Pennington vs Scotts Grass Seed

Our customers are always asking us which grass seed is best for their lawn, so we decided to conduct a Pennington vs Scotts lawn seed test to see which seed produced the best results.

The Test

To determine which grass seed is best for your lawn, we conducted a grow test to determine which seed you should choose. We decided to test:

  • Scott’s EZ Seed
  • Pennington One Step Seed
  • Jaguar Tall Fescue Seed
  • 5 Way Blend Fescue Seed

All products were purchased at a local store – we did not contact Scotts or Pennington. Scotts EZ Seed was slightly more expensive than Pennington One Step Seed.

Background on Scotts EZ Seed

Scott’s claims to use an all-natural seed that holds more water than Pennington One Step Complete seed. The bag of Scott’s purchased had very little seed mixed with a significant amount of mulch, I found the seed to be very tiny and fine, like millet. Several online reviews of Scott’s EZ Seed noted this product as being great for filling in your lawn’s stubborn bare spots.

Background on Pennington One Step Seed

Pennington claims that not all patch products are created equal. They say they use more seed than Scott’s and a better mulch. Pennington claims they use two times the seed that Scotts uses. 

Examining the samples side by side it is evident that Pennington One Step Complete uses far more seed than Scotts EZ seed. But, is it twice as much? It’s hard to tell for certain but there was certainly more seed in Pennington’s sample.

Our Test Controls

For this test, we used 4-inch aluminum trays that were filled with three inches of a combination of local soil and the grass seed. The watering protocol we followed was twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon. 

In order to complete the experiment prior to Missouri’s lawn care season, we conducted the test in Florida due to its ideal weather conditions in late winter & early spring. 

All test photos were captured at 9 am to maintain consistency & the daily weather forecast is provided throughout the duration of the experiment.

The Winner

After the initial 21 day test period, the grass from Pennington One Step was higher, thicker, and greener than Scott’s EZ, as well as Jaguar’s Tall Fescue and the 5 way blend.

Daily Reporting:

Day 1 – February 14, 2019

  • Mostly sunny to partly cloudy.
  • High 75 Low 58
  • Winds: NE 10-20
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 2 – February 15, 2019

  • Mix of clouds and sun
  • High 78 Low 55
  • Winds: NE 5-10
  • Rain Chance 0%

Day 3 – February 16, 2019

  • Mix of clouds and sun
  • High 80 Low 58
  • Winds: WNW 10-20
  • Rain Chance 0%

Day 4 – February 17, 2019

  • Mix of clouds and sun
  • High 84 Low 66
  • Winds: SSE 10-15
  • Rain Chance 0%

Day 5 – February 18, 2019

  • Mix of clouds and sun
  • High 85 Low 67
  • Winds: S 10-15
  • Rain Chance 60%

Day 6 – February 19, 2019

  • Morning clouds transitioning to afternoon sun
  • High 82 Low 69
  • Winds: ESE 10-20
  • Rain Chance 20%

Day 7 – February 20, 2019

  • Morning clouds transitioning to afternoon sun
  • High 81 Low 67
  • Winds: SE 15-25
  • Rain Chance 20%

After one week, it appears Scotts EZ Seed is in the lead.

Day 8 – February 21, 2019

  • Sunny all day
  • High 82 Low 66
  • Winds: SE 10-20
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 9 – February 22, 2019

  • Mostly sunny; partly cloudy
  • High 83 Low 68
  • Winds SE 10-15
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 10 – February 23, 2019

  • Partly cloudy
  • High: 83 Low: 67
  • Winds SE 10-20
  • Rain Chance 20%

Day 11 – February 24, 2019 

  • Partly to mostly cloudy
  • High: 88 Low: 64
  • Winds SW 10-20
  • Rain Chance 20%

Day 12 – February 25, 2019

  • Overcast then partly cloudy in the afternoon
  • High: 76 Low: 66
  • Winds NE 15-25
  • Rain Chance 20%
Scott's vs Pennington Day 13

Day 13 – February 26, 2019 

  • Morning overcast leading to afternoon showers
  • High: 77 Low: 67
  • Winds E 10-20
  • Rain Chance 40%

Day 14 – February 27, 2019

  • Cloudy
  • High: 79 Low: 62
  • Winds E 10-15
  • Rain Chance 20%

Day 15 – February 28, 2019

  • Morning overcast; afternoon sun
  • High: 78 Low: 61
  • Winds NNE 5-10
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 16 – March 1, 2019

  • Mostly cloudy in the am, overcast in the pm
  • High 80 Low 61
  • Winds ESE 10-15
  • Rain Chance 0%

Day 17 – March 2, 2019

  • Sunny
  • High 83 Low 64
  • Winds SE 10-15
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 18 March 3, 2019

  • Mostly Sunny
  • High 85 Low 66
  • Winds S 10-20
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 19 – March 4, 2019

  • Scattered thunderstorms, variable clouds
  • High: 86 Low: 62
  • Winds W 10-20
  • Rain Chance 50%

Day 20 – March 5, 2019

  • Cloudy
  • High: 70 Low:46
  • Winds NW 10-20
  • Rain Chance 10%

Day 21 – March 6, 2019

  • Sunny
  • High: 63 Low: 50
  • Winds N 15-25
  • Rain Chance 0%

Greenside Lawn Care is proud to service the following areas around St. Charles, Missouri: