Johnson's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2007 
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/advice.html#lawn

Read the Label Before You Buy Grass Seed 

    Can you tell a fescue seed from a weed seed? If not ... you'll need to
look at the label before purchasing your grass seed. The label tells you
how much weed seed is in the bag ... plus lots of other valuable
information. Each bag of grass seed also has a "blue tag" that certifies
the following information found on the label:

-- The variety or varieties of fescue seed and their percentages.
   Without the blue tag you can only guess that you're getting what you
   paid for.

-- Percent of germination ... how much of this seed will actually
   grow.

-- Other crop seed ... may be something like ryegrass, bentgrass,
   bermuda or orchardgrass. Some of these are not difficult to control,
   but some (like orchardgrass) are very difficult to control.

-- Inert Matter ... other "stuff" that finds its way into the bag,
   such as soil.

-- Weed Seed ... noxious weeds present in the bag. These weeds may
   be impossible to get rid of without killing the turf.

    If you compare the labels, you'll understand why we always recommend
Gard'N-Wise Premium Tall Fescue Blend. For starters, this blend uses
only fescue varieties that have been tested in Kansas and are the best
varieties available for this area. Other brands of fescue blend use the
lowest cost fescues available and chances are those varieties don't test
well in this area.

    Gard'N-Wise Premium Tall Fescue Blend also has a high rate of
germination ... and virtually no weed seed. Check the back of this page
for dramatic comparisons with other well-advertised grass seed sold here
in Wichita ... and remember that the more weed seed you buy, the more
problems you'll have controlling weeds later in the season.

    If the label doesn't convince you, maybe the math will ... because
as little as 1% weed seed can destroy an otherwise good bag of grass
seed. Here's how it figures for ryegrass ... a common weed seed found in
fescue:
                        
EXAMPLE:    1% ryegrass (weed) in a 25 lb. bag of fescue 
    
            1% of 25 lbs. = 1/4 lb. weed seed 

            Ryegrass has 250,000 seeds per pound 
            
            1/4 lb. x 250,000 = 62,500 seeds of ryegrass in a 25 lb. 
                bag of fescue seed 

            If that 25 lb. bag of fescue is spread over 5,000 sq. ft., 
                it puts down 12.5 weed seeds per sq. ft. That would 
                equal nine weeds in a patch of lawn the size of an 
                8.5x11" piece of paper. Each spot (multiplied by 62,500) 
                equals one weed that you'd need to contend with at 
                some future date. 

    So remember the old adage "you get what you pay for" when shopping 
for grass seed. Spend a little extra now and you will save yourself time, 
money and a big headache.