How to Harvest Grass Seed

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Things You'll Need

  • Grass plants

  • Container or cloth sack

Image Credit: Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images

Harvesting grass seed is a common industrial agriculture practice. Producers harvest seed with specialized equipment that is impractical for home growers. That doesn't mean you can't harvest your own grass seed. After all, before the invention of special machinery, people gathered grass seed by hand. You can still successfully harvest grass seed by hand. Although the process may take some time, it's easy to do and allows you to use your own grass seed during the next planting season.

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Step 1

Allow grass plants to flower and develop seeds. This process will take about 20 to 30 days.

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Step 2

Test seeds to make sure they're ready. Harvest if the seed tops shatter when you smack them lightly against the palm of your hand.

Step 3

Hold the base of the inflorescence, or flowers attached to the stem, with your hand.

Step 4

Run your hand upward from the inflorescence base to release the seeds.

Step 5

Place the grass seed in a container or cloth sack. Move to the next grass plant and repeat the steps.

Tip

If you plan to collect a large quantity of grass seed every year, consider investing in a hand-held brush harvester. These specialized harvesting machines are smaller in scale and less costly than full-sized brush harvesters.

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