Grass Seed Varieties

All grass seed must have an analysis tag; be it tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, Bermudagrass seed, Zoysia and more. However, only certified seed has an additional tag. The above indicates that the seed is Oregon Certified. It is commonly referred to as “blue tag” seed. For Newsom Seed to make a Maryland Certified Sod Mix or SHA Mix, the seed must first be Oregon Certified. This guarantees the consumer of the variety of the seed in the bag and that it meets certain minimum requirements.

However, the Maryland Department of Agriculture requires more than just the seed being Oregon Certified. Before we can do a certified mix, the seed must be sampled by a representative from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The sample is then taken to the lab at the Department of Agriculture and tested for germination and purity. If it meets their requirements, the seed is then approved to be mixed.

Below are but a few of the seed varieties we carry. The majority of all the seed we buy is certified and on the Maryland/Virginia Recommended List:

2010 Maryland/Virginia Recommended List

Another very important source for choosing varieties best suited for your area is the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program. Directly below are links to the most current test data.

Web Site Design by Jim Claxton

Riviera Bermudagrass

Riviera is an excellent choice for golf courses, sports fields, residential and commercial lawns. Riviera is first overall for winter kill resistance, spring green-up and percent spring living ground cover, good color and drought tolerance.

Savannah Bermudagrass

Developed in North Carolina, Savannah forms a medium dark green, low-growing turf with excellent turf quality and early spring green-up. Ideal for new turf installation and the improvement of all existing seeded Bermuda turf.

PENN A-4

A-4 is dark green with fine leaf texture, exceptional heat & cold tolerance, high density, disease resistance, and aggressive growth habit. It provides a smooth, grainless putting surface. Mixing A-4 with A-1 comes highly recommended for over-seeding & putting greens.

Sow at 1.0 to 1.5 lbs/1000 sq ft for new plantings

Sow at 0.1 t0 0.25 lbs/1000 sq ft for interseeding

PENNCROSS

Penncross has set the bentgrass standard since 1995. It has a medium green coloration and has rapid establishment. It is known for its aggressive, lateral growth habit, and wide range of adaptability. It has excellent resistance to Dollar Spot.

Sow at 1.5 lbs/1000 sq ft for new plantings

Sow at 0.1 t0 0.25 lbs/1000 sq ft for interseeding

PENNWAY

Components

Penncross, PennLinks II, Seaside II, Penneagle & G6

Pennway provides the broad genetic diversity required to create an excellent playing surface on various soil types. It has good heat & drought tolerance with good disease resistance.

L-93

L-93 is a top-performing new generation bentgrass, with increased density and better course playability. It was developed and released in 1995.

SHARK

Shark creeping bentgrass is a next generation 8 clone variety developed from persistent plants collected from the Northeast & Southeast United States. Shark is moderately dark green in color and holds that color well into the fall with no purpling.

Sow at 1.0 to 1.5 lbs/1000 sq ft for new plantings

CROWN VETCH

This perennial legume is used for erosion control on steep, dry, rocky slopes. Grows in pH levels from 5.0-7.0 and will tolerate moderate shade. Takes 2-3 years to establish. Grows 1 ft. tall and blooms in summer.

Sow at 20 lbs. per acre alone.

WEEPING LOVEGRASS

Weeping Lovegrass provides quick cover during the summer months for erosion control. It is a warm-season bunch grass and should be seeded May-July. It grows 3 ft. tall. Use at 10-20% in a mix or 10-15 lbs. alone.

SERICEA LESPEDEZA

This perennial legume was introduced as an aid in erosion control. It grows 3’ tall and bloom from August thru September. Establishes quicker than Crown Vetch, but is not as attractive.

Sow at 10-20 lbs. per acre

Click on Photo to enlarge

Click on Photo to enlarge

Click on Photo to enlarge

Pure Live Seed (PLS) is simple to calculate using the information provided on the analysis tag attached to each bag of seed sold in Maryland. To calculate PLS you need to know the percentage of pure seed and the percentage germination.

For example, a 50 lb. bag of Inferno Tall Fescue has a pure seed of 98.16% with a germination of 88%.

To calculate the PLS:

A: Multiply the % pure seed by the % germination (0.9816 x 0.88) = 86.38% PLS

To calculate the total weight of Inferno PLS in a 50 lb. bag:

B: Multiply the % PLS by the net weight of the bag (0.8638 x 50) = 43.19 lbs. PLS

Thus, this 50 lb. bag of Inferno Tall Fescue contains 43.19 of pure live seed (PLS). If the recommended seeding rate is 6 lbs. PLS per 1000 sf, you will need more than 6 lbs. of Inferno.

To calculate the amount of Inferno you will need:

C: Divide the net weight of the bag by the PLS weight of the bag (50 / 43.19) =

1.16 lbs.

D: Multiply C by the recommended seeding rate (1.16 x 6) = 6.96 lbs.

Because each pound of Inferno in the bag is only 86% PLS, you will need 1.16 pounds of Inferno for each pound of PLS required by the recommended seeding rate. Since you needed 6 lbs. of PLS, you must use 6.96 lbs. of Inferno.

Click here for printable version of PLS calculations.

MaxQ Tall Fescue

Non-toxic MaxQ solves the problem of fescue toxicity while matching the persistence and hardiness of toxic fescue varieties like Ky31. University research and on-farm experience have shown cattle grazing MaxQ to have significantly greater gains, higher conception rates, and better overall health than those grazing toxic fescue varieties. Safe for horses

Raptor Tall Fescue

When the location calls for that little bit extra, Raptor is the easy choice. Tops in color, texture & density, Raptor produces a distinctive turf that not only performs to the rigors of the environment, but does so in elegant style.

Greenkeeper-WAF Tall Fescue

Greenkeeper-WAF tied for #1 in Turfgrass Quality (A) performance in recent data (2002 NTEP). Greenkeeper-WAF rated # in the Transition Zone tests, and is included in the top statistical performance group in the Southern & Mid-Atlantic test data including College Park, MD, Blacksburg, VA and Raleigh, NC. Greenkeep-WAF has a fine texture, excellent summer density, seedling vigor, % living ground cover (summer), brown patch resistance, winter color, spring green-up, and wear tolerance. On the Maryland-Virginia Recommended List.

Coyote II

Coyote II Tall Fescue

Coyote II - Leading performance overall, #1 finest texture make this variety, selected for the South, a favorite of more Northern turf managers who want to add heat & drought tolerance to bluegrass and ryegrass turf mixtures. Low canopy height allows lower mowing heights. Top rated wear tolerance. Coyote II is the leader in the in the new generation of turf type fescues with exceptional dark color & the finest texture rating out of 159 entries. One of the best performers in Mid Atlantic, Transition & Southern Region where tall fescue is the dominant species for landscape turf. Excellent for mixing with Kentucky bluegrass & Perennial Ryegrass because of dark color and fine texture.

Catalina II Perennial Ryegrass

Catalina II features outstanding turf quality for all perennial ryegrass situations. With dark green color, excellent overall disease resistance, and good wear tolerance, Catalina II is an ideal component for all perennial ryegrass blends and mixtures.

Paragon GLR Perennial Ryegrass

The new generation of ryegrass specifically bred for gray leaf spot resistance. The first real breakthrough in turf that can withstand the ravages of GLS and maintain color & texture that is unsurpassed.

Panterra Annual Ryegrass

Panterra is a turf-type annual ryegrass developed specifically for winter over-seeding. It has been used extensively for over-seeding into Bermudagrass turf to maintain green color during the winter months.

Apple GL Perennial Ryegrass

Apple GL Perennial ryegrass is bred for resistance to gray leaf spot. Also exhibits broad spectrum disease and insect resistance. Improved tolerance to saline irrigation. Vigorous & aggressive. Cold tolerant.

Homerun Perennial Ryegrass

Homerun is the top LSD ranking in NTEP “A, B, C, D, T” trials, low cut fairway performance to traffic. Excellent density and color throughout the growing season. Early green-up & compact growth.

Brightstar SLT Perennial Ryegrass

Brightstar SLT is a salt tolerant selection from Brightstar II. It has excellent turf quality and good winter color. Excellent variety to use where turf is irrigated with effluent water. On the Maryland-Virginia Recommended List.

Constitution Tall Fescue

Constitution is a new generation tall fescue bred for appearance and persistence over a wide range of growing conditions and environments. It forms a dense finer texture turf that stand up to insect and disease outbreaks with less damage. It also features an early green-up with moderately dark color.

Titanium Tall Fescue

Titanium establishes a rugged carpet-like turf in most soil types and climates. It resists attack from insects and diseases, particularly Brown Patch.

TARHEEL II Tall Fescue

Tar Heel II was selected for its outstanding turf quality and brown patch resistance. Tar Heel II also features outstanding salt tolerance, with 85% survivors in a saltwater bath at 25,000 ppm sodium chloride. Sea-water is generally described as having 33,000 ppm salt.

Current NTEP Reports

☞Tall Fescue ☞Kentucky Bluegrass ☞Perennial Ryegrass

☞Fineleaf Fescue ☞Bermudagrass

☞Bentgrass (Putting Green) ☞Bentgrass (Fairway & Tee)

Recommended List for Maryland/Virginia (TT-77)

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MVS has developed a new class of tall fescues that through natural mechanisms like tillering and rhizome formation more aggressively establish, spread, and fill in, creating a turf of higher density particularly under stresses. These releases are coded with the LS suffix.

Firecracker LS Tall Fescue

A release from the Lateral Spread Technology™ program, Firecracker LS has scored in the highest NTEP grouping for overall quality under medium fertility, traffic, and hot humid environments. It is among the finest in texture, with very uniform growth.

Spyder LS Tall Fescue

A release from the Lateral Spread Technology™ program, Spyder LS has scored in the highest NTEP grouping for overall quality under medium fertility, traffic, and shade. Tops in density under drought, its aggressive behavior crowds out weeds.

Titanium LS Tall Fescue

A release from the Lateral Spread Technology™ program, Titanium LS thrives under low fertility, reduced irrigation, and shade. Particularly adapted throughout the Transition zone, its disease resistance to brown patch is excellent.

3rd Millennium SRP Tall Fescue

3rd Millennium SRP is one of TMi's entirely new and advanced generation of tall fescues. The presence of rhizomes creates a self-repair potential for this species which can speed establishment, improve traffic tolerance, plus aid and increase recovery potential from damage.

Seed breeders have been busy trying to improve the ability of tall fescues to spread and repair themselves. Below are several varieties with this new technology.

Keep in mind that the supply of these new varieties will be very limited for 2010. Inventories will improve for fall of 2010 and of course 2011.

PENN A-1

A-1 performs well under a wide range of climatic conditions. It spreads by stolons and tillers, exhibiting very dense, upright growth. A-1 has a very fine leaf texture due to the dense tillering, and it exhibits moderately aggressive growth and excellent recuperative capacity. Mixing A-1 with A-4 comes highly recommended for over-seeding & putting greens.

Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass

Compact Midnight Type

Midnight is the strongest performing, most popular elite Kentucky bluegrass ever developed. With a dark green, compact growth habit, Midnight’s unique beauty & performance have stood out in National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), private, and university trials for more than 20 years. Midnight has set the bluegrass bar since 1984 and is still the recognized standard of quality.

Thermal Blue

Texas X Kentucky Hybrid Type

Thermal Blue is one of 3 new heat tolerant bluegrass varieties from Scotts that has been placed on the Maryland/Virginia Recommended List for use in tall fescue mixes. This is a new generation of heat tolerant bluegrasses that we developed to survive in areas where Kentucky bluegrass has not.

Impact Kentucky Bluegrass

Compact Midnight Type

Impact is one of the few kentucky bluegrasses that offers super performance under a wide variety of demanding turf conditions - from ultra-close mowing to carefree home lawns.

Kentucky bluegrass varieties have classifications. Some of the classification types are: Compact, Compact America, Mid-Atlantic, Julia, BVMG, Shamrock and more. To see some of the varieties that fall into these categories, click below.

KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS CLASSIFICATION

Wild Horse Kentucky Bluegrass

Shamrock Type

Wild Horse trounces the old workhorses! It is an excellent variety to use in bluegrass blends and for mixing with tall fescue. Characteristics include rapid germination, medium leaf texture, excellent disease resistance, aggressive & vigorous, low-mow and high tiller density.

Touche Kentucky Bluegrass

Mid-Atlantic Type

Touche Kentucky bluegrass has high turf quality under all maintenance regimes, from high to low. It has unique genetics which make it an important component of bluegrass and turf mixtures. It has excellent wear tolerance and its long green season make it ideal for home lawns & sports fields.

Yankee Kentucky Bluegrass

Compact Midnight Type

Yankee has proved itself to be a solid overall performer in the Kentucky Bluegrass world. Yankee exhibits positive turf attributes equally at 1/2” mowing heights, as well as, 1-2” mowing heights.

Beyond Kentucky Bluegrass

Compact Midnight Type

Beyond delivers turf performance above-and-beyond many popular varieties. I has outstanding resistance against a broad spectrum of diseases, including necrotic ring spot, red thread, brown patch, and summer patch. Beyond produces a dark green, lush turf that’s tough and virtually pest free.

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