''Temporary'' Grass Seed for Patching Bare Spots

16 years ago

I am trying to fill a few bare spots in my yard, typically one to five square feet in size. There are alot of products made for this purpose and I'm not sure which is best to use. There are small bags of grass seed that promise fast germination to quickly and "temporarily" fill bare spots - what does that mean? Will the grass not survive until next season even if it sprouts quickly?

There are products like Scotts PatchMaster that include mulch and fertilizer along with the seed that are a bit more expensive. No reference to "temporary" on the packaging. This is alot less expensive than Scott's EZ Seed or Pennington Smart Seed Combination seed/mulch/fertilizer products, but I don't understand the difference.

Then there are "contractor's mix" and "landscaper's mix" grass seed that are sold in larger bags, are still fairly inexpensive, and promise fast germination. But is the eventual grass going to be as high quality (in terms of resistance to drought, heavy rains, extreme heat and cold, traffic, and insect damage) as standard grass seed products? Around here (Washington D.C. area, where temps range from blistering-hot summers to subfreezing winter), tall fescoe seems to be the predominant grass seed type sold, with Kentucky bluegrass and Kentucky 31 (which I never hear good things about) also available. I don't like varieties that go dormant (brown) in the wintertime. I can't say I care for tall fescoe though - the small, thin, vertical blades get matted down when walked upon. It's early fall, which along with early spring is the best time to grow here. What should I do?

thx.

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Comments (5)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
16 years ago
Explain what you mean by "temporary"? Are you planning on taking out your whole lawn next season? If you do not plant the same grass you already have the spots will always be apparent. Al
morz8 - Washington Coast
16 years ago
My neighbor bought one of the Scotts patch products at Home Depot to replant some bare areas in her lawn a few years ago - it came up very quickly and thick, looked great but instead of established lawn, after a period of time the areas died out again....that wasn't her goal.

In reading the product description on the bag of leftover seed trying to determine what went wrong, we came across the 'temporary' - which still doesn't make sense to me, why go to the effort to patch with something that isn't going to last - if it's formulated as quick and temp as for erosion control I wish they would call it just that :)

The next step was a trip to a hometown garden center that carries generic seed packaged for this particular area/climate - cool summers and long wet winters. I don't know what type grass does well in your zone, but you may not find it looking at the national brands.
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wordwiz
16 years ago
If I'm not sure what is the best type of grass for my area, I call (or visit!) the groundskeeper at the closest golf course.

Mike
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
16 years ago
In this area we have "Sod Farms" where we can buy sod by the square foot and easily plant the bare spots. The newly planted sod will probably look much better than the existing lawn, but you will at least get instant coverage. Al
oregonwoodsmoke
16 years ago
Seed companies love to load seed mixes up with annual rye grass. It germinates quick, has lovely color, and is easy to grow.

The problem is that it is an annual, so the end of the year, it is gone for good.

The perennial grasses are slower to germinate, and you will lose them if you allow the seeds to dry out. To establish lawn, you must water briefly several times each day.

Washington DC, you might consider one of the hybrid Bermuda grasses, bred for golf courses. It never gets tall and it's tough as can be. You'd buy that as turf, but to save money, you can cut turf into plugs and it fills in fast.