The best grass seeds for Western 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.
It’s important to know because building and keeping a great lawn starts with choosing a grass that is suited for our climate and weather conditions. And here beyond the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, these grasses are tailor-made for our tough winters and warm summers.
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 in the spring. It does especially well here in Western Pennsylvania because it doesn’t care for the blistering summers 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.
Another downside: to look its best, Kentucky bluegrass requires more attention and more fertilizer than some other grass types.
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 Western 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 Western 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.
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
A beautiful lawn adds so much appeal to a home, but it’s not easy to achieve. Building a lawn takes time, money and know-how. Lawn Love gives you the yard you want at a price you can love. Call, click, or tap the app to get a free quote and see what Lawn Love can do for you.
Lawn Love participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Lawn Love may earn revenue from products promoted in this article.
Main Image Credit: Christopherpdriscoll | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
