Our cultivars are selected for top scoring turf quality and color in at least one climate. Most also top the charts for several secondary metrics like disease performance, traffic & wear, 5-year poa annua invasion, low input performance & self repair.

See images (full-sized screen recommended) to view our National Turfgrass Evaluation Program performance summaries in images.  NTEP is the gold standard of grass seed testing.

 

TRAIT PERFORMANCE COLOR KEY:

TOP 10%    Top 25%    Middle 50%    BOTTOM 25%    BOTTOM 10%

MYSTIQUE

Mystique is perhaps the most elite cultivar that made the cut to be tested on the most recently completed NTEP trial.  With top 3% performance in areas with cold winters, top 5% performance in the Pacific NW, top 1% performance in the Northeast (60/30/10 Score™), this is one cultivar with reliable top 5% performs almost everywhere.  It tied for 3rd for schedule A quality (of 114 cultivars tested) and it tied for 4th for schedule B quality on NTEP.

Color - Fertilized Loactions (CA7, IA1, IL1, MN1, NE1, NJ2, VA1 & OR1): Top 5%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Top 2%

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 12%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Top 3%

Low Input Score™: Top 2%

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 0.0%... tied for 1st (only 7 cultivars achieved a perfect 0.0%)

  ** In fertilized NTEP locations Mystique offers top 5% primary traits like turf quality and color and top secondary trait performance including divot recovery, poa annua invasion, traffic, wear, disease & drought performance.

 

SR4750

SR4750 is most competitive in very cold areas and very hot areas (where rye probably doesn't belong) - with top 10% quality and color in Minnesota (where the average January low is 6ºF) and top performance in very high disease pressure areas as well.  Stolons on rye are largely a marketing gimmick, but if we were speaking marketing, we might mention that SR4750 placed 1st out of every cultivar tested on NTEP for divot recovery testing, so, it does offer minor stolon activity if you're into that sort of thing... a great cultivar for RPR fans desiring a color upgrade among other things.

Color - Fertilized Loactions (CA7, IA1, IL1, MN1, NE1, NJ2, VA1 & OR1): Top 4%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Top 11%

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 4%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Top 1%

Low Input Score™: Average (Top 39%)

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 0.0%... tied for 1st (only 7 cultivars achieved a perfect 0.0%)

  ** SR4750 is featured in PODIUM Blend™ with other premium slightly stoloniferous rye cultivars.  SR4750 is basically newer generation RPR (no relation or brand correlation) that should have superior color (top 4% in fertilized NTEP locations) and superior disease performance (top 4% cumulative disease performance).  RPR was never tested on NTEP, but it was released in 2009 and is known for having less than ideal color... SR4750 hit the market around 2023/2024 and ranked #1 out of 114 cultivars tested for divot recovery against newer generation genetics.  We recommend not selecting rye based on stolon activity, but, if this is a trait that is important to you, consider PODIUM™... our other slightly stoloniferous cultivars include Zoom 2 and Mystique.

ZOOM 2

Zoom 2 gets more competitive the hotter it gets and it has impressive secondary performance metrics as well.  Ranked top 5% for quality on our Northeast NTEP spreadsheet (NJ + IL + VA, ICV weighted average) and top 3% quality on our Transition Zone spreadsheet (VA + KY, ICV weighted average) with top 11% fertilized location Northeast color (NJ + IL, ICV weighted average).  Top 4% cummulative disease performance including a near top gray leaf spot rating of 8.3 out of 9.0.

Color - Fertilized Loactions (CA7, IA1, IL1, MN1, NE1, NJ2, VA1 & OR1): Top 9%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Top 4%

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 4%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Top 4%

Low Input Score™: Top 21%

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 3.3%... tied for 21st of 114

** Zoom 2 is a top performer in heat and high disease pressure areas presumably because of its superior disease performance and strong color & secondary traits.  There is some evidence to suggest that Zoom 2 may prefer a cutting height of at least 1.1" for more reliable elite performance.

 

SLUGGER 3GL    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Slugger 3GL is a high performer almost everywhere, but we stock it specifically for its elite performance in the east.  It ranked #1 in fertilized NTEP locations in the Northeast for turf quality (NJ + VA + IL, ICV weighted average) and it ranked #2 overall in the Northeast based on 60% fertilized locations quality in the NE, 30% fertilized locations color in the NE, and 10% cumulative disease performance (60/30/10 Score™).  It also tied for 2nd for gray leaf spot performance out of 114 cultivars tested with a near perfect score of 8.7 / 9.0 (Adelphia, NJ - NTEP).

Fertilized Northeast Locations Color (NJ + IL, ICV WT Avg.): Top 9%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Top 10%

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 10%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Average (Top 56%)

Low Input Score™: Top 3%

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 3.3%... tied for 21st of 114

** Slugger 3GL is featured in Cheat Code Blend and contributes to Cheat Code's superior gray leaf spot rating (per cultivar average on NTEP) of 8.4 out of 9.0... the highest GLS rating of any known rye blend.

 

PORTFOLIO    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Portfolio is a cultivar that really shines in the east and should especially be considered in overseeding applications due to it's superior color and near top turf quality.  It ranks #4 for color in fertilized eastern NTEP locations (NJ & IL, ICV weighted average)... the only cultivars that are darker totally suck!  Portfolio tied for 2nd for gray leaf spot performance out of 114 cultivars tested with a near perfect score of 8.7 out of 9.0 in Adelphia NJ.  The scale starts at 1.0 and a few similarly dark competitors scored 1.7 out of 9.0 (Fireball) and 2.7 out of 9.0 (Hatrick).  Gray leaf spot has been a major shortcoming to perennial ryegrass in the past, but most decent rye products on the market today have been bred specifically for this trait, and it shows!  Some cultivars have not... and it shows!

Fertilized locations Northeast Color (NJ + IL, ICV Weighted Average): Top 4%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Average (Top 36%)

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 15%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Bottom 19%

Low Input Score™: Top 5%

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 3.3%... tied for 21st of 114

  ** Portfolio is featured in Cheat Code Blend and contributes to Cheat Code's superior gray leaf spot rating (per cultivar average on NTEP) of 8.4 out of 9.0... the highest GLS rating of any known rye blend.  Portfolio is our darkest cultivar in the Northeast that actually offers competitive turf quality (top 12% NJ + IL + VA, ICV weighted average) and top disease performance (top 15%) which is drastically different than other dark cultivars... Fireball for example offers bottom 3% overall performance in the Northeast (turf quality) and bottom 4% cumulative disease performance.

 

UMPQUA

In Ames Iowa (12º average January low) Umpqua ranked #1 for turf quality and #2 for genetic color out of 114 cultivars tested!  Despite the relatively weak secondary traits, Umpqua is easily our #1 favorite cultivar for areas with an average January low between about 10-15ºF.

Fertilized locations cold area color (IA + MN, ICV weighted average): Top 4%

Traffic & Wear Score™: Average (Top 52%)

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Average (Top 40%)

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Top 12%

Low Input Score™: Average (Top 64%)

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 6.7%... tied for 45th of 114

 

REVENGE 2GLX    (A-LIST APPROVED)

Revenge 2GLX ranked #1 in the Pacific NW out of 114 cultivars tested for turf quality (Corvallis, OR - NTEP)  and it tied for 3rd for color in Oregon.  Easily our #1 pick for the Pacific NW.

Pacific NW Color (Corvallis, OR): 7.5 / 9.0... only 2 cultivars scored higher for color (and those 2 cultivars have notably poor turf quality)

Traffic & Wear Score™: Top 9%

Disease Score™ (Table 33-37 diseases... ICV weighted average): Top 11%

Divot Recovery or "spread trait" (KY): Average (Top 39%)

Low Input Score™: Average (Top 19%)

Poa annua invasion after ≈5 years in the Northeast (NJ): 1.7%... tied for 8th of 114

  ** Revenge 2GLX is featured in Platinum blend which is the best performing perennial ryegrass blend in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Secondary performance metrics (like self-repair or disease performance or poa annua invasion after ≈5 years) on the Specialty Performance Data spreadsheet should only be considered after zooming in on regional turf quality and color… regional turf quality is king because it takes all visual details (including color, disease, weed invasion, etc.) into account.  The 60/30/10 score is designed to intentionally bias color as another ranking option, but quality alone is a perfectly valid ranking system. ***

See images for recommended seed rates and seeding tips.

 

See spreadsheets (per images) for greater detail including formulas, locations, NTEP table numbers, etc.  Main reference: NTEP Perennial Ryegrass 2017-2021 Final Report from the most recently concluded NTEP trial.  Some calculations (Disease Score™, Traffic & Wear Score™, Low Input Score™, 60/30/10 Score™, etc.) are supplemental data based on NTEP data but intended to be as user friendly as possible.  These terms and concepts are property of SEED-BOSS LLC.

 

Disclaimer: Seed-Boss makes no guarantee of performance in your climate or under your management practices.  If the grass seed does not germinate the buyer acknowledges improper seed to soil contact, improper soil moisture during germination phase, and/or inappropriate soil temperatures and agrees to not blame the seed (since seed was tested as good).

If you notice anything inaccurate or that could be improved for accuracy, please email us at support@seed-boss.com.  Our aim is the highest degree of accuracy possible and that process includes peer review.