Whether you’re looking to put in a new lawn or take care of barren areas, you’re going to need some grass seed.
You are viewing: Why Is Grass Seed So Expensive
Like all other plants, grass comes from small seeds which, when planted in the ground, sprout into the blades of grass that cover most lawns.
Considering how plentiful the grass is, it may surprise you to know that grass seed can become quite expensive.
The average cost of a pound of grass seed ranges from $3 to $10 which equates to bags costing between $30 and $100.
Here are 10 reasons grass seed costs so much.
Why Is Grass Seed So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)
1. Type Of Grass
Although all grass may look the same initially, that isn’t the case.
There are several different variants of grass.
They grow in different regions of the world based on the type of climate that’s the most ideal for them.
For example, most types of grass that live in tropical areas will have a difficult time surviving in climates that experience cold snowy winters.
There are six main types of grass, and each has a range of prices.
A. Fescue
Pennington The Rebels Tall Fescue Grass Seed Mix 7 lb
The least expensive is fescue grass.
This type of grass primarily grows in the Midwest.
The average price is $60 to $75 for 25 pounds of grass seed.
That can cover 5,000 square feet.
B. Kentucky Bluegrass
Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Kentucky Bluegrass Mix – 7 lb., Use in Full Sun, Light Shade, Fine Bladed Texture, and Medium Drought Resistance, Seeds up to 4,660 sq. ft.
The next type of grass is Kentucky bluegrass.
This type of grass grows primarily in the Northeast.
The average price is $80 to $100 for 25 pounds of grass seed.
That covers 5,000 square feet as well.
C. Bermuda
Scotts Turf Builder Grass Seed Bermudagrass, Mix for Full Sun, Built to Stand Up to Heat & Drought, 10 lbs.
The third type of grass seed is Bermuda grass.
This type of grass grows best in the Southeast.
The average price is $105 to $130 for 25 pounds to cover 5,000 square feet.
D. Ryegrass
Annual RyeGrass Seed by Eretz – Willamette Valley, Oregon Grown. No fillers, No Weed or Other Crop Seeds (5lb)
The fourth type of grass is ryegrass.
It grows best in the Pacific Northwest region.
The average price is $53 for a 50-pound bag.
This amount will cover 10,000 square feet.
E. Bahiagrass And Centipede Grass
Hancock’s Pensacola Bahia Grass Seed – Coated – 25 lbs.
The fifth type of grass is Bahiagrass and Centipede grass.
Both of these do well in the deep South or Gulf area.
The average price is $120 to $160 for 25 pounds of Bahiagrass.
If you want centipede grass, then the average price is $340 to $385 per pallet.
That’s about 75 cents to 85 cents per square foot.
F. Zoysia
Zenith Zoysia Grass Seed (2 Lb.) 100% Pure Seed Grown by Patten Seed Company
The final type of grass is Zoysia and tall fescue
This type of grass grows best in the central part of the United States.
This area is the transitional region.
The average price for Zoysia is $240 per pallet which comes down to 55 cents per square foot.
The average price for tall fescue is $160 to $295 per pallet which comes down to 35 cents to 65 cents per square foot.
2. Regional Restrictions
Another reason that grass seed is expensive is that there are regional restrictions as to what type of grass seed you can grow.
For example, it’s difficult for tropical grass to grow in winter climates.
As such, those in wintery regions can only buy grass that can survive through winters.
That limits their options.
The same goes for all the regions aside from transitionary which can sometimes find success planting different types.
Since they’re only able to buy one or two different types of grass, there’s very little competition in the market.
With a lack of competition, those selling the grass can charge as high as they’d like.
That’s because they don’t have another business trying to take buyers from them by selling low.
While there may be other grass seed businesses, everyone is basically selling the same product.
The lack of diversity drives up the price of grass seed.
It’s expensive because people are only able to grow certain types of grass depending on the region in which they live.
3. Crop Space
When you buy grass seed, you may be unsure of where it comes from.
Grass seed actually comes from farms like most other crops.
Farmers will plant the grass, then use heavy machinery to remove it and extract the seeds.
Some of the grass gets dried to make straw, but some of it also gets its seeds extracted to sell to homeowners and landscapers.
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The problem with growing grass is that farmers need to plant a lot of it to make it worth their while.
This means that they often have to use plots of land that could have otherwise been useful for planting more valuable crops.
Since that space is now used for grass, it means that the farmers are missing out on decent profit.
To make up for that loss, they have to put a higher price on the grass that they plant, grow, and sell.
Because of the various hands that the grass seed passes through before making its way to the store, the consumer ends up paying for the farmer’s higher price along with the other processing costs.
Grass seed is expensive because it requires farmers to give up a decent amount of land which they could use to grow and sell more profitable crops.
4. Heavy Machinery Usage
Considering the large amounts of land that farmers plant grass on, a regular lawn mower won’t be ideal for cutting it.
Farmers use large machines like sickle mowers, sickle haybines, and rotary disc mowers.
These are large cutters that require the use of a tractor to pull them.
There are other mowers and cutters, too, which are even larger and more advanced.
The larger the cutter is, the larger the tractor needs to be to pull it.
Since farmlands tend to span several acres, the tractor and cutter see a lot of use in a short amount of time.
That means they also fall into disrepair more rapidly than other machines might.
This means that farmers have to spend a lot of time and money repairing their tractors and mowers.
Since they’re large machines, their repairs don’t come cheap.
A tractor that costs $80,000 would require about $24,000 in repairs after 5,000 hours of use.
Add that expense with the other expenses that a farmer takes on, and it makes sense that they have to put a high price on their goods to make ends meet.
Depending on what they’re doing with the grass, if they’re also turning it into hay for example, then they might be using even more machines on it.
Because of the cost of repairs needed for growing and cutting grass, farmers put a higher price on grass seed and other grass products.
It’s expensive because of tractor and heavy machinery repairs.
5. Time Costs
Planting, growing, and harvesting grass takes time.
In fact, it can take anywhere from 10 months to two years for grass to be ready, depending on the farmer’s use for it.
For grass seed, it takes less time, but the farmer still has to let the grass mature enough to be able to collect the seeds.
If they harvest too early, then there wouldn’t be many seeds to collect and thus sell.
If they plan on using the grass to grow sod, then it needs to grow even longer.
The amount of time it takes to grow grass also adds to the costs of its seeds.
The time it takes to harvest the grass and extract its seeds can take a while.
Since the farmer could better use that time tending to crops that pay more, they need to ensure that it’s worth their while.
As such, they put a higher price on grass seed to make sure it pays for their time.
Grass seed is expensive because of the length of time it takes to grow and harvest grass as well as to extract its seeds.
6. Complex Climates
Certain types of grass seed are more expensive than others because of the complexity of the climate in which they live.
For example, those who live in hot desert climates have a very specific type of grass that can live there.
A bit of plant bioengineering can help grass grow better in extreme climates.
Whether it’s by requiring less water or being able to resist more UV damage, these types of grass have a bit of engineering behind them.
Since they’re unable to grow on farms as well as normal types of grass, they’re a bit harder to find.
The supply of specialized grass seed is smaller and even limited in certain regions.
Because of its scarcity, grass seed that’s engineered for complex climates is more expensive.
7. Size Of Bag
The size of the bag is another huge factor that adds to the price of gas seed.
If you’re buying a single 25-pound bag of grass seed, then it likely isn’t going to cost too much.
However, if you have an entire lawn to cover, then you can expect to pay a lot of money.
The difference in expense paid between someone who has a small yard to someone who has several acres to cover is going to be extreme.
The more bags you need, the more expensive your grass seed is going to cost.
While you might be able to find some places that will sell you bulk prices for a pallet of grass seed, it isn’t always guaranteed.
Grass seed is expensive when you need several bags to cover a large lawn.
8. Mixtures Of Seed
Besides finding seed for specific types of grass, you can also find blends and mixtures that contain different types of seed.
This is ideal for those who live in regions that can support both types of grass seed.
You may even want to experiment to see if one type of grass seed grows well during a certain part of the season and another type of seed grows well during another part of the season.
Mixed seed bags tend to cost more than a bag of only one type of seed because you’re paying for both of them.
For example, you may choose a cheaper type of seed, like fescue, but if it’s mixed with a more expensive seed type, then it’s going to raise the price of the bag overall.
If you choose a bag with two expensive grass seed types, then you’re going to have a very expensive bag on your hands.
The benefit of buying mixed grass seed is that it adds some detail and characterization to your yard.
Having the same type of grass can make your lawn look too manufactured.
With some variety, it can add life to the lawn.
Another benefit is that if one type doesn’t seem to grow well, then there’s a chance that the other type might do better.
It saves you time from having to wait until the ideal conditions for planting again.
Grass seed is expensive when you buy a mixed seed bag.
9. Drought
Unfortunately, a lot of farmers throughout the United States are experiencing a drought.
Without water, grass and other types of crops are unable to grow.
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Even irrigation attempts are difficult if there isn’t any water in the ground from which to pull.
To give their crops a chance, farmers have to buy and bring water to their fields.
This is a costly venture that usually results in the farmer making little if any money.
Drought isn’t something that’s easily fixed either.
It all comes down to the weather and with climate change slowly affecting regular weather patterns, it’s anyone’s guess how long the drought will last.
Drought is something normally discussed when considering residents and their inability to shower or drink at home.
Or it’s discussed when correlated with wildfires.
Drought hits farms the hardest since it’s farms that keep the country fed.
It impacts the price of grass seed because it limits how much grass is actually growing each year.
Without water, there isn’t enough for the grass to grow well.
That means the farmer harvests a smaller amount and can only put up a certain amount for sale.
Since it’s scarce, the price for grass seed goes up.
The fact that farmers also have to spend money to water what they can also means that it costs more to produce.
As a result, they raise the price of grass seed, too, to try and make up for some of the money they lost.
Drought is one of the major problems and reasons behind the high price of grass seed.
10. Decreased Pollination Rates
A final reason grass seed is expensive is a decreased rate of pollination.
Like most other plants, grass requires various bugs to pollinate it.
Without pollination, the grass won’t germinate and sprout.
The problem with pollination is that it mostly relies on bees and butterflies.
Both of those insects have been in short supply throughout the United States.
A lot of focus has been on the disappearance of bees, but butterflies are suffering, too.
There are several reasons behind their smaller numbers.
The biggest is climate change.
Like plants, certain insects are extremely vulnerable to changes in their climate.
Without the proper temperatures or conditions, they die.
They’re unable to give birth or mate or simply grow.
Another serious problem is the use of chemicals to protect crops from pests.
While the chemicals do protect the crops from pests, it also kills bees and butterflies.
Without pollinators to help the grass grow and spread, the yield has been poor.
With a shortage of grass seed, there’s a lot of demand for a limited supply of seed.
Grass seed is expensive because of the diminishing number of pollinators.
Is It Worth Paying For Expensive Grass Seed?
When shopping for grass seed, you’ll find different brands, mixtures, and qualities.
You’ll also see a myriad of prices.
When faced with a choice between cheap grass seed and expensive grass seed, you may wonder what’s the difference between the two.
Is the expensive bag worth paying for?
It mostly depends on your investment in your lawn.
If you just want grass in your yard, then the cheaper bag will do just fine.
However, if you want your lawn to look its best, then the more expensive bag of grass seed is likely a better option.
Here are a few reasons expensive grass seed is worth it.
1. Better Growth And Health
More expensive grass seed tends to come with higher-quality versions of that grass type.
The seed grows better, looks better, and tends to be healthy.
If you want the best-looking grass for your lawn, then the more expensive variety will get you what you need.
You also don’t have to worry about the grass seed dying out immediately.
Since it’s healthier, it has a better chance of taking root in your yard and growing to its full potential.
Finally, the shape of the blades and their color all look ideal.
They tend not to be off-color and have blades as wide or thin as that type should have.
2. Fewer Weed Seeds
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get grass seed without some weed seeds in them.
However, more expensive bags tend to have little to virtually none.
That’s because the farms it comes from go through a careful weeding process.
By getting rid of the weeds, the remaining grass seeds are the only seeds left from the harvest.
This means that the farmer adds on more cost since they have to use weed killer.
That added price is what makes the seed more expensive than other types.
The advantage is that, when you plant this type of seed, you don’t have to worry about weeds taking over your lawn.
3. Fewer “Other Crop” Seeds
A final reason that expensive bags of grass seed are worth it is that they come with fewer seeds belonging to other crops.
Whether it’s weed seeds, other grass types, or just other plant seeds, you may not want them growing on your lawn.
Cheaper grass seeds can sometimes have these other plants mixed in with the grass seed.
If you want pure grass seed, then your best choice is to buy more expensive grass seed.
They do a bit more processing to ensure it’s only the grass seeds that are in the bag.
Conclusion
Grass seed is expensive depending on its type and complexity.
Drought and pollination rates have also impacted the price of grass seed.
That said, with the benefits that expensive grass seed bags provide, it may be worth paying more to get the lawn that you want.
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Category: WHY
