Archive for the ‘Grass Types’ Category
When I first began my pursuit for the perfect lawn I had one main question. What type of grass seed should I be using? I knew I wanted to seed as opposed to sod because the cost was preferable. I hunted the internet to try to determine what seed is best for my part of the country. I was baffled because I could not find any information about different types of seeds. The type of seed you use is probably the most important decision that you can make when you first start to sow your new lawn. Why couldn’t I find any information? I want to make sure that readers from my site do not have the same problem that I had. I am going to break down the best seeds for each part of the country. It is vital information to starting a new lawn and there is a huge lack of this info on the web.
Southwest
I am from San Diego so I will begin with the south west. This area includes Southern California, Southern Arizona, and Southern New Mexico. For this part of the country I recommend Bent Grass, Bermuda Grass, Bluegrass, Tall and Creeping Fescues, Annual and Perennial Ryegrass and Zoysia Grass. These are warm and cool season grasses. They will hold up well to the hot, dry summers, and the moderate winters.
Northwest
In this area I would include Northern California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Western Montana, Western Wyoming, and Western Colorado. Here I would recommend Bent Grass, Bluegrass, Buffalo Grass, Tall and Creeping Fescues, and Annual and Perennial Ryegrasses. These grasses will withstand the cool seasons very well.
Central
This area would include Northern and Western Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Eastern Montana, Eastern Wyoming, Eastern Colorado, Eastern New Mexico, Western Minnesota, Western Iowa and Western Missouri. In these regions I would recommend Bent Grass, Bluegrass, Buffalo Grass, Tall and Creeping Fescue, Annual and Perennial Ryegrasses, and Zoysia Grass. These grasses are mostly cool season grasses.
Southeast
This area would include Southern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Arkansas. In this part of the country, I would recommend Bahia Grass, Bent Grass, Bermuda Grass, Bluegrass, Carpet Grass, Centipede Grass, St. Augustine Grass, and Zoysia Grass. These are cool and warm season grasses that do particularly well in the Southeast.
Northeast
In the Northeast I would include pretty much any state that hasn’t been listed. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Eastern Minnesota, Eastern Iowa, and Eastern Missouri (I think I got them all). In these parts of the country, I recommend Bent Grass, Bluegrass, Blue Gramma Grass, Tall and Creeping Fescues, and Annual and Perennial Ryegrasses. These are the grasses that do well in the real cool seasons.
I think I pretty much covered the entire country. I know I missed Alaska and Hawaii. Unfortunately, I’ve never done research on those parts of the country. I will do the research and come back with more info in another post. Everyone else; go get those seeds and start planting that lawn!
Growing and keeping a great looking lawn in the South is a bit more involved than in the North. It is trickier choosing grass types. Some types of grass do a lot better when started with plugs or sod than from seed as is the usual case in the North.
With warm season grasses, good soil is very important for establishing a good looking and low maintenance lawn. Warm weather grasses have a tendency to turn brown when the temperature cools. That’s why some folks in the warmer areas seed their existing landscape with ryegrass in the fall to keep that green color in the winter. If you do this, make certain you use an annual ryegrass.
In the South there are two major types of grasses used. These are known as warm season grasses and evergreen grasses. Warm season grasses come from tropical areas and do well during the hot summer heat. During winter cold spells they are not green. Their leaves turn brown and stay that way until it warms up again. These grasses grow best in the lower South area.
Evergreen grasses do their best in the South in the spring and fall. In the winter months their growth slows but still maintains their greenness. It is in the intense summer heat that they struggle to stay alive. They need a lot of care in the summer months. Evergreen grasses therefore do best in upper southern areas.
There are four warm season grasses that are used the most. There is Bermuda grass which has fine blades. It doesn’t tolerate shade well but can handle heavy usage. Centipede grass has a medium blade and doesn’t do well under heavy usage. Saint Augustine grass has a course blade but doesn’t like the cold or heavy traffic. Zoysia grass has fine to medium blades and doesn’t like shade.
Cold season grasses are found in climates with cold winters and hot or at least warm summers. Most of the time these areas have regular rainfall during the summer months. There are three major types of cold season grasses. They are bluegrass, fescues and ryegrass. There is another type called bentgrass but it is used primarily on golf courses.
Bluegrass is relatively cold tolerant but requires lots of water and fertilizer. It is widely used for lawns, golf courses, and athletic fields. Fescues are found in many forms running from fine to course. The courser types do better in hotter weather and are more wear tolerant than the fine types. Ryegrasses clump instead of forming runners as many grasses do. They come up and get established quickly and do well in hot areas.
Whether you live in the North, South or in between will determine your need for either cold season or warm season grasses. What exact type of grass to use is determined by such things as the amount of sunlight your yard gets, elevation and traffic. You will have to choose which type of grass or mixtures depending on if your lawn is just there for looks or if it is used by kids and or dogs. Some types stand up to traffic better than others.
Keep in mind that some types of grasses are high maintenance and require lots of water, upkeep, and fertilizer. Others are slow to grow, handle drought well, and don’t need mowing often.
