Calculating Seed Rates
Because the right amount can help improve a home’s value and benefit the environment
Every customer wants a beautiful and healthy lawn. But achieving this means putting in plenty of time and effort—and the right amount of grass seed. As a professional, you’ve likely calculated seed rate before but we want to provide you with the knowledge that will guarantee you get it right every time. Because a healthy and luscious lawn means higher home values, better environmental benefits and of course, satisfied customers.
Choose Your Seed
Choosing the proper grass variety is just as important as watering the grass itself. Not all seeds are the same. Different grass varieties come with their own preferences and tolerances, including what type of climate they need and their maintenance requirements. A key step to ensuring your customer’s turf thrives is to choose a seed appropriate to the growing region. Take the time to learn about the seed your customer has chosen as instructions can vary depending on the variety.
These steps not only benefits your budget but also your customer’s lawn. You can find a full list of our different seed offerings on our website.
Calculate Your Amount
You will first need to calculate the area that needs coverage - making sure to take into account all non-lawn areas. After you have removed these elements from the mix, you are ready to calculate your actual seed need. If you spend an ample amount of time and effort on measurements, it will not only save you money but also save you time and the potential of coming out with poor results.
Once you have measurements, you can calculate how much seed your customers need. You should establish if you are working with a new lawn or if they are overseeding their current lawn. The amount of seed will change depending on the goal—but, either way, you will want to follow the seed bag label. The label on your chosen product will give you additional information you need, such as how much actual seed is in the bag. Most products will contain inert matter like dirt or broken seeds but this should make up less than three percent of the bag unless the percentage also includes seed coating.
To help your customers lawn achieve beautiful results quickly, we recommend using our PennMulch Seed Accelerator when seeding. This will provide better moisture management, faster establishment and improved germination.
Many of the grass varieties provided by LebanonTurf also meet the criteria for sustainability and water conservation through the A-LIST Organization. A-LIST stands for Alliance for Low Input Sustainable Turf and is a national nonprofit dedicated to aiding turfgrass managers and grass growers by providing holistic guidelines that account for all factors in sustainable plant growth.
Your customers want to have the best-looking lawn on the block and you want to provide that while also increasing their home’s value and benefiting the environment. Following these steps will help you achieve that. Whether you calculate the seed rate manually or use a seed calculator, just remember, having the right seed is as important as the amount you use.
To learn more about A-LIST, and to find out which LebanonTurf varieties qualify, please visit their website at A-ListTurf.org.
To learn more about LebanonTurf, please visit our website at LebanonTurf.com.