# reseeding - best type seed northeast low maintence?



## r7k (Jan 25, 2019)

i get a chance i will post a pic. Want to reseed just front yard I am figuring it's 1000 sq feet.
it has been overtaken with crabgrass and whatever other weed is most prevalent for last few years.
I sprayed once almost 2 weeks ago with 2-4-d + quinclorac. Front yard is now brown. There was very little real grass so i expected this result. I should probably killed 100% and done glyphosate but i did not. I plan on renting the depot classen power rake and removing as much as possible to prep for seed.

Depending on that result I may spread seed using my scotts rotary spreader or rent the classen seeder.

There is the big $70 bag of lesco perennial ryegrass, is that ok to use? I'm looking for something that will establish and take. It's not my yard. It will never get manually watered. I am ok with doing fertilizer + weed killer spraying + bug/fungicide treatments as that's what i've been doing with my lawn with ok success.

Is there a type of seed I should stay away from? thanks.


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## Khy (Jul 27, 2018)

A quality TTTF is going to be the best bet if you want something low maintenance. Rye and KBG take a lot more baby sitting and will 100% die during the summer months if they can't get regular waterings. Where as TTTF can honestly go quite awhile without water even in extremely hot summer months before it really starts to die off as long as it's getting a nice deep 1-2 hour watering every week or so it can keep on keeping on once established.

The only issue w/ TTTF really (or rather the biggest issue) is Brown Patch during the summer. But if you go with a higher end cultivar for your area you can even make sure you get one with better fungus/pest resistance. But that really depends on what your budget is and how much sqft you have to cover.


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## r7k (Jan 25, 2019)

what makes tall fescue TTTF (turf type tall fescue) ?

I'm looking at the big bag of groundwork ultra premium tall fescue at tractor supply, they also have kentucky 31 tall fescue. Are those good?


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## r7k (Jan 25, 2019)

here's some pics of existing problem


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## g-man (Jun 15, 2017)

K31 is not a good seed. It is mostly considered a weed.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

r7k said:


> what makes tall fescue TTTF (turf type tall fescue) ?
> 
> I'm looking at the big bag of groundwork ultra premium tall fescue at tractor supply, they also have kentucky 31 tall fescue. Are those good?


As g-man mentioned, most of us are trying to get rid of any KY31 that we happen to have in our yards.

KY31 is not usually classed as TTTF, AFAIK. To be honest, I don't know the relationship between Ky 31, foraging fescue, clumping fescue etc. I don't think KY 31 is a bad grass, but it is not a cultivar that the typical lawn nut likes.
And there are important differences between TTTF and KY31
TTTF has thinner blades, has much, much better color, and has better disease resistance. TTTF is just a better kind of grass for nice lawns. You can think of it as a much improved version of KY31. Many of the newer cultivars can be mowed quite low, and some of us are now seeing rhizome activity from TTTF, which is putting a little truth in marketing claims of 'lateral spread TTTF' -- something that has been treated with reasonable suspicion.


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## r7k (Jan 25, 2019)

that all sounds good but then how do I know what to buy and from where?
So no KY31 stuff, and I have the label off the bag which specifies the specific types of fescues so i can make a reference of those as a NO.

what about the stuff in Groundwork Ultra Premium tall fescue from tractor supply?
Other than that I don't know where else to go besides amazon and google shopping and take my chances.
And there's the vigoro stuff at depot but in the smaller bag,
I don't know what at lowe's... that's a couple extra miles away and i rarely go there


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## Allan-00 (Aug 6, 2019)

Adding to the consensus that you do not want to spend any money on KY31 seed. All of the newer TTTF seed varieties are leaps and bounds better in about every measurable category.


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## badtlc (Aug 22, 2019)

r7k said:


> that all sounds good but then how do I know what to buy and from where?
> So no KY31 stuff, and I have the label off the bag which specifies the specific types of fescues so i can make a reference of those as a NO.


Are there any local lawn & garden shops in your area? We have a good one in my area called The Grass Pad. I know it doesn't exist where you are but if you have one, there is a good chance that they will have premium TTTF blends hand selected for your area. It is a good starting point anyway.


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## mooch91 (May 5, 2019)

r7k said:


> what about the stuff in Groundwork Ultra Premium tall fescue from tractor supply?


I will speak from experience here... the cultivars are actually not bad at all in the Groundwork Ultra Premium Tall Fescue. The "other crop" content in the bag is TERRIBLE - I had one at 2.31% and have seen some as high as 3.5%. This is weeds that will become part of your lawn, whether temporarily or more long-term. I saw a heavy load of annual rye and some oddball grassy weeds when I used this stuff. I've also seen some labels with noxious weeds listed.

If you choose to buy it, look for a bag with very low weed and other crop analysis.


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## Aggrorider1 (Jun 18, 2019)

Where in CT are you located? There are some places to get good quality seed.


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## jessehurlburt (Oct 18, 2017)

Valley Green has good options. I use their TTTF mix. It's $30 for a 10lb bag.


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## social port (Jun 19, 2017)

r7k said:


> that all sounds good but then how do I know what to buy and from where?
> So no KY31 stuff, and I have the label off the bag which specifies the specific types of fescues so i can make a reference of those as a NO.
> 
> what about the stuff in Groundwork Ultra Premium tall fescue from tractor supply?
> ...


You have a couple of options. There are advantages and disadvantages with each option.
You could go to a big box store and look for a turf type tall fescue mix. Jonatheen Green maybe. Scott's blend. The analysis on the label should tell you what cultivars are in the bag. Usually, bags will say whether or not there is KY31 seed.

You could go to a local turf or farm supply store to which what is available. Co-ops should stock a mix that would be appropriate for your area -- and something other than KY31

You could research NTEP reports to see which TTTF cultivars perform best in your area. Then make a list of top-performers. Then, try to source those cultivars from a seed distributor.

You could call a place like Hogan's seed company. Tell them where you are and what you are looking for, but also mention that you need their recommendation for your area. Let them put a blend together for you. They will ship it to you.

If you could do option 3 or 4, you will likely have a better outcome. You could have a stand that recovers from disease more easily, requires slightly less water, greens up more quickly etc.

Another thing to look out for, which others have mentioned: Try to get a bag of seed that is 0.00 percent weed seed as well as 0.00 percent other crop. And note that 0.05 percent is absolutely not 0.00.

There are other options, too, but those are the things that come to mind at the moment :thumbup:


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