When should I plant Cutting Edge® Grass Seed?

The optimal time to plant Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is in the fall when the average daytime temperature is around 70 degrees, nighttime temperature is at around 50 degrees – making the ground temperature around 62 degrees. For detailed planting instructions, please visit the manufacturer website at www.cuttingedgegrass.com, Planting & More Tab.

 

What are endophytes?

Cutting Edge® Grass Seed uses naturally occurring fungi to help repel insects, improve overall stress tolerance, and defend against certain diseases.

Endophytic grasses typically improve a lawn’s resistance to grass blade feeding insects such as billbugs, chinch bugs, sod webworms, fall army-worms, and argentine stem weevils. Endophytes, however, are not effective against root feeders such as white grubs.*

Lawns with endophytes tend to be comparatively vigorous, especially under conditions of minimal fertilization and irrigation.  They produce greater numbers of tillers and roots, which should allow them to be more drought-tolerant, more competitive with weed species, and able to recover more rapidly from injury. The higher performance is particularly notable under stressful conditions such as high temperature, as well as nutrient and water deficiency.*

* http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/endophyte.html

 

Does Cutting Edge® work well in all soil conditions? How does it work in clay soils?

Cutting Edge® Grass Seed was originally designed to grow in areas where other grass seed mixes are often unable to sustain growth. The hardy attributes of the Cutting Edge® revolutionary mix plus the added mycorrhiza characteristics of our new Cutting Edge® Organic Seed Coating™ make Cutting Edge® Grass Seed a superior choice for traditional soils as well as clay soil, rocky areas, slopes, sandy soils, areas affected by salt, and lawns adjacent to asphalt as well as many other hard to grow areas.

 

How is Cutting Edge® different from other low maintenance products on the market?

Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is a low maintenance mix of Kentucky bluegrass and other top performing seed. It is planted like any other C-3 cool season grass; the difference is in the performance once the lawn is established so you can STOP constant watering, STOP constant fertilizing, and STOP constant mowing.

  • Cutting Edge® Grass Seed has the only OMRI® Listed natural, organic seed coating on the market today. Our Cutting Edge® Organic Seed Coating™ enables quick germination and, in many instances, reduces the frequency of watering during germination.
  • Rhizomatous Nature of Kentucky bluegrass:  The Kentucky bluegrass in Cutting Edge® Grass Seed provides for horizontal growth of roots and shoots, creating a knitting effect to promote durable, thick, self-repairing turf.
  • STOP Constant Fertilizing:  Once established, Cutting Edge® grass should require about one pound of nitrogen per year, in contrast to other blends that require a minimum of 3-4 pounds of nitrogen, or approximately 4-7 fertilizer applications, per year. As a result, leaving Cutting Edge® grass clippings after mowing a few times in the spring and a few times in the fall will often provide the right amount of nitrogen in the soil, thus reducing the need for constant fertilizer applications. **If you experience a heavy rainy season, if you water constantly, or if you consistently mow the grass very low, you will likely need to provide the soil with additional fertilizer to replenish the nitrogen.
  • STOP Constant Mowing:  Cutting Edge® grass is a slow growth, “dwarf” height grass. Maintaining a grass height of approximately 3.5 inches will help keep the area underneath the canopy shaded to discourage weed and crabgrass growth. A well maintained canopy area will also help slow down the sun from drying up the surface soil too quickly, thus maintaining moisture longer to keep the grass and root system healthy and reduce the risk of lawn disease.
  • STOP Constant Watering:  Cutting Edge® grass requires less watering than other grass seed mixes. The root system can grow up to 48” deep, reducing the need for constant watering.  Please remember: constant watering and fertilizing ordinarily over-stimulates grass growth and retards root growth. Reduced watering of a Cutting Edge® lawn helps promote both a deeper root structure and slower grass growth.
  • Endophytes:  Cutting Edge® grass uses naturally occurring fungi to help repel insects and overall stress tolerance and defend against certain diseases, improving the overall health of the lawn.
  • Salt resistance: Cutting Edge® grass has a higher tolerance to salt compared to many other grass seed mixes. Cutting Edge® Grass Seed should be your first choice for areas that might be exposed to higher than normal areas of salt, including parking lots, highway medians, etc.

 

What are the benefits of the OMRI® Listed Organic Seed Coating?

Cutting Edge® Organic Seed Coating is the only OMRI® Listed natural, organic seed coating.  It includes a Hydration and Mycorrhiza PackageTM, which will better absorb water and retain moisture longer than uncoated seed, enabling quicker germination and, in many instances, reducing the frequency of watering during the germination process. The seed is also coated with Mycorrhiza, fungi that grow either inside the roots or on the root’s surface. The fungi send their hyphae (similar to small roots) into the surrounding soil, thus enhancing the grass’ ability to absorb nutrients and water and to filter out soil toxins.

 

How often do I have to mow my Cutting Edge® lawn?

Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is a slow growth, “dwarf” height grass. As a result, in many cases, you will only need to mow an established Cutting Edge® lawn a few times in the spring and a few times in the fall, due to its deep healthy roots and less rapid grass growth.

 

How long do the roots get?

An established Cutting Edge® lawn can grow a deep, robust root system, with roots as deep as 48 inches. This deep root structure helps your lawn endure dry conditions. But Cutting Edge® grass roots need to be trained to search for water. After germination, less frequent, deeper watering encourages your roots to seek water. As drought occurs and the water table drops beneath the soil, the roots will seek groundwater in deeper soil containing more moisture. Be sure to monitor the health of the grass as you train the roots to grow deep.

 

How will a Cutting Edge® lawn do in a dry, hot summer?

An established Cutting Edge® lawn with a deep root system is designed to be more tolerant of extreme drought conditions.  The need for watering is dependent on the location of the water table and whether the root system has grown deep enough to reach it. Knowing if and when to water your lawn is primarily dependent on your own visual assessment. If your Cutting Edge® lawn is starting to wilt or lose its healthy blue-green coloring, it’s time to consider some watering.

 

How long does Cutting Edge® take to germinate?

This can vary depending on the application. Initial germination for slice or hydro seed applications should be approximately 3-5 days at an optimal soil temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Complete germination should be approximately 20-28 days. Keep in mind the last specie to germinate will be the Kentucky bluegrass, which should become the dominant visible specie when the lawn matures. Do not begin your first mowing too soon or these important Kentucky bluegrass seedlings could be harmed.

 

What is the seeding rate?

For new lawns, our recommended seeding rate is 4 lb. per 1,000 square feet, or 1 lb. per 250 square feet.  For a complete seed rate chart, go to http://www.cuttingedgegrass.com/seeding-rates-2/

 

How long does Cutting Edge® have to be watered upon planting of the seed?

Cutting Edge® has a new seed coating, Cutting Edge® Organic Seed Coating The coating absorbs moisture and expands, keeping the seedling moist for a longer time than grass seed without any means of capturing additional moisture. Most other C-3 cool season grass seeds must be watered frequently, often 2-3 times a day for short periods, to keep it moist at all times until complete germination. Cutting Edge® Grass Seed with Cutting Edge® Organic Seed Coating will retain moisture longer, thus significantly reducing watering frequency during germination.

 

How long does it take for Cutting Edge® to take over an existing lawn in an over seed application?

Although we always recommend starting with a new lawn, Cutting Edge® Grass Seed can eventually take over an existing cool season grass lawn after 3-4 seasons of over seeding (18-24 months).

 

Is Cutting Edge® Grass Seed a hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) grass seed?

No.  Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is NOT a hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) grass seed.

 

Will Cutting Edge® Grass Seed work in my area?

Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is a C3 cool season grass. Cutting Edge® Grass Seed is ideal for both the northern US and Canadian “Cool Season” zones, and for most parts of the mid-US “Transition” zone.

Use of Cutting Edge® Grass Seed in the southern US “Warm Season” zone should be carefully limited to professionally-managed temporary winter greening of dormant C-4 grasses.

A zone map and detailed planting instructions can be found on the manufacturer website at www.cuttingedgegrass.com, Planting & More Tab.