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Elite Shade 2kg

Elite Shade 2kg

$75.00 CAD
$75.00 CAD
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⚖️ 2 kg (4.4 lbs)
🌱 Germination: 7 through 21 days
🏡 Coverage
New Lawn: ~570–800 sq. ft. Overseeding: ~670–1,000 sq. ft.
📐 Not sure about your lawn size? Here's how to measure it →
💡 Pro tip: Most lawns need more seed than you'd expect — and leftover seed isn't wasted. Stored in a cool, dry place, it keeps well into the next season for touch-ups, pet damage, or thin spots. Compare 5 kg bag →
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When to seed in Spring across Canada:

  • Vancouver / Lower Mainland: April onward
  • Southern Ontario / Montreal: Late April – May
  • Prairies: Mid-May – early June
  • Atlantic: May

Same day / next day order processing (on weekdays)

Orders placed on weekdays are usually processed same-day or next-day. Orders placed on weekends will be processed on Monday.

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Orders ship from Toronto and typically arrive in 2-5 business days depending on your location. Orders going to Western Canada and the Maritimes can take a little longer, 5-8 business days.

30-Day Returns

Change your mind? We offer 30-day returns on unopened and unused items. Learn more.

Seeding rates

  • Seeding rate per 1,000 sqft: 2.5kg-3.5kg
  • New lawns: 2.5kg-3.5kg per 1,000 sqft
  • Overseeding existing lawns: 2kg-3kg per 1,000 sqft
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No Weeds | No Filler | Elite Grass Seed

Elite Shade Grass Seed Blend

What makes a shade blend a shade blend isn't the name on the bag. It's the fescue content inside it. Fine fescues are the most shade-tolerant cool-season grasses available. They need less sunlight, less water, and less fertilizer than ryegrass or bluegrass. In Canada, a grass seed blend must contain at least 40% fescue to be labelled a shade mixture. This blend contains 60%.

But shade tolerance alone doesn't build a complete lawn. The remaining 40% is perennial ryegrass for fast germination and visible results within 7 to 10 days, and a Kentucky bluegrass that spreads underground via rhizomes to fill in thin spots over time. Five cultivars (grass types), three species, each selected for a specific job.

Performance Data — NTEP Scores

Five Cultivars. The Data Behind Each One.

Every cultivar in this blend has been through the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) — a multi-year, multi-location trial run across universities and research stations. Cultivars are evaluated blind and scored on quality, colour, density, disease resistance, and stress tolerance under real-world conditions.

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice. A 6.0 is considered acceptable. Anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Here's how each one performed.

30%
Kevin
Elite Creeping Red Fescue

Kevin is a strong creeping red fescue and the cultivar in this blend designed for the areas of your lawn where Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass can start to thin out. Fine fescues are the most shade-tolerant cool-season grasses available, and Kevin brings that tolerance along with a fine leaf texture that blends cleanly with the other species in the mix. It also spreads via rhizomes, helping it fill in and persist in lower-light areas over time. Among the 43 fineleaf fescue entries in the current NTEP trial, Kevin ranks in the top 25% for genetic colour, including a score of 7.7 at the Quebec, Canada test site. It won't look washed out next to the darker cultivars in this blend.

  • Top 25% for colour among all fineleaf fescues tested. Won't clash with the darker cultivars in this blend
  • Thrives in partial shade where bluegrass and ryegrass can start to thin out
  • Fine leaf texture. Blends visually with KBG and PRG for a uniform look
  • Spreads via rhizomes to fill in and hold ground in shaded areas
  • Persists with less water and less fertilizer than the other species in this blend
National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
2020 NATIONAL FINELEAF FESCUE TEST
Kevin — Progress Reports 2021–2024
43 Entries • 19 States + Quebec • 4 Years of Data
Shade Quality 7.0 / 9.0
#3 among strong CRFs in the shade trial
Genetic Colour Top 15%
Among the darkest of all 43 fescues tested
Quebec (2024) 7.0
Dark colour confirmed at Canadian test site
Drought Tolerance #1 of 14
Most drought-tolerant strong CRF tested
Dollar Spot #4 of 14
Above-average resistance among strong CRFs
Fine Texture Fine Leaf
Blends visually with KBG and PRG

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice and anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Data sourced from NTEP trial reports • ntep.org

30%
Shadow III
Elite Chewings Fescue

Shadow III is a Chewings fescue and the cultivar in this blend built for the conditions that shade creates. Shaded areas stay damp longer, dry slower, and give fungal diseases more opportunity to take hold. Shadow III scored 8.0 out of 9.0 for brown patch resistance and 7.0 for dollar spot in the NTEP trial, backed by high endophyte levels that contribute to its natural disease resistance. As a Chewings fescue, it brings a dense, upright growth habit with fine leaf texture that blends cleanly with the other species in the mix, and it requires less water and less fertilizer than the ryegrass and bluegrass in this blend.

  • Fights brown patch and dollar spot on its own. Both diseases thrive in the damp, low-airflow conditions shade creates
  • Dense, upright growth habit. Forms a tight turf without spreading into adjacent areas
  • Persists with less water and less fertilizer than the other species in this blend
National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
2008 NATIONAL FINELEAF FESCUE TEST
Shadow III — Final Report 2009-2014
25 Entries • 11 Locations • 6 Years of Data
Summer Density 7.8
Dense, upright turf through summer stress
Shade Tolerance Improved
Thrives where KBG and PRG start to thin out
Brown Patch 8.0 / 9.0
Strong resistance. Critical in damp, shaded areas
Dollar Spot 7.0 / 9.0
Across 3 locations over 4 years of testing
Spring Green-Up #3 of 11
Among the first Chewings fescues to break dormancy
Fine Texture Fine Leaf
Blends visually with KBG and PRG

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice and anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Data sourced from NTEP trial reports • ntep.org

25%
Principal II
Elite Perennial Ryegrass

Principal II is a new generation of perennial ryegrass released in 2018 — an advanced poly cross bred from plots in both Oregon and New Jersey. Its defining trait is consistency: it finished in the top 5 of 112 entries for overall turf quality across 23 locations over five years, performing well in every region rather than excelling in one and falling off in another. It also brings one of the strongest gray leaf spot resistance scores in the trial and recovers from damage faster than most entries tested.

  • Performs well across a wide range of climates and conditions
  • Strong natural disease resistance — handles gray leaf spot without chemicals
  • Recovers from foot traffic, pets, and wear quickly
  • Fills in dense with good seedling vigour
  • Tolerates salt and cold stress through Canadian winters
National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
2016 NATIONAL PERENNIAL RYEGRASS TEST
Principal II — Final Report 2017–2021
112 Entries • 23 Locations • 5 Years of Data
Overall Quality Top 5 of 112
Consistent across 23 locations over 5 years
Gray Leaf Spot 7.7 / 9.0
Strong resistance — top performer
Divot Recovery #12 of 112
92.4% recovery rate at Lexington, KY
Genetic Colour Up to 7.4
Scoring 7.4 at NJ2, IL1, and OR1
Brown Patch Resistance Top 25%
Top 3% of all entries tested
Germination 6-8 days
Fastest cool-season species to establish

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice and anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Data sourced from NTEP trial reports • ntep.org

10%
Alpha Centauri
Elite Perennial Ryegrass

Alpha Centauri is a new elite cultivar we introduced in 2025 — and the centrepiece of this blend. It offers dark green colour with individual NTEP site scores as high as 8.0, but what makes it rare is what comes with that colour: strong disease resistance, early spring green-up, and excellent salt tolerance. Most of the darkest-scoring ryegrasses in the NTEP trial gave back performance in other areas. Alpha Centauri didn't.

  • Dark genetic colour — scoring up to 8.0 at individual trial sites
  • Fast seedling vigour — establishes quickly and fills in dense
  • Fights dollar spot on its own — critical in provinces with cosmetic pesticide bans
  • One of the first cultivars to green up in spring
  • Excellent salt tolerance for Canadian winters
National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
2022 NATIONAL PERENNIAL RYEGRASS TEST
Alpha Centauri — Progress Reports 2023–2024
83 Entries • 20 Locations • 2 Years of Data
Genetic Colour Up to 8.0
Range of 6.0 to 8.0 across trial sites, 7.3 at Guelph
Turf Quality 7.1 at Guelph
Top 19% at Canada's only NTEP trial site
Dollar Spot #4 of 83
Top 5% — stronger than 95% of entries
Spring Green-Up #8 of 83
Top 10%. Among the first to break dormancy
Germination 6–8 days
Fastest cool-season species to establish
Fall Density #3 of 83
Top 4%. Holds its thickness heading into winter

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice and anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Data sourced from NTEP trial reports • ntep.org

5%
Blue Devil
Elite Kentucky Bluegrass

Blue Devil is a sub-compact Kentucky bluegrass and the only cultivar in this blend that spreads underground via rhizomes. In a shaded lawn, thin spots from foot traffic, pet damage, or seasonal stress don't fill in on their own unless something in the mix can actively spread. That's the job Blue Devil does. It also brings dark genetic colour, scoring above 7.0 at four or more NTEP trial sites including 8.1 at North Brunswick, NJ, and strong dollar spot resistance in the damp conditions shade creates.

  • The only cultivar in this blend that self-repairs. Spreads via underground rhizomes to fill in thin spots over time
  • Dark genetic colour confirmed at multiple NTEP trial sites. Won't wash out in lower light
  • Scored 7.8 / 9.0 for dollar spot resistance. Fights disease in damp conditions without intervention
National Turfgrass Evaluation Program
2017 NATIONAL KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS TEST
Blue Devil — Final Report 2018-2022
89 Entries • 14 Locations • 5 Years of Data
Genetic Colour Up to 8.1
Scoring above 7.0 at 4+ trial sites
Dollar Spot 7.8 / 9.0
Strong resistance at North Brunswick, NJ
Turf Quality Top 25%
In the top quartile at 33% of locations over 5 years
Wear Tolerance Top 10
Among the top performers under spring traffic stress
Self-Repair Via Rhizomes
Fills in bare spots and wear damage over time
Fine Texture Fine Leaf
Dense, tight growth for a uniform appearance

NTEP uses a 1-to-9 scale, but scores above 7.0 are rare in practice and anything above 7.0 puts a cultivar near the top of the field.

Data sourced from NTEP trial reports • ntep.org

All of our elite grass seed blends are tested for purity, contain 0.0% weed and crop seed, and are built from high-performance cultivars with top NTEP ratings — the same types of seed trusted by turf professionals across Canada.

Memberships & Associations

  • Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation

  • Sports Turf Canada

  • Ontario Golf Superintendents' Association

  • Professional Lawn Care Association of Ontario