Pennington Smart Seed Sun and Shade Grass Mix 20 lb, Black Label

I needed to reseed a large, shady area in the backyard (grass destroyed during construction). It was really dry in the Northeast, so I wasn't sure how the grass would grow. - tried other seeds in the past, not happy with the results; thought I would give Pennington a shot - grass started to grow in a week - actually had to mow the grass multiple times before Winter - grew thicker than expected I liked the seed so much, I purchased more to reseed spots that died due to dry weather...took longer to grow, but looked great before Winter.

For 30 years I have had trouble keeping grass growing in our front yard. I've tried multiple grass seeds over the years just to be let down. After a lot of "review" reading and research on grass seeds for the North East in zone 6B and 7A I choose Pennington's Sun and Shade. Different sections of our lawn are in and out of the sun all day long. Pennington's Sun and Shade is a blend of Tall Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass and Fine Fescue. Pictures 1 through 6 were taken on the same day, the Friday of Labor Day weekend 2024. Pictures 1 & 2 is what the lawn looked like after removing all the dead grass and before I started prepping. I started removing the dead grass in early August after every mowing. In total I probably raked out three wheelbarrow loads of dead grass over the course of August. Pictures 3 & 4 is a fresh rake of the yard to loosen up the dirt. I got lucky as there was a light rain early that morning so the soil was soft. Pictures 5 & 6 is how it looked after everything was completed. These are the steps I took. 1. Removed all dead grass and debris before hand. 2. Raked and loosened up the dirt. 3. Threw down fresh top soil on top of the loosened dirt. 4. Thew down starter fertilizer by hand. 5. Thew down grass seed. Seed is a blue/green so it's easy to see where you are placing it and how much. 6. Thew down peat moss over the whole yard. 7. Used the sprinkler system to wet everything down. 8. Set the sprinklers to come on for 10 minutes every morning at 5am and every night at 6pm. I saw seedlings within 5 days. Pictures 7 & 8 were taken yesterday afternoon 18 days after seeding. I ran out of seeds and thew down some Scotts EZ Seed in the back corner and it did not come up as nice or as full as the Pennington's. So far I'm very happy with the process. I'm praying that this grass will make strong roots and last through next summer. Only time will tell.

Works great for small patches about the size of a washcloth. Didn't work much on bigger spots.

Excellent product. Great germination rate. Wasn't sure it would grow in Hawaii since 2 previous seeds I tried failed. Used to fill bare spots in lawn.

Update Day 31: I change back my review to three stars because even though grass started growing- it’s only about 20% sprouted. I generously put seeds to those bold spaces and expected it to be fluffier. I attached pictures. I’ll probably proceed with another brand and start over. I’m not happy with final result. Update Day 21: I change my review because I was misled by other reviewers and expected it grow on 5-7 day. It actually started sprouting. I do not know how fluffy my lawn will be but I contacted customer support and they explained me that it could’ve been a little cold. Also they explained that normally it can take 3-4 weeks for seeds to come out of the surface due to colder weather conditions. I was talking to Angie and they are very helpful and kind. Great experience. Now, I just need to be more patient and wait for final look. I hope I won’t forget to update it in few weeks Origin review: I was waiting for a rainy week in California to fix my tiny lawn after building exterior renovation. It didn’t grow after 10 days. I gave up to take pics after day 5.. it’s still nothing. It didn’t sprout. I dig to see whether seeds are in the soil and they are still there untouched. I lost my time and a nice opportunity when the soil is moist.

The Seed Product Sucked. I wanted to make the bald spot in my yard go away. I figured this seed would work under a canopy of pine and leafy trees. It was pretty when it first sprouted roughly a week after planting it. But after it sprouted, it started its slow downhill trajectory. I noticed less and less of them surviving. I planted it in August and just mowed the grass, in December. I think 100% of the grass seed died. It did not do well in the Deep South. I bought a sprinkler and ran a hose to the area just to fix it. I have no idea what happened.

Just what I needed

This grass grew very well in my yard in central Missouri.