Choosing the right grass types for your yard is an important decision. If you choose the wrong grass you will waste your time, money and will cause yourself heartache. It would be painful for you to spend your precious time preparing, planting and maintaining your grass only for it to die because you made a wrong choice on the grass you planted.
There are factors that dictate which grass types will thrive in your yard.
These factors are:
Return from Grass Types to Planting Grass
Cool Humid - This region includes areas with mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers as well as areas with frigid winters and hot summers. In most areas there is about 30 inches of rain or more per year. This region encompasses the Midwest and Northeastern states. Depending on your exact location, soils tend to be alkaline or acidic. All cool season grasses (bluegrass seed, fescue seed and rye grass) thrive in this area.
Cool Arid - This region includes areas with mild, snowy to dry winters and warm to hot, dry summers. In most areas there is less than 20 inches of rain per year. This region encompasses the Plain States, the Northwestern States and Alaska. Depending on your exact location, soils tend to be alkaline or acidic. Cool season grasses (bluegrass seed, fescue seed and rye grass) thrive in this area.
Warm Arid - This region includes areas with hot summers and mild winters In this area, there is little to no rain throughout the year. This region encompasses the entire Southwest. The soil tends to be very alkaline and have salt. In this area, Bermuda grass seed is the most common grass type.
Warm Humid - This region includes areas with mild winters and hot humid summers. There is a lot of rain. This region encompasses the Southeast, the Gulf Coast and Hawaii. Depending on your exact location, soils tend to be alkaline or acidic. Warm season grasses (Bermuda grass seed, St. Augustine grass seed and bahia grass seed) are the most common grass types.
Transition Zone - This region includes parts of all of the other 4 regions. There are areas with hot summers and cold winters as well as areas that are either wet or dry throughout the year. Grasses that can tolerate extreme weather conditions survive in this zone. A mixture of bluegrass seed, fescue seed and rye grass (cool season grasses) and Bermuda grass seed (warm season grass) do well in this zone.
Grass types are separated into two categories: cool season grasses and warm season grasses.
Common cool season grasses are bluegrass seed, the fescue grass seed (tall fescue grass seed, creeping red fescue, hard fescue and chewings fescue) and rye grass.
Cool Season Grass Products
Grass: Kentucky 31 Fescue 5 lbCommon warm season grasses are Bermuda grass seed, St. Augustine grass seed, buffalo grass seed, zoysia grass seed and bahia grass seed.
Choosing the proper grass types is dependent on your climate, traffic patterns and the surrounding landscape in your yard. If you are still unsure which grass types are best for your lawn, you can always ask the clerk at your local nursery. They are usually in tune with which grass types work best in your local area.
Return from Grass Types to the Lawn-care-made-easy Home Page
St. Augustine Grass - A warm season grass common in the Gulf Coast area.
Zoysia Grass - A warm season grass common from the Transitional Zone and south to the Gulf Coast.
Seashore Grass - A warm season grass common in areas with high salt content in the water as well as sandy and loamy areas. Frequently found near the sea shore.
Bermuda Grass - Common from the Transitional Zone and South.