Choosing Lawn Seed Mix

coL

I am stuck trying to decide between two different lawn seed mixes (both type 2).

Would be interested in getting peoples opinions on the pros/cons of each

The first has the following blend:

25% Perennial Ryegrass Enquire
25% Platinum Amenity Perennial Rye
10% Chewing Fescue Trophy
40% Creeping Red Fescue Corail



While the second has this blend:


40% Slender Creeping Red Fescue
45% Dwarf Ryegrass
10% Chewings Fescue
5% Highland Browntop Bentgrass


To my mind the main difference seems to be the inclusion of the browntop bentgrass in the second blend as the dwarf rye grass is just a form of perennial rye grass so not majorly different (unless you consider the dwarf aspect important).


Am I overthinking the whole thing or is there a benefit to having the dwarf ryegrass and browntop bentgrass over what are essentially two types of similar perennial ryegrass?

my3cents

The first if kids are going to play on the lawn and the second for a better quality lawn that won't take quite as much wear and tare.

The bents are highly desirable in a good lawn as they are low growing and produce a lot of tillers. They used to be annoying if you use a cylinder mower as they are the grasses that can produce seed stalks that are just too long for the cylinder mower.

coL

Thanks for the reply.

When you say the second one wont take as much wear and tear, what do you mean exactly? Would a few percent of a difference in the blend make that much of a difference?

I do have kids but they are young and the lawn shouldn't be taking that much abuse or a lot of traffic.

my3cents

coL wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

When you say the second one wont take as much wear and tear, what do you mean exactly? Would a few percent of a difference in the blend make that much of a difference?

I do have kids but they are young and the lawn shouldn't be taking that much abuse or a lot of traffic.

The looks of the two if you grew them side by side would be quite noticeable.

The trade off is a lawn with very fine short grasses against a harder wearing lawn that will not look as good due to growing longer and have grasses with wider leaves. Amenity grass is just coarser and harder.

Both will take foot traffic but the amenity grass is faster growing physically stronger and damage will get covered up quicker.

coL

I didn't realise the difference would be so pronounced. I thought the dwarf ryegrass was a type of amenity ryegrass, is that not the case?

my3cents

coL wrote: »

I didn't realise the difference would be so pronounced. I thought the dwarf ryegrass was a type of amenity ryegrass, is that not the case?

I'm looking at the dwarf ryegrass in the fine mix and thinking that they wouldn't mix much more expensive finer grass seeds in with the dwarf ryegrass if it was in anyway coarse. Price will also make an interesting comparison.

Yes any ryegrass is going to increase the durability of the sward. Its also there in some cases because some varieties are very green iirc there is even one variety that is a good green during the winter (see if you can find the test that Which did a few years back may be 2010?).

This is my comparison because this is all about degrees not absolutes. The dwarf perennial ryegrass would be in mixes for golf course tees and fairways (no ryegrass at all on the greens) and perennial ryegrass would be in mixes (often on there own not a mix) used on football pitches.