Making Sense of Seed Selection with Dr. Leah Brilman

With all the seed options on the market, how does one choose which species to use and at what seeding rate?

Even within a species there is great variation in appearance and performance. Here at DLF Pickseed we like to make this as painless a process as possible. We asked our resident expert, Dr. Leah Brilman, for some pointers and we wanted to share the information she provided.

The following primer addresses some of the key points that you should consider when choosing a seed mix for your specific use, and your specific region.

Seed Selection Sense with Dr. Leah Brilman

Seed selection for turfgrass sites has many components. Among the most critical are the following. Please take these steps to find the correct species, and correct cultivar, to make sure you have the success you want during your next seed application:

• Check for the appropriate species of grasses in the mixtures.
  (This can be based on your climate zone, and make sure to read those tags.)
• What species is best for your site?
  (Improved tall fescues, bluegrasses, fine fescues and ryegrasses can all serve your applications well if they are suited to your region; new cultivars can allow for this.)
• Cultivars of each species.
  (With improvements in breeding, cultivars from a species can vary greatly in performance and in applicable usage.)
• Know how to identify Improved cultivars with the newest genetics.
  (Info is available via NTEP, the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program at www.ntep.org.)
• What are the components of seed quality?
  (Testing of seeds and labeling are great ways to learn more before you plant.)
• What species occur as weeds in tests and what are crop?
  (Look at our How to Read a Tag graphic below for all the ins and outs.)

We hope this information helps with your next project, but if you find this all a touch daunting and still have questions, we would be happy to help. To learn more on proper seed selection for your specific project, or region, contact any of the knowledgeable and helpful staff members here at Pickseed USA.

For some truly expert knowledge you can hear from one of the industry’s leading innovators by attending Dr. Leah Brilman’s lecture at the Reinders’ Green Industry Conference.