This forum used to have some real experts in KBG varieties, but they have moved on. One thing you should know about seed is you get what you pay for. All the seed you see at the box stores has a component of weed and other crop in it. The percentage you see listed in the guaranteed analysis is by weight. The really bad news is good seed is heavy and weed seed is light. In fact the worst weeds, common bermuda and bentgrass, have seeds the size of dust. Those seeds weigh one eight-millionth of a pound - meaning a pound has 8 million seeds in it. In a 10-pound bag of good KBG you could have 0.10% weed and get a full lawn of weeds. More expensive seed will have 0.00% weed and other crop listed on the label. Most weeds can be gotten rid of but bermuda and bentgrass are toughies. I'd spend the money for better seed. It is usually sold online only. Another thing you should be aware of is that spring is a bad time of year to be seeding a lawn. Why? Because the crabgrass seed is sitting there waiting to get enough water to sprout. If you are watering enough for grass seed, that is more than enough for crabgrass seed. That is why fall is the recommended time of year to seed new grass. Crabgrass dies in the fall so you have all fall and winter to establish your turf before the crabgrass tries to return. Spring is also a poor time because the new grass roots don't have time to become established and able to resist the summer heat. You may dodge that bullet with your location. With those thoughts in mind, go ahead and seed now and hope for the best. Anything that happens can be corrected in the fall. Please don't till your soil before seeding. No matter what your soil is like, the best thing to do for it is to get grass growing. Clear off the current vegetation with a verticutter (power rake, slit seeder, or other similar tool). Blow or rake off the litter, scatter the seeds, roll them down, and water daily, 3x per day (10 minutes only), for 3 weeks. If you really want to improve the soil, look at the organic forum. If you don't care about that, then just be careful about using exactly the recommended amount of fertilizer on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving. Going too heavy with chemicals is much worse than going too light. With organics it is looking like the reverse of that advice.

I posted earlier, but it disappeared. Oh well, try again. 1) There should be some nurseries in your area that sell bamboo. The ABS (American Bamboo Society) has a list of member nurseries, and they list one that might be near you: Hamptons Grass & Bamboo Southampton, NY 11969 Aidan Furlong 631-725-8499. Do visit several nurseries, if you can, because bamboo can be pricey and prices can vary widely for the same plant species, same size. Also, there are many reliable online bamboo nurseries and you may get a better deal from them, even adding in shipping. 2) You'll hear about runners and clumpers, and that runners are invasive. However, for your Zone, you'll find runners are hardier, and you can control them by rhizome pruning once or twice a year with a sharp spade. They'll also do a better job of filling in faster and cheaper than clumpers. 3) I've gotten a lot of bamboo for free from people who let it get out of hand and just wanted it removed. Sometimes if you place an ad in the local paper, you'll find soneone who will donate to you for your labor.

I brought in a batch of 300 moso seeds last year. I have detailed my expermentation with germination on my website trying various recommended techniques, including a table with the variables. You may find it a good read. Check previous entries to read the entire experiment. http://www.hardyoutdoorexotics.com/?cat=11 To make things easier for you, I germinated them directly in soil. I had a 75% germination rate by soaking the seeds in a 10% saltwater solution for 10 minutes, and rinsing off with water before sowing. 67% germination rate with a batch that had an overnight soak in a 20-20-20 solution. And 67% germination rate with a batch that had a soak in a 10-52-10 solution. Those two 67% germination rates were ranked in the top 3 for breaking through the soil the quickest at 21 days. A water soak also broke through at 21 days but only netted me a 58% germination rate. For those that recommend a brief refridgeration for these seeds, germination was delayed, and the success wasn't that great. Here is a link that might be useful: My exotic plants blog

It really took off this summer after repotting, growing 25+ culms and still growing even as temperatures continue to drop. They're up to 4 mm thick and I repotted it in a ~3 trade gallon pot. Would that survive outdoors or should I bring it inside? I also have an unheated greenhouse but it gets moist and moldy inside.