Let's face it. Renovating turf is extremely hard work. So why would any contractor go through the tedious process of amending, grading, smooth-ing, seeding and irrigating to develop a new stand of turf and not also carefully consider the characteristics, and even the genetics, of the seed used?
Unfortunately, it happens all too often. If margins are tight on a construction project, the temptation might be to try to cut some dollars and order seed that saves a few pennies per pound, but in the long run could present a host of other problems.
“Lawn and landscape contractors need to be more aware of what constitutes a better grass variety,” stressed Ronnie Stapp, senior vice president, seed divisions, Pennington Seed, Madison, Ga. “It’s not just hype – it’s better turf quality, better disease resistance and seed quality the contractor can trust.”
“Contractors need to know that variety selection should be a significant consideration,” said Vicki Wallace, communications manager, Lofts Seed, Bound Brook, N.J. “Niche markets hold potential business for contractors who understand varietal differences.”
It’s certainly true that no two seed varieties are exactly are alike, and that seed producers are making substantial investments in research that they hope will lead to new, better varieties of seed. Contractors’ challenge is understanding what factors differentiate the many varieties, and what tools are available for comparing two types of seed.
THE FACTORS. Over the years, seed producers and researchers have developed terminology to describe the characteristics of turf seed that varies from variety to variety based on what end-users consider important.
In the 1980s, when seed research was just starting to become highly competitive, the battle for seed supremacy was fought over appearance characteristics. Research looked at characteristics such as early spring green-up, color and the size and shape of the leaf blade.
Appearance characteristics are still a top priority, but over the past decade the the emphasis has been on finding a balance between identifying the best looking turf that also provides important maintenance advantages, such as drought and wear tolerance and disease and insect resistance. Seed producers measure all of these factors when making decisions about what turfgrasses will ultimately reach the market.
LABELING AND CERTIFICATION. As product end-users have shown a greater interest in knowing exactly what is in the products they are buying, there has been a greater emphasis placed on the information contained in product labels.
The seed industry is no exception. The label required by law on every bag of turf seed contains a wealth of information about what exactly is in the bag (see sidebar below).
| The Seed Label: KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR
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By law, every bag of seed is required to have a white analysis tag attached to it, which provides end-users with essential information about the content and quality of the turf seed they are buying. Each item on a seed tag relates in some way to the seed in the bag. Below is a review of the parts of the label, and what information they represent: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In blends and mixes, each varietal component will have an exact percentage (down to 0.00), based on seed test results. Also, if the blend or mix is made of common or unnamed seed components, this will be presented as Variety Not Stated (VNS). VNS means that the bag contains, for example, a perennial ryegrass, but it isn’t known what variety of perennial ryegrass it is. Therefore, the purchaser can’t be sure if the seed is high, medium or low quality.
For example, annual ryegrass in a perennial ryegrass lot would be listed as crop seed if it constituted less than 3 percent of the lot. If it exceeded 3 percent, the annual ryegrass would have to be listed as a pure seed component, along with the perennial ryegrass. On a seed lab examination report, these seeds are identified and expressed as number of actual seeds per sample weight, as well as an estimated number of these weed seeds per pound of seed.
-Paul Schrimpf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another level of labeling for seed is certification. This designation indicates that, through rigorous independent testing, a bag of seed is considered genetically pure.
This does not necessarily ensure that the seed is going to perform better, but it is an even higher level of assurance the contractor is getting what he or she is paying for.
PASSING THE TEST. One way that turf varieties are judged is through a program called the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program. Funded by the turf industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this program accepts varieties from turf seed producers and distributes them to sites and land-grant universities throughout the country. An explanation of how to use these tests is presented on page S12.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. In addition to the information one can gather from these sources, a knowledgeable distributor can also shed light on what are the best varieties and blends for a given region of the country. Universities and extension specialists are also great sources of information.
Finally, contractors should avoid the temptation to bite on price if there’s a real difference in quality. Buying a premium seed and offering it as such to customers is another way to add profits.
“A quality seed product need not be viewed as an expense,” stressed Art Wick, vice president, research and development, LESCO Inc., Rocky River, Ohio. “In many cases, it should be viewed as a value added benefit sold to the customer. Many contractors and hydroseeding customers consider the cost of seed to be a problem – they think that the cheaper they can buy seed the better off they are.
“They should try a marketing approach,” Wick continued, “and provide customers with a menu of choices. If you want a middle of the road lawn, I can give you that, but if you want a quality lawn, I can use this higher end seed and you’ll get an outstanding lawn. Customers will pay more if contractors can provide better quality. Good marketing is not giving away the store, but explaining value and shaping customers’ perceptions.”
| Interpreting NTEP Results
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While it can be helpful in selecting a variety of turf, reading the data from an NTEP report can be a bit tricky. Here are some suggestions: Turfgrass quality ratings are contained in tables 1-3 in all NTEP progress reports. Turfgrass quality ratings are collected monthly and are an overall visual evaluation of each grass. Quality ratings encompass all of the factors that affect the quality of a turf stand, including genetic color, density, disease and insect injury and heat and drought tolerance. TABLE 1 displays data from each test location and an overall average (mean). To best use this table, determine which test locations are the closest geographically to your location. The overall average is then useful to gauge the cultivars’ performance over many locations. TABLE 2 gives the same turfgrass quality data but presents it for each month collected. Evaluation of this table can lead to a better understanding of the varieties that perform better or worse during particular months or seasons. TABLE 3 offers a ranking of quality ratings over each location. This table is useful for quickly determining the performance of cultivars over different locations and regions. When considering data from any NTEP table, one needs to consider the Least Significant Difference value. The LSD is like a “plus or minus” value that ensures that two varieties with different ratings are actually statistically different. For example, if Variety A has a rating of 6.0 and Variety B rates at 5.7, but the LSD is 0.3, then there is no stastical difference between the varieties. Call 301/504-5125 for information on obtaining NTEP results |
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