Recommended Grass for Central Florida

St. Augustine Grass

• St. Augustine grass produces a fast-growing, coarse-textured lawn for Central Florida gardens. It needs at least six hours of direct sunlight and an evenly moist soil to grow its best. Chinch bugs remain the main pest concern on St. Augustine lawns, and overwatering and over-application of nitrogen fertilizers leads to many diseases. "Floratam" remains the widely used cultivar of St. Augustine grass, but it is among the most coarse in texture. "Palmetto" is finer-textured and denser, tolerating shade and drought better than Floratam. "Delmar" and "Seville" also are fine-textured cultivars.

Centipede Grass

• Centipede grass is slow-growing, fine-textured and very low-growing. It is the most common turf grass used in northern Florida, but it also does well in Central Florida's acidic sandy and loam soils. Nematodes in sandy soil are a major limitation with this grass species, and thatch builds up if the lawn is improperly mowed. Compared to other turf grasses, centipede grass needs less soil fertility and watering to grow well. Cultivar "TifBlair" is best across all parts of Central Florida.

Bahia Grass

• Bahia grass is one of the few turf grasses that may be inexpensively started by sowing seed in Central Florida. It needs an acidic soil; otherwise it tends to turn yellow-green and needs a lot more fertilization. The fine-textured leaves and open growth of bahia grass can lead to a lawn full of weeds if improperly managed. Mole crickets are a main pest concern. If you lack irrigation or don't want to spend resources watering, bahia grass is the best grass for you. In frosty weather or extreme drought, the lawn temporarily turns tan, but greens up once conditions improve.

Bermuda Grass

• Immaculate lawns made of Bermuda grass look among the best kept and attractive yards in Central Florida. Bermuda grass is a high-maintenance turf grass, needing lots of water, frequent mowing with a reel mower, proper fertilization and lots of pesticides to look its best. Choose disease-resistant and more densely growing cultivars such as "Tifway," "Tifgreen," "Tifway II" and "FloraTex." Build-up of thatch and soil nematodes add to the maintenance responsibilities of a Bermuda grass lawn. This turf also quickly falters with any hint of shade.