Reading the Seed Label:
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PAYING FOR

By law every bag of seed is required to have a white analysis tag attached to it, which provides end-users with essential information about the content and quality of the turf seed they are buying.

Each item on a seed tag relates in some way to the seed in the bag. Below is a review of the parts of the label, and what information they represent:

Product is the species or type of seed that was tested.

Lot refers to the specific lot of seed that has been tested. Each crop from each field will have at least one lot number. This number provides a tracking of the specific varieties, the production field and the components in that particular bag.

% Purity is the number of seeds, expressed as percentages of the whole, found in that variety or mix. In this example, there is only one variety listed – Big Green Kentucky Bluegrass – but any number of pure seed components could be listed depending on the specific blending instructions.

In blends and mixes, each varietal component will have an exact percentage (down to 0.00), based on seed test results. Also, if the blend or mix is made of common or unnamed seed components, this will be presented as Variety Not Stated (VNS). VNS means that the bag contains, for example, a perennial ryegrass, but it isn’t known what variety of perennial ryegrass it is. Therefore, the purchaser can’t be sure if the seed is high, medium or low quality.

% Germination refers to the percentage of seed that germinated during testing. Four tests of 100 seeds per lot are grown out in growth chambers to determine the percentage.

Other Crop Seeds is the total number of other crop seeds, expressed as a percentage of the tested sample, that have been found during a physical separation of the sample. If an individual crop seed exceeds 5 percent, it must be listed as a pure seed component.

For example, annual ryegrass in a perennial ryegrass lot would be listed as crop seed if it constituted less than 3 percent of the lot. If it exceeded 3 percent, the annual ryegrass would have to be listed as a pure seed component, along with the perennial ryegrass. On a seed lab examination report, these seeds are identified and expressed as number of actual seeds per sample weight, as well as an estimated number of these weed seeds per pound of seed.

Inert Matter is the amount that is dust, stems, soil, chaff, etc. It is expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the seed sample. This is neither viable weed nor viable seed. Some crop and weed seed may be classified as inert but the seeds are broken, damaged by insects or infected with ergot. The higher the inert matter percentage, the less of the actual seed the end user is actually purchasing.

Weed Seed refers to the number of weed seeds identified in a given sample and expressed as a percentage of the whole sample. Although the specific weeds are not identified on the white tag, the Oregon seed lab’s report will list the specific weed seeds found in the sample and how many of each weed’s were found. This is also expressed as an estimated number of weed seeds per pound.

Noxious Weeds are the weed seeds in a sample that are considered noxious by local law. The end- user should never purchase seed that has anything other than “None” printed on the tag.

Origin, Net Weight and Date Tested are relatively self-explanatory. The origin is important because it lets the consumer know exactly where the seed is produced. If the seed was produced in the United States, a state will appear in this space. For seed produced outside the U.S., the original country will appear. Net Weight is the sum of all of the contents, and Date Tested is simply the month and year when the seed was tested. Older seed is less likely to meet the germination standards on the label.

Notes: At John Deere Landscapes we shoot for .005% inert and .005% weed as a high point in our blends, with no more than a total of 3% for all other ingredients. All seed coming from Oregon has Poa Anna unless marked on the tag itself. Seed is also tagged to state specifications verses tagging to true germination. We tag below true germination to give us some breathing room with carryover seed and any seed inspection. A copy of the germination test is available for your branch if you would like to keep it on file if needed. Anticipate state inspectors, who wander into your branch, this is a normal occurrence in the industry.