To grow the best grass, you have to start out with the best grass seed for Cincinnati lawns. The truth is, people spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to grow healthy grass but then they put down subpar-quality seed when overseeding.
People often don’t realize that not all grass types are ideally suited to our region. You want to make sure that you’re choosing the best grass for the Ohio and Kentucky area. That means a grass that is well-adapted to the growing conditions including the weather and the soil.
Of course, buying grass seed can feel complicated. If you’ve been to a big box store and looked at grass seed, you already know there are an overwhelming number of types and brands of seeds. A poor choice could leave you with more hassle than you started with. Some grass seed blends contain filler (which can produce untreatable weeds – as we will discuss later); some turf types don’t work well in our region and yet they are on the store shelves. We understand how confusing these options can be for you.
That’s why we’re here to help talk about types of grass in Ohio and what might work best for your lawn.
We’ll cover:
The best grass seed for Ohio and Northern Kentucky
What to look for in the best grass seed
How to get grass seed to grow
Choosing a lawn company that invests in the best grass seed
After reading this article, you’ll have a much better understanding of how to make wise grass seed choices for your lawn.
The best grass seed for Ohio and Northern Kentucky
The best grass seed for Ohio and Northern Kentucky is a Turf Type Tall Fescue blend. We happen to be in a “transition zone” between where cool season grasses do well (in the North) and where warm season grasses do well (in the South).
But even within this grass type, there’s going to be variation. In order to choose the best, we turn to the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), which grows grass at various locations across the United States in order to determine the very best turf type for each region. The University of Kentucky is one of these local test sites, and we follow that data closely in making our choice of the best grass seed for Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
In performing these studies, the NTEP is looking at things like the drought and heat tolerance and the disease and pest resistance. Each year scientists are developing better and better varieties that are more tolerant of some of the conditions that grass must face.
Here in Ohio and Northern Kentucky, Brown Patch Disease is a common stressor and we are looking for grass types that can withstand this.
What to look for in the best grass seed
As we mentioned, when the NTEP is researching grass, they are looking at various factors and testing how the grass performs.
Some of the things that the NTEP looks at includes:
- Color
- Leaf Texture
- Density
- Spring Greenup
- Seedling Vigor
- Drought Tolerance
- Frost Tolerance
- Heat Tolerance
- Disease Tolerance
- Pest Tolerance
- Germination Percentage
These are thorough evaluations that include a number of considerations.
Grass varieties continue to improve and we are always watching the new research that comes out. In fact, at Oasis Turf & Tree, we have planted new grass seed at our own facility to test it out ourselves, even before it’s available to our customers. We are constantly evaluating what is best.
How to get grass seed to grow
Of course, success with a healthy lawn also hinges on how you plant and care for your new grass seed. Getting grass seed to grow isn’t as simple as throwing it down on the ground and waiting for it to sprout. You could have the best grass seed in the world but if you don’t follow best practices, it may not germinate the way you desire.
Seeds require good seed-to-soil contact in order to germinate and continue to grow. That is why it is beneficial to do your seeding at the same time as your fall aeration, the service that pulls the soil plugs throughout your yard.
When lawn aeration and overseeding are done together, it allows the seeds to fall into the holes created by aerating. Years of university-level research and our experience with the success of combining the two services have shown us that this is the best way to overcome environmental challenges in our area and to help grass seed grow and thrive.
Successful seeding also requires the following to get started and to thrive:
Fertilization: We apply starter fertilizer with grass seed in order to increase the fertilization rate.
Watering: Grass seed needs to be watered daily for the first three weeks after seeding, then every other day for one week, and twice a week after that.
Ongoing Care: A professional lawn care maintenance program will ensure that your yard gets what it needs on a continuing basis in order to thrive.
Choosing a lawn company that invests in the best grass seed
Just like you can buy grass seed at varying levels of quality at the big box store, it’s important to remember that not all companies are investing in high-quality seed. In fact, we feel confident in saying that most lawn care companies are probably not willing to pay for the top-notch varieties that we insist on overseeding with.
Every year, we call lawn care services in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH and Northern Kentucky for quotes and ask them what types of grass they use and it’s usually a run-of-the-mill Turf Type Tall Fescue. Not the varieties that are being developed at the very top of the NTEP chart.
We know that top-quality grass seed is expensive and lawn care companies are worried about being as cheap as possible. But this is an area where we won’t compromise. You simply can’t grow the best grass without using the best grass seed.
Your Wise Choice for a Healthy Lawn
A beautiful lawn begins with choosing the best grass seed. However, seeding is only one part of an overall lawn health program that encompasses all of your turf’s needs.
By choosing Oasis, you will get the best grass seed for your Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio, or Northern Kentucky home, giving your lawn an excellent start, and our ongoing care for your property will provide everything it requires to perform at its best all year long.
When it comes to your yard, from early on in the grass seed stage and up through health care for the mature lawn, we’re here for you. We’re always available to answer any questions that you may have, because the choices you make now will set your lawn up for success in the future.
If you’d like to learn more about the lawn care programs that we offer in Dayton, OH, Cincinnati, or Northern Kentucky, request your quote, help us find the right program for you, then sit back and relax knowing you’ve made a wise choice.
