Question
I live in Seattle. I'm not sure what zone that is. It's my understanding that Ryegrass, Fescue and Bluegrass grow well here. Thinking of my son, do any of these need mowing more or less often than others? Which lasts best through an underwatered summer? Thank you!

Answer
Seattle, Washington, is in USDA Zone 8 -- Cool Season Grass country aka Rye, Fescue and Bluegrass.  Last I heard, however, Gardeners in Seattle pray NOT for Rain, but for Sun -- you get way too much Rain and the air is way too wet to be dealing with what OTHER people call 'under-watering'.  Look in January at your Humidity -- 82 percent?

You have plenty of other things to worry about, my friend.  Like Fungus (a good reason to know and love your local soil microbes -- and by the way did you know that Soil Foodweb Inc, the Gold Standard of Soil Science Laboratories, makes it base in Corvallis, Oregon?).

Yes, those Grass Fungi are in big supply in big, wet Washington State.  Unless your son lives in a DRY state, worrying about drought in Seattle is like worrying about snow in San Juan.  It will never happen.

That said, Cool Season Grass is the best choice for your region because the weather, mild as it is, does not reach into triple digits.  Warm Season Grasses is pleased as punch when the thermometer gets into the high 80s and HIGHER.  They're great if you're growing them in Las Vegas, or San Diego, or Miami.  YOUR temps are PERFECT for the Cool Season Grass crowd.  And thanks to your unique climate, you can grow the Rolls-Royce of Grasses, velvety Colonial Bentgrass, easier than anyone else.

Here up North, for various reasons that I won't waste your time with, Fescue would be the top candidate for a low maintenance Lawn.  Bentgrass is known in these parts for its off-the-charts maintenance demands, satisfied only by expensive, exhausting work by the local golf superintendent.  But Colonial Bentgrass THRIVES in your region's soil and weather, and it does that WITHOUT YOU LIFTING A FINGER.  Odd, but true.  Give it great soil and you will be able to grow and mow any variety of Grass that you want.

Now, you are probably thinking that Grass Seed is like buying, say, Rice.  Right?  Not much difference between brands or bags once you've narrowed it down to Colonial Bentgrass.

WRONG.

There's Bentgrass, and there's Bentgrass.

You wouldn't say that about a Car, would you, Loretta?  Would you say, Oh, the cars they used to make in the 1930s and 1940s were the same as the ones in 2007, but the new ones cost more.  Would you?

No way!

Unlike cars of the 1930s and 1940s, you can go out and buy Grass Seed that was invented in the Depression.  Because it's the cheapest stuff around.  I'm not against saving a buck, but I LOVE to get new, improved types that don't get common Grass diseases, stay green with as little work as possible, and look beautiful when you don't water them.  Believe it or not, there are scientists who actually spend their workdays inventing new Grass each year that is better than last year's Grass.  So if you get

Colonial Bentgrass has been in the United States since the early days of the Colonists.  This variety was brought from Europe to reproduce the fine Lawns of their homeland. Colonial Bentgrass is the tallest of the bents with very fine texture and the density associated with the Bentgrasses.  Some newer varieties have improved color and are hardier and have better disease resistance than the original strain.  Colonial Bentgrass is the strongest of the bents in resistance to wear and temperatures that extend into the transitional area.

Here's what Seedland says about its 'Alister' Colonial Bentgrass:

'Alister surpasses the competition for Winter growth in poor light and stays Green longer while the competition turns brown... Alister features significantly improved turf quality and it was selected for improved Leaf Spot and Take-All Patch resistance.  An excellent component for low maintenance turf mixes.'

Don't let a salesperson dismiss your quest for top quality Seed and try to substitute another Grass.  My vote goes to Colonial Bentgrass, and you can order the Alister strain at Seedland.com:

www.seedland.com/

You will need a push mower to get the height needed for healthy Bentgrass.  It's healthiest, and most velvety, mowed at between 1/4 inch and 3/4ths inch tall, with the first mowing at 1 inch.

Oh -- put the bag in the freezer after you get it for at least a week.  The Seed inside will germinate much faster.

There's one more thing you should do.  You should get your Soil tested, ASAP.

Washington State University posts the information at its website:

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt/SoilTesting.htm

Let me explain why this is a GREAT IDEA, Loretta.

I'll use my usual "How to Bake a Cake" argument.  Which goes like this:

Let's say you want to make a cake.  What do you do first?

Of course, first, you get out the cookbook and you make a list of Ingredients.  Right?

Then you check the cupboards and the refrigerator.

Do you have eggs?  Do you have Flour?  Milk?  Vanilla?  You make a list.

If you already have Flour, you don't need to buy any more Flour.  You take that off the list.

Maybe you already have Eggs.  You have 2 Eggs.  You need 5 Eggs.  Make sure you buy some Eggs.  Not a dozen.  Only 3.

You check everything on the list and you then you go shopping.  And when you get home, you have ALL THE THINGS YOU NEED to make a GREAT CAKE.

Now you preheat the oven.  You set the temperature, you get out the cookbook, you measure, you mix, you pour and you set the timer.  You're all ready to bake!

Loretta, when you decided to bake a cake, you didn't just go over to a cookbook and open it up to the Cake Recipe.  You checked the ingredients!  You made SURE you had EVERYTHING on the list of ingredients.  And you bought the ones you needed.

You didn't just GUESS the temperature of the Oven.  You didn't estimate at how much flour and milk and Eggs you were using.  You didn't just WONDER how long the cake was in there.  You SET the temperature of the Oven.  You MEASURED and your POURED and you TIMED everything, and when you were done, you had a Cake that is considered the most perfect of any Cakes in the world, the Cake that MOTHER made.  No one, ever, is going to make a Cake like you, Loretta, EVER.

Remember that, Loretta.

And when you send your son out to take care of the Lawn, if you know that your Lawn has a pH of 6.8, and he tells you he's going to go to the store and pick up Lime, you'll be able to tell your son, Son, WE DON'T NEED TO DO THAT.

And when he says, Mother, I'm going to put down some Nitrogen fertilizer, you will be able to tell him, Son, WE DON'T NEED THAT, either!  All you need to do, Son, is mow the Lawn today.

Isn't that nice, Loretta?

The shining Sun, the Green Grass, that chip chip chip of the push mower, the birds, the blue Sky, and you will have the most beautiful Lawn in Seattle, no fuss no muss.

A soil test will tell you what's in the cupboard, what's the oven temperature, how long was the cake in there, if you have Eggs and Butter and Flour... If you have it, you do not need to add anything else.

So get a Soil test.  And pick up some Colonial Bentgrass.  Remember, that's COLONIAL Bentgrass.  Just the kind that Mother used to make.

Thanks for writing.