Grass Types Help

Warm-season Grass

• Warm-season grass varieties such as St. Augustine, centipede, zoysia, bahia, bermuda and buffalo grasses thrive in heat and humidity. During cool weather, warm-season grass will go dormant despite how much water you provide. Both zoysia and bermuda grass are grown for their ability to survive foot traffic. St. Augustine is prized for its ability to grow in shade. Buffalo grass is a popular turf to grow in Texas, and centipede and bahia grass can thrive in infertile soil.

Cool-season Grass

• Cool-season grass types include fescues, bluegrasses and ryegrasses. These grass types can remain green throughout the year when planted in the northern U.S. However, they must be watered during the heat of the summer to prevent them from going dormant. Gardeners typically plant these grasses in the early fall to late fall months. Ryegrass is used in areas that receive high foot traffic. Fescues thrive on slopes, but are slow to spread. Bluegrass provides a wonderful blue-green color to yards.

Drought

• Not every area of the country receives enough rainfall for every grass type. In fact, carpet grass, a warm-season turf type, cannot tolerate dry spells or drought. For yards that go through dry spells, plant bahia, bermuda, zoysia or tall fescue grasses. These grass types have deep and extensive root systems, which helps them access moisture deep within the soil. St. Augustine can tolerate droughts, but will turn dark blue and wilt when water-stressed.

Shade

• Most grass varieties need at least six to eight hours of full sunlight. Because every yard doesn't offer that much sun, gardeners can either plant one type of grass where it is sunny and another type in the shade, or plant the whole lawn in a shade-tolerant grass. You can plant tall fescue or certain varieties of St. Augustine grass, according to Clemson University. Even in shady lawns soil moisture is a problem, because plants grown in shade generally have shallow root systems. Provide enough water for your grass grown in shade.