The best grass seeds for central Pennsylvania are all cool-season varieties like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue, tall fescue, and perennial ryegrass because they endure our cold winters and thrive in our generally mild summers.
These grasses also have individual strengths and weaknesses you should consider when building a lawn. Some are hardy, meaning they stand up to cookouts, pets, and kids. Others don’t require a lot of maintenance.
Let’s take a closer look.
Kentucky bluegrass: Durable and attractive
Kentucky bluegrass is popular everywhere in the North because it withstands cooler winters and bounces back great in the spring. It does especially well here in central Pennsylvania because it doesn’t care for blistering temperatures you find in Southern states but is perfectly at home in our low-to-mid 80s summer temperatures.
When you’re establishing a new lawn, know that Kentucky bluegrass germinates slowly. It takes between 10 and 30 days, which is why it’s often mixed with fast-germinating grasses like perennial ryegrass or fine fescues in new lawns.
Grass Seed Options:
– Jonathan Green (11970) Blue Panther Kentucky Bluegrass Grass Seed (3 lbs.)
– SeedRanch Midnight Kentucky Bluegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
Perennial ryegrass: Establishes quickly, handles heat
The hallmark of perennial ryegrass is its versatility: you can plant it alone as a lawn or mix it with other grass seed to quickly repair bare spots or improve the durability of a lawn that gets heavy use. Perennial ryegrass also tolerates heat relatively well, which means it is less likely to go dormant at the peak of central Pennsylvania summers.
The one downside to perennial ryegrass is that it has trouble with super cold or very icy winters. But mixing it with Kentucky bluegrass fixes that problem.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Perennial Ryegrass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz ProTurf Perennial Ryegrass Fine Lawn Seed (choose your size)
Fine fescue: Mixes great with other grasses
This group comprises several cultivars, such as creeping red, Chewings, hard, and sheep fescue. They are all well adapted to central Pennsylvania’s cool climate and thrive in shady lawns. They’re less needy when it comes to fertilization, requiring only 2 pounds or less per 1,000 square feet per year.
Just like Kentucky bluegrass, fine fescue mixes well with other grass types to improve drought and shade tolerance. If you want to tweak the appearance or bolster a weaker lawn, you can combine it with Kentucky bluegrass or perennial ryegrass.
Grass Seed Options:
– Outsidepride Legacy Fine Fescue Grass Seed (5 lbs.)
– Eretz Creeping Red Fine Fescue Seed (choose your size)
– Outsidepride Creeping Red Fine Fescue Grass Seed (25 lbs.)
Tall fescue: Hardy and low-maintenance
Tall fescue is a fairly hardy grass that can go long stretches without supplemental irrigation, so it’s good for those who don’t want to invest hours and hours a week on their lawns. It’s also a good choice for yards exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day or communities that restrict water usage.
Along with this drought resistance, tall fescue also has fewer problems with the insects and diseases than other cool-season grasses.
Grass Seed Options:
– Triple-Play Tall Fescue Grass Seed Blend (5000 sq ft)
– Eretz Kentucky 31 K31 Tall Fescue Grass Seed (choose your size)
– Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix (7 lb.)
For more information about caring for your Pennsylvania lawn and landscape, see these guides:
- When to Plant Grass Seed in Pennsylvania
- Year-Round Pennsylvania Lawn Care Schedule
- When to Aerate Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Fertilize Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Dethatch Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- When to Stop Mowing Your Lawn in Pennsylvania
- Planting Zones of Pennsylvania
- The Most Common Weeds in Pennsylvania
Trust the pros
Achieving a great lawn is a rewarding experience, but getting there takes real work and a fair amount of knowledge about how to water, fertilize, mow, and troubleshoot grass problems. Lawn Love makes it easy. Our pros are experienced, knowledgeable and dependable. And booking a pro couldn’t be easier.
Call, click, or tap the app to get a free quote and see what Lawn Love can do for you.
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Main Image Credit: Smallbones | Finley House FrankCo | Wikimedia Commons | CC0 1.0
