizer.
Another question I frequently receive is how much to water the newly planted grass seed? It's difficult to give a definitive answer to that question. There are so many factors that can affect your watering schedule and amount applied. My best answer is to keep the newly planted seed moist, but not overwatered. Truthfully, I've planted grass seed and not watered it at all, and to this day, it's a good stand of fescue. However, I would not rely on this method!
If you have questions about overseeding your lawn this fall, be sure to sign up for one of our Free Fall Overseeding Seminars throughout September. We cover the entire process of overseeding and the best products for the job. We will also gladly answer any questions you have about your unique lawn issues.
Your friend in the garden,
Marty Johnson
Owner - Johnson's Garden Centers
