How long can grass seed stay fresh?
Whether you seeded your lawn this summer and have a bit left over, or simply keep an extra bag of grass seed on hand to patch and repair your lawn, you may be wondering, “will this seed still be as effective come Spring?” Before spending the time and money spreading and watering seeds that may never produce grass, take the time to learn a little about seed germination. And don’t worry, we’re here to give you all the information you need for your best chance of sowing success.
It’s not quite as simple as stamping an expiry date on a bag of seed. You can still get results from a bag of grass seed for many years, but the actual “expiry date” depends on how well you store your seed. It’s impossible to provide an exact estimation of how much less viable a seed mix can become over time, but seed stored in a typical residential garage could lose as much as 10% germination each year.
Storage conditions do have a major influence of the long-term viability of stored seed. Storing your seed outside in a shed, or garage is not ideal due to the exposure to heat and humidity. Instead, try storing your seed indoors in a cool, dry area, to extend your purchase’s shelf life.
It may sound strange to store your seed next to your orange juice, but seed stored in a sealed container or bag in the refrigerator usually have the best longevity. With fridge real estate at a premium, this probably isn’t the most practical solution for most households – but who likes cold milk anyway, right? But not to worry, if fridge space is tight, try your best to find the coolest location in your home such as a dry basement or cellar.
At Manderley, we test our seed yearly to ensure we are providing our customers with the best possible coverage, year after year. Did you know that Canada No. 1 Grade Seed only requires a 70% germination rate? Manderley PRO Grade and Less Water lines use only the highest quality seed which leave Canada No. 1 grade in their dust! That means you get the best seed, without any filler, bringing you fuller and longer lasting results than the competition.
Even if you’ve taken great care over your bag of seed over 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, with each passing year fewer seeds will germinate. This means that your coverage rate will go down significantly compared with a fresh mix. So, you’ll need more seeds to cover less area. That being said, overseeding with old seed will not have any damaging affect on your lawn.
If you’re concerned about throwing away good seed, or wasting time and money trying to establish seed that may never grow, you can always pick up a fresh bag of one of Manderley’s Premium Quality Seed products from one of our distributors. For more information on our full line of seed products, check out our website!
