Grass Seed Guide

Q: Do you want a high end lawn?

Try either our Elite Kentucky Bluegrass , Elite Perennial Ryegrass or our Ultimate Kentucky Bluegrass + Perennial Ryegrass Mix . All of these are high end seed types that require higher degrees of maintenance, but can be turned into a very high end professional looking lawn.

Grass Seed Guide

Learn more about grass seed, and what kind is right for your lawn. (This page will be updated with new information shortly!)

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Understanding Grass Seed Species

Below is an outline of the four main grass seed species that are used in Canada. Each one has their pros and cons and usually grass seed will include a mixture of these types to work in different areas of your lawn. The Lawn Medic carries a all of these grass species, either as a blend of one species or a mixture. Mixing grass seed cultivars and species you give your lawn the best possible chance to thrive and battling drought, fungal pressure and overall environmental stresses.

Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG)

Kentucky Bluegrass is an extremely common grass type in Canada. It takes the longest to germinate, requires full sun, and needs to be maintained, but it as the added bonus of having build in dormancy protection and will spread to become thicker and fill in bare areas over time. KBG is also the main grass type in most home owner sod. The downsides to KBG is that it does not work in shaded areas, and due to its long germination time it is not a great choice for over seeding in most situations.

See KBG Seeds

Perennial Ryegrass (PRG)

Perennial Ryegrass is great choice for those that want quick results, a beautiful lawn, but also have some shade. PRG is more shade tolerant than KBG, but it does not spread like KBG. It requires similar amounts of input in terms of fertilization, watering and overall maintenance. PRG is used in many high level sports fields around the world, especially Premier League pitches. It is a great choice for over seeding due to its faster germination (4-7 days) but it has lower winter tolerance so some yearly over seeding may be required.

See PRG Seeds

Turf Type Tall Fescue (TTTF)

Turf Type Tall fescue is a very good choice for those who want an easier to maintain lawn, that will stay green longer, as well as be hardy enough to withstand the winter and wear and tear. TTTF develops deeper roots which helps it deal with walking and running well, but also allows it to access deeper water which allows it to withstand drought more efficiently. It also has a higher shade tolerance. It requires less overall maintenance than order types, including fertilization and watering. TTTF is an easy to use grass seed species that works well in sunny and shady areas.

See our TTTF Seeds

Fine Fescue (FF)

Fine Fescue is the most shade tolerant grass seed species. If you have an area that gets only a little sun during the day this is a great choice. FF is a very fine grass type (its in the name!) which allows it thrive with less sunlight, but also makes it very suspectible to heat and does not do as well in direct sunlight as other types. Fine Fescue is also not as wear tolerant and is best used to fill in those shaded areas that other grass types will not work on.

See our FF Seeds

Poa Supina

Poa Supina is the ultimate shade grass, with the ability to grow in up to 90% shade. However even with this extreme shade tolerance, it has many other pros as well. It has very aggressive spreading ability, even more so than Kentucky Bluegrass. It also has superior winter hardiness and spring green up, and loves to be walked and played on, spreading more aggressively with more wear. The downsides to this grass is it does not love hot and dry environments, meaning you will need to keep it watered. Also it does need more Nitrogen than other grass types to truly reach its full potential. Poa Supina is a great option for those areas where you just can't get anything to grow. Reach out to discuss this amazing seed if you have any questions.

What the heck is a species, cultivar, blend and mixture?

Species: A species is the main type of grass. So for instance Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG) or Perennial Ryegrass (PRG) are grass species. Each species has their pros and cons. In Canada we have "cool season grasses" which work in our climate. You may have heard of other species like Bermudagrass, but this is a "warm season grass" and would struggle in our climate. Go to Florida though and you will see it!
Cultivars: A cultivar is a type of grass seed within a species. So for instance a type of Kentucky Bluegrass (KBG). Each cultivar again has their pros and cons, but still maintain their overall species characteristics. For instance, KBG requires a lot of sun to thrive. All different cultivars of KBG will require a lot of sun, but some may be more tolerant to shade than orders, or some may spread a little faster than others, or some may even be a darker green than others. The Lawn Medic has taken all of this work out of it though, only offering the best grass seed cultivars such as Blue Note KBG and Torsion LS PRG to everyone across Canada.
Blends: This is a lot more simple. A blend is a mix of different cultivars. So using KBG as the example, you would have different types of KBG in a blend, but it would ALL be KBG. The reason this is done is to provide greater protection against diseases and other stressors. As mentioned each cultivar has their pros and cons, so by blending them you are offering protection against those cons.
Mixtures: A mixture is simply a mix of species. For instance PRG is often mixed with other species because of its quick germination rate. Or a "sun/shade" mix may include Fine Fescues and Kentucky Bluegrass to give the grass seed the chance to work in both sunny and shady areas.

Overall the key is not only choosing the correct grass seed species for your lawn, but also to use the best cultivars to ensure you get the lawn you want. The Lawn Medic only sells the highest quality weed free grass seed across Canada. No coatings, no fillers, only seed.

A quick guide to choose the right seed for you.

Do you have a lot of shade?

Try our Extreme Shade Mix if you have a shade only, or our Elite Turf Type Tall Fescue for an easy shade tolerant, but also suitable for sun, option. The most shade tolerant grass is out newly added Supranova Poa Supina.

Do you want a self repairing lawn?

Our Elite Kentucky Bluegrass is a self repairing grass that is great for sunny areas, and our Ultimate Kentucky Bluegrass + Perennial Ryegrass is a great general option with faster germination and better shade tolerance. Our most aggressively spreading seed is now our newly added Supranova Poa Supina seed.

Do you want to water less?

Try our Elite Turf Type Tall Fescue which features deeper roots and less need for water versus other species. Also check for the "A-List" badge on our seeds as this indicates that they require up to 60% less water than other equivalent seeds.

Do you want an easy lawn?

Try our Elite Turf Type Tall Fescue which is an easy to maintain grass that needs less water, fertilizer and cutting than other types.

Do you want a high end lawn?

Try either our Elite Kentucky Bluegrass, Elite Perennial Ryegrass or our Ultimate Kentucky Bluegrass + Perennial Ryegrass Mix. All of these are high end seed types that require higher degrees of maintenance, but can be turned into a very high end professional looking lawn.

Do you want a quick lawn?

Our Elite Perennial Ryegrass germinates quickly (4-7 days) to get you a green lawn fast. It is also featured in our other mixes as its quick germination is good protection for other species.