Grass Seed
🌿Where to start…
From lawn and landscaping seed to seed suitable for horse paddocks there is a vast array of different grass seed mixtures to choose from so how do we know what to choose for winter sports pitches?
What to consider…
In selecting a suitable grass seed mixture for football pitches we need to think about what the desirable characteristics would be for our given sports pitch
💡 Wear tolerance/recovery
💡 Fast germination and establishment
💡 Good shoot density
💡 Germination at low temperatures
💡 A sufficient tolerance to heat and drought
💡 Disease resistance
💡 Fineness of leaf
💡 Can be grown in a variety of soil types
💡 Turf colour
💡 Shade tolerance
In the UK alone there are over 100 grass species included in seed mixtures, but we are only interested in the ones used in winter pitch mixes.
Perennial ryegrass (Lollium perenne)
This is the number 1 used grass seed species for winter sports turf in the UK, many seed mixes will be 100% Perennial ryegrass. It is wear tolerant, quick to establish, is resistant to many turf diseases and has an attractive dark green colour. It can also be grown in a variety of soil types.
Smooth-stalked meadow-grass (Poa Pratensis)
This has typically been combined in some seed mixtures with 80% Perennial ryegrass to 20% Smooth-stalked meadow-grass as it has excellent tolerance to heavy wear, is very drought tolerant and develops very strong root structures. Its main draw back is the slow germination (typically 21 days) and establishment time during which it is vulnerable to being outcompeted by other species and weeds. It also requires high soil temperatures of around 17 degrees Celsius for germination. It is a hungry species requiring a lot of nutrients and does not cope so well in heavy clay soils.
In low temperature mixes such as renovation mixes for winter months Annual Ryegrass may be included or Tufted hair-grass for shady environments but these are far less common and will not make up the majority of the varieties within a 20kg bag.
🌿 So what makes up a seed mix?
A good quality seed mix will typically be made up of between 3 and 4 grass cultivars these can be of the same or different species of grass. A cultivar is a specific variety that has been bred to provide the characteristics that are desirable for its intended use. You can see an example of this on the bag of seed below where 4 cultivars and their percentage weight in the bag is listed.
It is often a surprise to many the relative cost of amenity grass seed, consider that it takes 15 years to bring a new cultivar to market through research, breeding, trials, and certification as well as the challenge of farming grass seed production and it starts to make a lot more sense. The BSPB (British Society of Plant Breeders) Turfgrass Seed guide is published annually and provides a list of each cultivar and their relative characteristics.
Tetraploid Perennial ryegrasses
One such example of the breeding process has been the introduction of new varieties of Perennial ryegrass called tetraploids, these have twice as many chromosomes as traditional diploid varieties and as such boost chlorophyll production.
Amongst the benefits of tetraploid varieties are increased drought tolerance and recovery, superior performance in cold temperatures, and good performance in settings with limited nutrient inputs meaning they can be a good choice for pitches on a limited budget. They can be found included in many winter pitch seed mixes now particularly those targeted for autumn/winter over-seeding or high wear and high usage environments.
👉 Storage & Shelf Life
The older seed becomes the less viable it will be, germination rates are estimated to reduce by 10% year on year so try and only purchase what you need to avoid storing it for long periods.
⚠️ Keep it in a cool, dry environment away from direct sunlight and keep open bags sealed to avoid damage from vermin.