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!
