To take the guesswork out of choosing the right lawn seed, Simon Dodds, Technical Field Representative based at the Cambridge PGG Wrightson store, shares his tips.

A popular lawn seed sold by the Cambridge store is PGG Wrightson Turf’s Durascape® Sports Oval Superstrike® Lawn Seed containing a blend of perennial ryegrasses. With its hardwearing properties, this lawn is a good choice if you have children and/pets. Simon says while ryegrass suits cooler climates, it will grow well anywhere, just water regularly in hot conditions. A ryegrass lawn is easy to establish and maintain, making it a good choice for your home or lifestyle block. It won’t cope as well as other lawn varieties when the summer dry hits, so an irrigation or sprinkler system is essential.

Now’s a good time, before we dive into more lawn seed options, to discuss how you’re going to water your lawn. Visit your local PGG Wrightson store if you want to discuss installing a permanent irrigation system. For other options, head to our online store to view the range of sprinklers, hoses and accessories including a Wetta Two-Hour Mechanical Timer for attaching to your tap. You can also purchase the K-Line 1 Pod Pack which is perfect for irrigating large lawns and gardens and suits watering an area that is uneven or an odd shape.

Simon emphasises if you want to establish a lawn that will thrive for many years, you’ll need a suitable watering system. Don’t ignore watering a spring-sown lawn as soon as it’s established. If you do, you risk it being damaged over summer.

Another lawn variety is fescue which Simon says will handle dry conditions better than ryegrass. The only trade-off is that it is harder to establish as the soil temperature needs to be above 12 degrees Celsius and rising. If you live in Taupo or further north, a fescue lawn is a good option due to the harsher summers. Remember to water the lawn when the heat hits.  

If you are applying a spray to control weeds or summer grasses, for example, in your lawn, Simon says to always read the label, as particularly with fescue lawns, some sprays aren’t suitable.

As the interest in growing and maintaining a lush lawn has picked up in recent years, Simon says lawn mixes have become increasingly popular. One example is Durascape’s All Purpose Superstrike Lawn Seed which is a blend of fescue, ryegrass and browntop. Ryegrass promotes quick establishment, fescue helps the lawn survive drier conditions while browntop promotes a dense lawn. Combined, the three will help your lawn look great year-round.

To aid seed establishment, Simon recommends buying a coated seed. The Durascape range are Superstrike coated which contains a fertiliser, an insecticide and a fungicide. The coating is effective for up to six weeks – the length of time it takes for the seed to establish.

When asked about the effect birds have on establishing lawns, Simon says the amount of seed they eat is minimal. To help avoid a bad outcome, simply apply more seed. With the rate of seed application between 30 to 50 g per m², Simon says to sow at the higher rate so you’ll achieve a lovely thick lawn even when the birds eat some of the seed.

For more on the Durascape range by PGG Wrightson Turf see below. To learn more click on the link:

Durascape’s® All Purpose Superstrike® Lawn Seed is a fast-establishing blend that will handle wear and tear while presenting well.

Durascape’s® Traditional Superstrike® Lawn Seed is suitable for low mowing and has good drought and shade tolerance. With care will make an amazing show lawn.

Durascape’s® Sports Oval Superstrike®Lawn Seed will produce a hardy lawn that will establish at low temperatures, such as in late winter or early spring, and recover well from wear.

Durascape’s® Fine Fescue Superstrike® Lawn Seed produces a fine textured lawn and will control grass weeds such as Poa annua. 

To view the full range of lawn seed available online at PGG Wrightson, click here.