Most cool-season turf grasses are in a balanced, to less than favorable state. This coupled with the Pacific Northwest’s weird weather patterns this past year (Super Dry Fall, very wet early winter, very dry late winter, hotter than normal spring, and cool early summer, and now dry) may cause some quality issues. The result may be some heartburn for those looking for high-quality seed at a good price, it may just not be there.
Perennial Ryegrass is in very tight supply and coupled with a record-high grower price for the fall of 2013 and the pressure for good quality, we would recommend buying your seed as early as you can to ensure the best price and best quality you can. Kentucky Bluegrass is also in a similar situation, with production being about as low as it has been in decades, and the elite Kentucky Bluegrass Varieties being in short supply due to the residual scars of the past downturn in the economy, again I would buy your needs early. Turf Type Tall Fescue is still in a fairly tight situation but it should be way more balanced thus maintaining a stable price throughout the year, but quality may still be an issue with some varieties being extremely short. Seed inventories are about as short as they have been in quite some time so this is not a year to procrastinate.
