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Seed heads in your turf

All grasses used for turf in the UK form seed heads, this is a natural process. Seeds are how grass plants propagate and spread, and the seeds are produced in a seed head.

Keep reading to learn how to manage the appearance of seed heads within your lawn.

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Identification

  1. Does your turf look ‘fuzzy’ in the spring?
  2. Do you see small patches of seed heads in your turf?

If you answer yes to these questions, you have grass seed heads forming in your turf.

General guidance

All grasses used for turf in the UK form seed heads and this is a natural process. Seeds are how grass plants propagate and spread, and the seeds are produced in a seed head. During the spring, they emerge from the grass plants and stick their heads up above the leaves. Some grasses will only form seed heads on stems that are 100-250mm tall. Therefore, if you mow your turf you will never see them.

Other grasses, like bentgrass (golf greens) and some ryegrasses, will form seed heads on stems that are only 50mm tall. These you will see in your turf, but most will be cut off when you mow. When a turfgrass is producing seed heads, you will notice that they do not mow off very neatly. The stem of a seed head is tough and fibrous. This allows the seed heads to be held upright even in strong winds.

Info centre - close up of grass seed

When do seed heads form and how long do they last?

The period of time when seed heads form will differ for each grass, but, in general, it will last for several weeks to a month. After that, the grass will resume growing leaves, and your mowing will look neater. However, there is one particular grass weed (Annual Meadow Grass) that is very common throughout Britain, which will continue to form seed heads for most of the year.

How to manage your turf when it is forming seed heads

  1. The best advice is to mow often and use a sharp mower blade.
  2. Fertilise your turf properly. Properly fertilised turf will grow out of the seed head production stage rapidly, and the grass will be easier to mow neatly.
  3. It is NOT recommended that you lower the height of your mower.
  4. If it is practical, remove the weed grasses by hand, remembering to take the roots as well.

Further guidance

Seed heads are produced naturally by all turfgrass species but with appropriate management you can reduce their impact. The weed Annual Meadow Grass, or Poa annua, also produces seed heads, which may become more evident in a lawn dependent on the seasons, onsite growing conditions and maintenance employed. Always purchase high quality turf, to help minimise the occurrence of this generally unwanted grass type.

Remember

Further lawn care advice can be found in our Information Centre. You can also sign up for lawn tips to receive regular lawn care advice, news and promotional offers by email which will help you get the best from your lawn.

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You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive free seasonal lawn care advice and reminders of essential maintenance, as well as general horticultural advice and special offers from Rolawn.

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Important update: Temporary 6.5% surcharge effective 7 April 

At Rolawn, we are committed to maintaining the high standards of quality and service our customers expect, so we want to be open with our customers about a change that will affect pricing from Tuesday 7th April. 

This decision has been taken in response to disruption to energy supplies, which has led to significant increases in wholesale prices, affecting not only fuel and fertiliser but also costs throughout our wider supply chain. As a business that relies heavily on fuel for both transport and operations, these sustained cost pressures have become increasingly difficult to absorb.  

While we have worked hard to mitigate the impact, the scale and pace of recent price increases have now exceeded what we can sustain internally, and we therefore need to recover a proportion of these externally driven increases. 

From Tuesday 7th April, a temporary 6.5% surcharge will apply to all products.  

We know that any increase in price is frustrating, particularly at a time when many businesses and households are already feeling under pressure. That is why we want to be clear that this is not a decision we have made lightly, and not one we wanted to make. It has been introduced solely to help offset unavoidable cost inflation and allow us to continue delivering the quality, reliability and service standards associated with Rolawn. 

We will continue to monitor market conditions closely and will review this surcharge as soon as circumstances allow, providing reasonable notice of any changes. We recognise that any price increase is unwelcome, but this step is necessary to ensure the continuity and reliability of our operations during a period of ongoing uncertainty. 

We remain committed to providing the quality, reliability and service standards you expect from Rolawn, and we truly appreciate your understanding and continued support. 

If you have any questions, please contact our customer support team who will be happy to help.