To create hard wearing, heavy duty lawns, use the best hard wearing grass seed available for the job. Perennial ryegrass is used for the very toughest applications, premiership football pitches, showgrounds, racetracks etc. In this blog, we explore what you need to know about hard wearing grass seed.
What is hard wearing grass seed?
Hard wearing grass seed is specifically formulated with grass species that are able to withstand heavy wear and tear. Also known for fast growing and being resilient against other factors, hard wearing grass seed is a popular choice for many. Most hard wearing grass seed mixtures contain grass species such as ryegrass and red fescue.
Is ryegrass a hard wearing grass species?
Over recent years, new varieties of amenity perennial ryegrass have been cultivated to produce finer leaves in order to produce attractive, lush green lawns. These hard-wearing grass seeds are fast growing with tough, strong leaves. The roots are thick and fibrous which helps it survive against damage. As ryegrass is a crowning species, it doesn't require much ongoing lawn maintenance such as 'thinning out' or close mowing which makes it ideal for creating strong, multi-purpose lawns that can still achieve the classic 'lawn stripe' appearance.
Our toughest lawn mixtures such as Childs Play, Hardwearing and Premier combine the strength of perennial ryegrass with other species such as slender and strong creeping red fescue which thicken the sward and bind the turf. This produces a tough lawn which stands up to the demands of modern life. This is perfect for high traffic areas, creating child friendly lawns and to help to reduce damage caused by dogs.
Using hard wearing grass seed to repair your lawn
Ryegrass, a hard wearing grass species, is the most competitive and fastest growing grass seed species, which makes it ideal to repair lawn damage or overseed thinning lawns. Our Renovator seed includes a blend of three quality perennial ryegrass varieties, proven to repair lawn damage fast.
Ryegrass can also germinate at lower temperatures (down to ground temperatures of just 5°C) making it ideal for use as a winter grass seed or when weather conditions are uncertain.
When should I use hard wearing grass seed?
Hard wearing grass seed is perfect when you want a durable lawn that can handle regular footfall while still maintaining a lush, green appearance. Specially formulated to be able to repair quickly if damaged, hard wearing grass seed requires less maintenance than other grass types. Perfect for public spaces, homes with pets or anywhere that gets a lot of use.
How to sow hard wearing grass seed?
When sowing grass seed, we recommend following the usual ground preparation steps and sowing recommendations.
- Remove any weeds and debris from the area and loosen any compacted soil.
- Create a level seed bed.
- Allow the soil to settle for a week and remove any new weeds.
- Complete any final ground preparations by loosening the top layer of soil and applying preseeding lawn fertiliser.
- Sow your hard wearing grass seed at 50g/sqm.
- Rake the soil to allow the seed to get into the top 1-2cm of soil. Roll the soil to allow the seeds to get good soil contact.
- Water the seed every other evening, unless there is regular rainfall.
- Mow the lawn, once the grass reaches 3-4inches mow the lawn for the first time.
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How we can help!
At Boston Seeds we take pride in excellent customer service. If you're growing a lawn from scratch but unsure how much grass seed you need, our handy Grass Seed Calculator can help you figure it out in just a few clicks!
With Next Day Delivery on hundreds of items too, choosing from our extensive range of grass seed couldn't be easier. Ordering regularly or looking for large volumes? Click here to apply for a trade account today - we review all applications within one working day. If you have any questions, then please get in touch.
