Comparing Jonathan Green & GCI Turf

Today we do a review or...comparison of Jonathan Green and GCI Turf Type Tall Fescue. What are the pros and cons of each? Let's discuss! Seed links below if you are interested. God bless!
All GCI Turf Seed found here: bit.ly/3VI3lHd
GCI Turf Type Tall fescue Grass Seed: bit.ly/3WYCl7h
GCI Turf Spreader Elite Grass Seed : bit.ly/3BmrB6Q
GCI Turf Cool Blue Grass Seed: bit.ly/3pEpZCQ
Black Beauty Dense Shade Grass Seed | Jonathan Green: shrsl.com/45g5o
Black Beauty Sun & Shade Grass Seed | Jonathan Green: shrsl.com/45g5p
Black Beauty Original Grass Seed | Jonathan Green: shrsl.com/45g5r
Black Beauty Ultra Grass Seed | Jonathan Green: shrsl.com/45g5k
Black Beauty Heat & Drought Resistant Grass Seed | Jonathan Green: shrsl.com/45g5x

[@wesbrown82]

I had to make the choice in my Fall 2021 renovation between GCI Cool Blue (TTTF + KBG) or Black Beauty Ultra (TTTF + KBG). Price was basically the same. I went GCI Cool Blue due to the 0% weed and the fact that Pete is a fellow Christian that I wanted to support his business.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Amen! I think that was a good choice, and I also admit I give Pete a lot of business due to the fact he is a Christian, but also so close to me. He's a good man for sure. Thanks Wesley!

[@michaelurig3887]

JG ultra also has rye grass in it. Go watch how seed is cultivated and tell me there is no weed seeds in any bag of grass seeds

[@WeatherNut27]

I bought GCI cool blue (I like Pete) but honestly didnt like the results of the bluegrass here in CT.

[@torress588]

@@WeatherNut27 why?

[@WeatherNut27]

@@torress588 Thinned out and browning. Doesn't like the heat and humidity I guess

[@Dtraynor]

JGBBU has been my go to seed since I started taking care of my own lawn 3 years ago

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

To me that grass right there looks perfect. I planted the RTF that I have in shade first and it worked great. Part of my house patio roof shades the grass for about 4 ft for about 1/3 to 1/4 of the year. Surprisingly it came up beautiful. We're no grass had grown before I suddenly had grass. Call that my success story.

[@kensmith575]

Which brand of the RTF did you seed on your shaded property?

[@tfrench4366]

My backyard took a beating this summer. I over-seeded with JG ultra. Thanks to mother nature's free rain, my grass seed took off and it looks beautiful. A nice dark green turf. I'm more than happy.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Excellent!

[@csmart748]

that Jonathan's green look fantastic I never knew it exists and now i want it!!

[@doncline6372]

I am in central Virginia. I am really switching up my past practices. I used JG Solar Green and Outside Pride SPF-30 (Texas bluegrass x KBG cross) along with Barenbrug RPR and Barenbrug Turf Saver. Except for one shaded area that has powdery mildew, I am very pleased. I get extreme sun and heat in the front all day long. I chose the varieties for their rhizomatous trait, ability to handle heat/sun, and disease resistance. I am not pushing high nitrogen as before and am taking a more very slow release standard. Last year in June, I lost a lot of grass in the back to brown patch. In August, between thatch and brutal heat, it tore up my front yard for the third time in 3 years. I am real tired of reseeding. I believe it takes about 1 year for the rhizome trait to kick in on the TTF and the RPR. I am going to go as long as possible without fungicides as I am concerned the fungicides are also killing off the good microbes. Years ago I used more organic types fertilizer and had way less disease - in fact didn’t use fungicides. I am of the belief if what you are doing isn’t working then it is time to change. I used a fertilizer called Screamin Green on March 7th and have not yet re-applied any fertilizer except Yard Mastery 0-0-48. I am disappointed with the Yard Mastery potash as I still find all kinds of orange prills that have not dissolved. I wanted to use Protene as it is manufactured close to me. I called to check who was selling it. It appears GCI Turf has the distribution rights sewed up. Makes no sense they sell it to Pete and I pay for the shipping. I gladly give Pete his credit but paying for freight for something in my backyard isn’t going to happen. I have used some GC biostimulants for root growth, and breakdown thatch. One product though I am really impressed with is from DPH Biologicals called SP-1 T&O. I have found this product to really change the upper part of the soil to become more “open”. It has humates (very clean and non-staining) 5 different Bacillus species, and algae. It has noticeably changed 1 wet drainage area in yard as as to now I can mow through it. My roots, first time in 5 years, have sunk down below the 6” zone. Never noticed this before and I have consistently used GCI products plus Carbon Pro G. I can finally push in a soil probe much easier. I am psyched to see if I can get beyond all the heat and disease. I know you have struggled with heat as well. Your grass is looking terrific! I enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

I’ll read through this when I can! Lol. Thanks for sharing!

[@creditguy4922]

I’ve been using JG products for a while and have tremendous results.

[@andrewwronko9949]

I'm a Jonathon Green seed user!!! Black Beauty Ulta and KBG Panther..My yard is dark green!!

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Awesome!

[@duanellamas87]

Fall 2021 I used JG black beauty ultra during my fall reno. Overseeding and patch repair. My lawn is 15,000 sqft. Germination was very fast and the color is amazing. Our lawn sticks out on the block due to no one else having such deep dark green. This also gives a natural advantage to striping. There were some weeds that popped up this spring even though i applied prodiamine earlier on. We will see how we look throughout the year.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Awesome! Sounds like you got it going on my friend. Excellent!

[@brodygoalie]

Now try yard Mastery double dark fertilizer. You will love it!

[@duanellamas87]

@@brodygoalie I'm a huge fan of yard mastery products. I see the best results when mixing yard mastery flagship and simple lawn solutions liquid iron. Talk about deep green!!! Safe mow!

[@jonstephens4498]

I have a yard full of gci tttf and it's okay, I love Pete and like to give him my business, however I'm not buying that his seed is weed free because I have poa triv and never had that before in my lawn, and my neighbor asked me about 3yrs ago what kind of seed to get and I knew he wanted something from a big box store so I recommend johnathon green to him, and it's just a darker greenish bluer color than my lawn and it's seems to be a more uniform color, I've got to renovate again soon, because of some regrading projects and most of my lawn will get destroyed by heavy trucks and I need to flatten out my lawn anyways and I can definitely tell you it will be johnathon green over the gci, but hey Pete's taught me so much!!!

[@rockpaperscissorsshoot]

JG is fantastic during the growing season, I did a full renovation 4 years ago and used JG black beauty ultra, and JG dense shade in shady areas. I live in upstate NY and have one major complaint, it goes FULL dormant in winter under frost and snow. My lawn looks like it has full snow mold each winter, complete browning of all crowns, the months of late February to mid April are agonizing for me. My neighbors with rye and kbg stay green. Outside of those months its great...

[@kp-gbuniqueinterest]

Hey I also live in upstate ny. We bought our house in fall of 2020 and been trying to fix up a neglected lawn. Tried two lawn care companies with no goodness. I want to use JG as Scott doesn't seem to work. We live in a development but on our corner unit we have the park like house with trees everywhere. some areas get direct 6 hours of sun others 3-4. of course during the dead of winter and most of early spring they get full sun. We even have an area that gets the direct sun after 1-2 ish for the rest of the day. IT has been hard trying to figure out which grass type. Would dense shade used everywhere be better as our lawn is nothing like this guy vids. The mini forest between our house and the side lawn gets dappled sun.

[@shawnwildman6542]

I agree. Jg is darker (maybe smaller blades?) and that's what I'm using now.

[@rodgersandrodgers8191]

I hate to say this, but I can't really see the difference at least during the day. I think that since you know what you did, you are a little more self-conscious about it. I would definitely not worry about it. If you are a bit worried about it, maybe you can take an overseed with the regular turf type tall fescue so that it variegates into the darker grass. Just a thought.

[@johnnelwhite]

I'm in VA and I'm more than likely going with southern seeds triple threat plus its a tttf and kbg mix. They also have a only tttf mix they are in North Carolina you may want to look into them. I think every couple of seasons it's best to switch up and introduce new cultivars into the law.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Agree. I love kbg, but be warned it loves water! Least what I could tell from cool blue. Gorgeous color but needs lots o water.

[@johnnelwhite]

@@MrFergusonLawn at 95% tttf and 5% kbg hopefully it wont be too bad. I'm trying to see how the see how well it spreads throughout my lawn.

[@anthonykontos7931]

Where in va so am I 😎

[@johnnelwhite]

@@anthonykontos7931 Newport News

[@anthonykontos7931]

@@johnnelwhite outside dc like 30 minutes

[@NorthCackalacky24]

The yard is looking great! I put down hydretain with your video recommendations yesterday so we’ll see how it works out. I have a pin oak that has some major shade. I did a renovation last year and used Gci tttf. It worked decent in that area but is a little patchy. I'm going to try JG dense shade to see how well it works in that spot. Thanks again for the video sir!

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Thanks Brandon! My pleasure and hope it works for you as well as it has for me.

[@douglassmith3510]

I think the original GCI Blend is a bit lighter green than the spreader elite, or at least it appears so in my yard, Those original GCI 3 blend are also older now and there are much newer / stronger varieties that I have been looking into in addition to what's the in the new spreader elite varieties pete includes. Looking at those made me look into some others that are talked about as being very high quality. United Seeds has some of the top ones i've found, gonna order some from them later this year. 4th Millennium, Raptor 3, Titanium 2ls to name some of the top. I'd never order seed like Jonathan that contains any more weeds than mother nature already provides us, no matter how dark it is, plus there is a reason that dark stuff is a shade mix, how would it do in your full sun if you planted it in the main yard. Anyway, food for thought, Yard looks great.

[@Lawnstradamus]

I love my GCI Cool Blue, but due to pricing and availability and the desire to try something new, I’ve decided to go with Triple Threat Plus this coming fall sold by Southern Seed Inc in Middlesex, NC. I think it was basically assembled for our area (central NC) thru a lot of testing by the Pure Seed Testing people. You may want to at least consider it. I know Olee Poole and Paul Outlaw (Paul’s Prime Cuts) have used it and liked it. I bought 4 bags a few months ago because I figured it would be scarce and likely more expensive come late summer, so I’m excited for the fall. It’s already $20 per bag more expensive now than what I paid a few months ago. Anyway your yard looks great, but I do notice a difference in color as you stated. I’m curious how JG would hold up overall in the NC heat and humidity.

[@betterthanideserve76]

You nailed it, JG will not hold to the heat and humidity of our transition zone, at least not in Tennessee. I have tried it and my color was the same, darker initially than GCI but the JG will not hold up like GCI will during the summer. I will never switch again from GCI. If MR Furgeson reads his comments Hopefully he will read this one. Please dont add work to yourself and go all in with JG. You will have to deal with alot more heat and fungus issues come summer with JG

[@MrKevinH]

I can definitely tell a difference in that back section of your yard. I'm curious how all of these cultivars hold up to the heat this summer.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Me too...it's almost time to find out.

[@tulsatom4307]

@@MrFergusonLawn * July 15 to Sept 1 is the die-off of KBG part of the Blend for us in the Tulsa part of the Transition Zone * NOTE: if you are going to BURN-OFF the Front Yard, you will probably need SEVERAL Applications of Glyphosate and about 2-3 weeks for the Campaign BEFORE the Ideal Seeding Time in mid-to-late September (here) * you will also likely need to Scarify the Top 1”-2” of Soil and Top Dress * see Pete’s, Matt’s, and Ryan’s and Turf Mechanic’s Videos for their experiences; or call Matt * you will likely go 5-7 weeks from last green to new green (allowing for full-kill, germination, to full grow) ** ALSO: as an Experiment along the Road . . . Take a Sample Area closer to your West Neighbor’s Driveway and excavate a 3’x3’ area and SEE what the SubSoil looks like; I’ll bet it is heavy with under grade (base) material for the road that sidelined the blacktop.

[@RonBurgundy209]

@@MrFergusonLawn just came across this video. How’s the lawn holding up so far this summer?

[@jairusbarringer7525]

Great video! I've been wondering about these 2 for awhile now

[@Cardroid]

great comparison, thanks for sharing this information!

[@BigDaddy13515]

Pretty sure rye grass has a darker green color than fescue which is probably why the dense shade mix is darker. Especially if your hitting it with iron.

[@njphil1279]

You're Cool Blue looks like mine with that lighter green in the canopy. The only way I get it dark green is if hit it hard with Ammonium Sulfate or Green-Pop and cut it 4-1/2". Thanks for showing the comparison between Cool Blue and Johnathan Green. The JG is absolutely superior and requires less chemicals. Can't wait to rip up my lawn (again) this fall and switch to Black Beauty Ultra which turned out to be about 10% cheaper than the GCI stuff. (this year). Overall your grass looks amazing compared to last year...nice job

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Thanks Phil! Just note there is some Cool Blue mixed in, but it’s primarily Spreader Elite and regular TTTF mix from GCI. Point received tho!

[@ronniewetherington509]

Your lawn does look good! The Johnathan Green is obviously darker without a doubt. What custom blends would you be considering from the Seed Super Store? As I mentioned in a previous video I have tried different varieties in my lawn.

[@mtndewgood]

You got good color I'll admit but 3 different kinds of grass with that Black Beauty(fescue, rye, and bluegrass). So you're basically comparing apples to apples, bananas, and strawberries to be fair. I'll take the heat tolerance and uniformity of the GCI straight tall fescue personally.

[@terrywatts1060]

Thats the Rye in the mix that's so green.

[@Mike-Lowery]

Good video. It's not really an even comparison. The Perennial ryegrass in the mix makes the blend extremely dark along with the KBG in the mix. I can notice the different grass types. Not everyone can.

[@aquienpuedainteresar4188]

I was going to over seed with J.G. Black Beauty Ultra before I started mowing between an inch and a inch and a quarter, best for playing ball sports with the children.

[@michaelurig3887]

JG needs to be cut at 3 to 3.5 inches, anything shorter is not good.

[@aquienpuedainteresar4188]

@@michaelurig3887 Yes that the recommendation and I believe it. However I have arroun 1k ofTTTF on the Northside of the house that I have been cutting as low as an inch (aprox) and it does looks pretty good. It looks darker at longer height but not so good to play ball games.

[@TeslaBoy123]

Nice job beautiful lawn 👍

[@MrFergusonLawn]

I appreciate it!

[@ewaschuk802]

FWIW I did a full reno last fall with JG ultra and is completely brown and dormant in full sun for 5wk straight now. No irrigation. I’m going the GCI for overseeing this fall…

[@derrickp]

GCI will brown out during summer with no irrigation

[@ChefDevo1776]

You can definitely see a difference.

[@chrisglenn2096]

Here to say the same thing

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Sure can. It's so nice lol...but I'm hearing other Black Beauty seed is a little different.

[@Moondoggy1941]

I bought some GCi TTTF seed for my So Cal. yard. zone 9a 95 to 105 generally and up to 115 on the fun days, humidity about 33% the lawn is irrigated. I did a fall re seed, and I have lots of die off on the GCI grass, I am bummed, I do not think it can handle our heat here. I will re seed this fall with Marathon II it is proven to work in my area, almost every track home back in the 80 and 90 they used there sod.

[@NuttyElf]

Fescue won't handle heat like that without very heavy irrigation.

[@Moondoggy1941]

@@NuttyElf My lawn is now thriving because the weather has finally cooled off and we are only getting 90's during the day and 60 at night. I should have install a hybrid Bermuda in my front yard. Most of Ca. switched from Bermuda back in the 80's to Fescue.

[@curtisleddy1408]

Enjoying the videos, keep it up! Question, do you use anything where your rock beds meet the lawn, or is it a natural edge?

[@MrFergusonLawn]

My wife ended up putting some edging around them on the one by my house. Plastic stuff. On the one by the water hose, it's all natural.

[@brodygoalie]

Jg now has black beauty solar green seed. For heat tolerance heat stress. I bought some and will be overseeding in mid September. Hopefully it will work. I have been a JG customer on their products for many years but I have added simple solutions liquid products plus Anderson humichar/ biochar. Not sure if these are comparable to JG magical plus? Any idea? Thank you

[@Johnny53kgb-nsa]

I've not used Gci seedI have used Jonathan Green see, it was ok, not my favorite. I've also used Seedsuperstore tttf blend, sunny, and United Seed Company tttf seeds. I liked both, a lot, but I do think United Seed is a little less expensive, and, more available. Both look really good, grow dark grass, looks very nice.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Excellent! I’ll have a seed video out this week actually. Stay tuned!

[@Drewg351]

I've used Seed Superstore KBG and my lawn looked incredible. Absolutely beautiful !!!! However the amount of watering it required to keep it green all summer was just too expensive. I just killed it all off and am seeding with GCI TTTF Spreader Elite. I'm hoping for a lawn that looks good and doesn't require anywhere near as much water as the KBG. I doubt the TTTF could ever look as good, but as long as it looks nice and stays green all season with modest watering I'll be happy. I'm not sure I can do this renovation a 3rd time 😂🤣😂🤣.

[@brodygoalie]

Would it be stupid if I mix gci tttf fescue with JG black beauty solar green in my broadcast spreader? Love your channel. Cheers

[@sbond1963]

Nope. Its a good idea actually

[@brodygoalie]

Okay will definitely do this next overseeding which I might do this April of 2023.

[@b.hunter3560]

I did Jonthan Green sun and shade along with Jonthan Green black beauty in my front yard and I have a color difference in areas where I put the sun and shade mix

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Must be something in the "mix" that produces that deeper green? Not sure

[@hemiedup5501]

I have Jonathan green origional and it is dominate green. The neighbor say it dominates the rest of the neiborhood

[@sbond1963]

Looks like the same seeds in some of the other JG blends. I wonder if you could plant dense shade in an area that takes more sun

[@mysteriouse5891]

I think the SS1002 blend for Seed Super Store combined with Baranbrug HGT blue grass might be an interesting combination.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

I agree. You can really see that kbg color in the fall and spring…it’s summer that it’s very hard to maintain. Good thought though.

[@mysteriouse5891]

@@MrFergusonLawn HGT was used in the first Bluemuda prototypes. Check out its specs sometime.

[@jimjohnson9593]

Buyer beware of Jonathan Green tall fescue mixes are good but their manufacturing process who they sub out to not so good if that makes any sense. I did a Reno in my neighborhood to two properties that got identical seed one year apart. Property number one came out fantastic. Tall fescue took Southern exposure, and then the following year the neighbor moved in he wanted me to do the same thing and guess what not so much they got hard fescue Still good looking lawn but it’s not tall fescue Jonathan Green had some problems with contamination so beware

[@juantumax1029]

What fertilizer is good to put together with the GCI COOL BLUE seed?

[@angelaprater2679]

I like Pete and his fescue but like you that darker green is showing.

[@bryanfelver6125]

Yard looks great. Not sure why but i think your yard should be darker in cooler.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Lol maybe, but the greens effect we did darkened it up enough for me. I’m happy for now. Thanks man!

[@varbird7715]

What are your thoughts between the GCI cool blue and the Johnathan Green Black Beauty Ultra?

[@gary4738]

Jonathan Greene Black Beauty Ultra is best!!!

[@brodygoalie]

Did you apply organic compost? Did you aerate?? Thank you

[@WeatherNut27]

Excellent video and thanks for the closeups. Most guys arent getting down and giving us that! Is the Jonathan Green Fescue ok to cut at 1.5"??

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Thanks! As far as that cut, I’d be might nervous going that low with tall fescue. Anything below 2.5” is risky, as tall fescue is suggested to be kept at 3-4.5”

[@haydenfowler29]

Live in oklahoma, recently bought a property, have bermuda that is fine in the sunny areas, however have several trees on the property ( shady ) where no grass is around.... Would it be a good idea to in those areas get fescue going? Should i get rid of my bermuda completely?

[@MrFergusonLawn]

That’s likely the case because the trees are stealing the water and nutrients from grass there, so any grass would be tough to keep alive. It’s possible, but Bermuda loves hot and sun while fescue mix might work along your trees. Test some cool season mixes out and see!

[@christopherortiz8713]

Can the Jonathan Green be mixed with my Bermuda grass. Lawn looks awesome.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Eh, I mean yea you can do whatever you like, but Bermuda is warm season while JG is cool season grass. Some do cool in one section and warm in another, but that’s all up to you. If it’s near the Bermuda though, it’s likely to be invaded as Bermuda has runners.

[@christopherortiz8713]

@@MrFergusonLawn Thanks for the info. What would you recommend to over seed my Bermuda grass. Have some patches and thin areas. Would like it to be thick and that dark green.

[@kensmith575]

I was hoping someone could suggest a consistent seed that they had success working with for shaded areas that tend to hold ground moisture for long periods of time. I was looking at Barenburg (RTF), Twin City Seed (Resilience TTF), GCI Spreader Elite, Ryna Knorr's Shade Mix and JG's Shaded Nooks. Not sure if there was an obvious choice to select that might produce a greater success rate for my situation???? BTW, I am in the state of Pennsylvania around the suburbs of Philadelphia.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

I’m definitely no expert on that situation at all, but the Shady Nooks on paper sounds like what you are looking for. However there may be other brands with same type seed, in not really sure though. Best of luck and sorry I can’t be more help.

[@devonedouglas9045]

I'm in Fayetteville nc basically the Sandhills would like to kno what would u suggest I overseed my fescue with for summer

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Hey Devone, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve never done an over seeding in summer. I typically just try to get my fescue to survive and overseed it in Fall again where it died off. It’s tough to overseed in summer due to the heat so good luck!

[@ac7384]

Does the dense shade mix jg. Mix wel with kbg. Is the bigger blades real noticeable ?

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Dense Shade mix does have kbg mixed in it, just a small amount. I imagine it would mix just fine with more kbg.

[@donniereidjr]

What have you found to be the best when you have full sun?

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Hey Donnie…personally that would have to be GCI TTTF seed. It’s what I’ve used most and it looks pretty awesome right now in my back yard. I’m sure JG seed and others look good too, but that’s just what I have used and seen with my own eyes. Thanks for commenting sir!

[@mpharr2]

Don't patch areas with JG Black Beauty Ultra. Patches will be darker

[@brodygoalie]

So do you believe JG black beauty original seed is just as good as their solar green? Exactly what is the difference?? Thank you

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Not sure about their original seed bc I haven’t used it. However I’m actually doing an update to a JG seed here this week! Stay tuned!

[@brodygoalie]

@@MrFergusonLawn I asked them. They said black beauty original is better for heat tolerance and heat stress vs black beauty ultra. Interesting.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

@@brodygoalie Very! I believe that's because Ultra has the bluegrass in it. It's not as tolerant to heat as fescue. Unless it's like Texas bluegrass, which is designed for heat. That's likely why.

[@brodygoalie]

@@MrFergusonLawn I am looking forward to using JG black beauty solar green seed. Here in Massachusetts and all of northeast very little rain plus high temperatures I'm August. Just an awful season for grass. My water bill is going to be Big. Many towns have water bans. It's hard not to be able to water if you spend big $$ on your property. Homeowners who live in towns that do not have sewer systems might have a well to water their lawn. If not they have to accept their lawn going dormet. And hopefully grass comes back in September/ October if it rains enough

[@brodygoalie]

I will be aerating plus overseeding plus spreading organic compost with the echolawn 250 top dresser ( rental) looks like a great piece of equipment that in very little time you get your lawn top dressed with organic compost in minutes!!

[@tulsatom4307]

Steven and Viewers * I am Subscriber in Tulsa, OK - a Transition Zone similar to Charlotte; > 40 year DIYer with Fescue in Front yard; Bermuda in Backyard > 42 yr old son has a Fertilizer/Weed-Control business, * transitioned a couple of years ago from Lawn-Care, mowing THEORY: if you want to see a compatible blend of Color and Texture in your lawn * Don’t Mix Brands * Use the SAME Brand of Grass Seed of Full Sun and Full Shade * MAKE your Own Sun & Shade Blend for THOSE Areas * Several Principles to NOTE: - comparing BRANDS of SEED is like comparing BRANDS of Cars * GM vs Chrysler vs Ford vs Honda vs Toyota - but even within a Brand there are Levels of Quality > Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, Cadillac; and > Sedan, vs Coupe vs Hatchback vs Pickups, etc > Higher Models with a brand: Civic vs Accord; Corolla vs Camry > Within a Model: DX, LX, LXi * Comparing Types of Vehicles is like Sedan vs Hatchback vs Pick-up * Comparing Grass Seed needs to be done by TYPE > Tall Fescue (full sun) vs Sun & Shade, vs Dense Shade * A quick look at GCI-Turf (Brand) does not show a Shade or Sun & Shade Blend (Types) * Jonathan Green has those different Types, but no Rhizomatous (spreading) Fescue * Barenbrug Seed has All Types (I would use a Rhizomatous (spreading Blend) Here are the BLENDS from Jonathan Green, Black Beauty: - Dense Shade: Tall and FINE Fescues, Perennial Rye, & Kentucky Bluegrass - Sun & Shade: Tall Fescue, Perennial Rye, Kentucky Bluegrass & Fine Fescue - Ultra: Tall Fescues, Kentucky Bluegrass, & Perennial Ryegrass - Original: Tall Fescues only * The Dense is More of the Fine; * the Ultra is NO Fine/More Tall; (Original is Only TTF) * It has been my Experience that EVERY Brand provides > a BLEND of 2-4 varieties of EACH of the TYPE for disease resistance and texture. * IF you need to Transition between Shade & Full Sun > Stay within a BRAND > Consider buying Ultra and Dense (the extremes between Fine and Tall Fescue w/KB) * then BLEND your Own in a 5 gal Paint Bucket (Creating Sun & Shade) with the SAME Varieties of Seed; that way you will keep a Closer Blend of Blades & Color * use a Broadcast Spreader and Use YOUR Sun & Shade in the Playground/Tree Area AND to the West of the Patio (near the house); then blend (into the Ulta for the Full Sun Areas * Personally, after 15 years of Fescue with Sun & Shade (TTF/PR/KB/FF) > I got SICK of the August die-off of the Kentucky Bluegrass - thinning out the yard; * this past Fall I switched to Barenbrug Rhizomatous Tall Fescue (RTF); > It is a Blend of (2xTall Fescue: 60%) + (2xRTF: 40%) > It’s germination in October and Spring Awakening is the most dense crop that I have EVER had in 15 years; it is performing BETTER in the North side Shade Area (like your west-of-Patio) than the Dense Shade that I have used in the past; * Hopefully, now . . . > there will be NO KBG die-off and lawn thinning, and > as the Rhizomatous Varieties mature and spread, it will continually thicken * and I will need less and less over-seed each year

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Thanks Tom, you bring up good points! Thanks for your thoughts sir.

[@terrywatts1060]

Noice

[@nedg3740]

I ran out of gci cool blue last fall on my overseed. So i bought black beauty, and in the BB areas i see light colored blades of grass growing way faster than the rest. Not very happy w it at all. GCI seed 0% weeds vs. JG BB .03%. NUFF SAID. Black beauty...never again!!

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Definitely appreciate you saying that Ned. Good to have some people comment that have used it in the past.

[@mariusz128]

Totally agree. I over-seeded last fall with JG and now have Poa triv scattered throughout my lawn. Going to give GCI cool blue a shot this fall and never again will I buy seed that’s not 100% weed free.

[@SerranoPE]

Same with me Ned. I used JG BB on a section of my rear yard and have poa in just that area. I like the color of the grass but the poa is killin' me.

[@georgephillips1185]

What fertilizer are you using for all these videos

[@MrFergusonLawn]

This past year, Protene. Prior to that in 2020, Yard Mastery fertilizers.

[@ericwendel1258]

I used gci turf cool blue and have a lot of poa annua and poa trivialis now!!! 😥

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Well the seed has 0 weed seed and it has to pass a certain test to be labeled as such. So it didn’t come from the seed. Best you can do is plant heavy so you try and squeeze that out.

[@account2292]

My GCI is 3x as green as yours.

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Awesome! Means I have room to grow in my fert!

[@gregorysimerlein1162]

Does GCI make a shade seed?

[@MrFergusonLawn]

Not a seed specifically for shade, but his seed does pretty good in shade.