08/31/2026
Understanding The GRASS SEED LABEL!!
Our apologies for the long read but even with these days of technology sometimes the good ole copy and paste has to be done. Premier staff know this information too!
Fall planting of grass seed is close at hand (now through October 15th), and whether you plan to overseed bare spots or completely start over planting a new lawn, selecting a high-quality grass seed is the number one most important step for success. In fact, the grass seed you select can make or break the success of your lawn the rest of the year. Not all grass seed is created equally. If you unintentionally select seed that is not well suited to Kansas, you limit your lawn’s potential success before you even start.
When purchasing grass seed it is important to make your purchase based on what is in the bag, not on it. Do not be swayed by fancy branding, buzzwords, or colorful bags. What is important in that bag of grass seed is what is on the seed label.
The seed label is most often located on the top of the bag, or on the backside of the bag. It is required by law and regulated by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. A seed label must be truthful in what the product contains, and as a result, is the most important information to look for when purchasing grass seed this fall. Here are the most important parts of a seed label that you will need to understand and look for:
• Component/Kind/Variety: This tells you the actual type of plant that will grow from the seeds in the bag. For most of Kansas, Tall Fescue will be the only type of grass seed we want to intentionally plant this fall. In good fall planted grass seed, we ideally want to look for three to five different varieties of Tall Fescue, or what is referred to as a tall fescue blend. This genetic variability helps to allow some varieties to perform better in the shade, while others may have more disease resistance or drought tolerance. Avoid other types of grass seed such as annual ryegrass, perennial ryegrass, bluegrass, fine fescue, or creeping red fescue. For most of Kansas, these other types of grass seed will not have the heat and drought tolerance necessary to survive the summer.
• % Purity: When multiple species or varieties of turfgrass are combined in the same bag, this number tells you the proportion of each seed type (by weight) relative to the others in the mix. Ideally look for tall fescue blends that have similar ratios of each turfgrass variety.
• Germination %: For each species or variety of turfgrass in the bag, this number represents what percentage of those seeds will be capable of growing into the desired plant. The larger this number is, the better. The germination rate will usually never be 100%, as it is unrealistic to guarantee every single seed in that bag is viable and able to grow. Instead, look for germination rates of 90% or greater. This will indicate high-quality seed that is likely to grow when planted.
• W**d Seed %: This number represents the amount of w**d seeds, by weight, included in the seed bag. It is important to emphasize that this percentage is based on the overall weight of the bag. As compared to grass seeds, many w**d seeds are much smaller (some are almost dust like) and have very little weight. This means that even at extremely low percentages, the number of w**d seeds may outnumber the grass seeds in a bag. Because of this, less than ½ of 1% of w**d seed can ruin a bag of seed. High-quality grass seed will have 0.01% or less w**d seed. Ideally look for grass seed with 0.00% w**d seed, even if the cost of seed is higher, in order to prevent planting w**ds with the grass seed.
• Other Crop Seed %: This number includes the weight of all other kinds and varieties of agricultural seeds not specifically named on the label. The types of “other crops” included in the bag do not have to be specifically listed on the seed label by name unless a species makes up 5% or more of the total weight of the bag. This means that there is usually no way of knowing what the "other crop" is. It may be something relatively harmless (like annual ryegrass), or it may be something difficult to control (such as rough bluegrass or orchardgrass). Just like with “w**d seed,” ideally the percentage of "other crop" should be as close to zero as possible. High-quality grass seed will have 0.01% or less of other crop. Ideally, look for grass seed with 0.00% other crop, even if the cost of seed is higher, in order to prevent planting w**ds with the grass seed.
• Inert Matter: This includes anything in the bag that is not a seed. This may include seed hulls, broken seeds, soil, sand, and other plant debris. While these materials add weight, they do not contribute to establishing a lawn. Often, inert matter may be intentionally added to help prevent grass seed from sticking together and allow seeds to be more easily spread.
• Test Date: This is the date when the germination % was determined. The older the date, the lower the actual germination % may currently be. By law, this date cannot be more than 9 months old prior to sale, not counting the month it was tested.
• Certified Seed: Some grass seeds will include a blue label that says “certified seeds.” This label indicates that the known variety of seed listed on the label has been inspected and found to be genetically pure. This ensures that the original qualities and desired characteristics of each variety (such as yield, vigor, and disease resistance) will still be evident in the plant that grows from this seed.
