Grass seed sales soar by 40% over the past two years, reports Johnsons Lawn Seed

Johnsons Lawn Seed, the UK’s oldest grass seed supplier, is celebrating a 40% rise in lawn seed sales over the past two years, as demand strengthens for its market-leading portfolio of quality lawncare products.

The company, owned by DLF Seeds, says the UK market for grass seed has remained buoyant since autumn 2018, when demand tripled from garden retailers as consumers sought to repair lawns that were left parched by the UK’s joint hottest summer on record.

According to Johnsons, the sales bonanza, which drove demand for its Luxury Lawn, Shady Place, Lawn Thickener, General Purpose, Quick Fix and After Moss lawn seed mixes, has been joined by rising demand for its Country Meadow Grass and Wildflower Seed, a mixture of native wildflowers that chimes with consumers who are looking to attract wildlife and beneficial pollinators to gardens.

Johnson’s Lawn Seed’s Consumer Manager, Guy Jenkins, said: “The lawncare sector has been a star performer at garden centres since the drought of 2018, a season that ignited a resurgence of interest in products for lawn revival. Fast forward to spring 2020 and, following one of the wettest winters in recent memory, the nation’s lawns are in need of TLC. Johnsons Lawn Seed is also riding the crest of a wave as consumer awareness of the environmental benefits that lawns provide continues to rise, while investment from our parent company, DLF Seeds, has enabled us to bring to market innovative new products that will drive ambitious growth in the lawncare category this season and beyond.”

As part of its mission to inject additional sales potential into lawncare departments, Johnsons Lawn Seed is introducing two key new lines for 2020 – the result of a significant programme of research and development. Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance is a game-changer for the lawn seed market, a unique new product that finally banishes the problem of dog urine damage to lawns.

A result of 672 tests across 168 varieties of grass, the formulation – a UK first - comprises dog urine tolerant fine-leaved dwarf perennial ryegrasses, resulting in hardwearing lawns that resist canine urine scorch and are also tough enough to stand up to the wear and tear of family use while being ideal for play areas, too. A further USP of Tuffgrass is its excellent resistance to low temperatures and snow, with improved drought-resistance, further enhancing its sales appeal to consumers who are seeking quality lawn seed that will thrive in an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Also new for 2020 is Quick Lawn with Accelerator-treated seed, a new formulation that has been engineered to meet three key consumer demands: rapid germination, fast lawn establishment and reduced watering, requiring just a third of the amount of water that’s commonly required for lawn establishment. Suitable for creating new lawns or overseeding, Quick Lawn’s unique Accelerator treatment contains a wetting agent to speed-up water absorbtion, rapidly resulting in a strong, thick lawn, even in wet or cold conditions.

Quick Lawn with Accelerator-treated seed aims to build brand loyalty with its promise of 38% more grass within the first seven days, compared to non-coated seed. Technology in the seed coating delivers biostimulants – including seaweed extract, humic acids, amino acids, micronutrients and root developers – into the seed, resulting in a rapid start that reverts to a normal rate of growth once the lawn has established.

The duo of new products will build on the success of Johnsons Lawn Seed’s major launch last year. In another UK first, the company introduced Super Smart Lawn Feed, an organic, triple-action lawn fertiliser tailored to meet the needs of environmentally conscious consumers who are no longer prepared to use chemicals to feed lawns, especially in gardens where children and pets are present. Super Smart Lawn Feed incorporates beneficial bacteria (Azospirillum) that fix nitrogen to roots, soluble mycorrhizae, which can increase the root system by 150 times, and seaweed extract for dense, green growth.

Find out more

To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed products please visit http://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx

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