Valley Green is one of the top grass seed suppliers in the northeastern United States. We have always stood by our products and we only purchase our seed from the highest quality suppliers. Customers often come to us after purchasing lower quality seed that ends up being more of a detriment to their lawn as opposed to a benefit. There are many problems that can occur when you use low quality grass seed. From weed seeds in the mixture to low germination rates, buying poor quality grass seed can actually cost you more in the long run than buying a high quality grass seed mixture. The saying that you get what you pay for also applies to grass seed!
Problems that Occur When you Use Low Quality Grass Seed
The contents in the grass seed mixture matters.
When purchasing your grass seed, always check the content information. This information tells you about the typed of grass seed that are in the package. It also tells you what percentage will sprout, the percentage of weed seeds, and how much filler is mixed with the actual seed. After reading this information, you should check the seed itself. If it contains empty seed hulls and stems and they seem to appear more than the percentage of what the information says, chances are, it is poor quality grass seed. These fillers end up in the mix if the grass seed is not properly cleaned after harvesting it. High quality grass seed will always be cleaned and be free of dirt and other debris.
Low quality grass seed has a lower germination rate.
There should be a label on your grass seed that lists the types and varieties of grass in the mixture. It should also list its germination rate. Cheap, low quality grass seed has a lower germination rate than high quality seed which means you will have to apply more grass seed to get it to grow. Buying cheaper grass seed may end up costing you more because you have to use a larger amount of it to germinate.
Low quality grass seed often contains weeds.
You would be surprised how many weed seeds can end up in even a small bag of grass seed. Even though the grass seed information says that the mix has a very small weed seed percentage, it still could mean hundreds of weeds. More weeds means more weed removal which is tedious and time consuming. When purchasing your grass seed, try to pick a mix that is 99.99% weed free.