Choosing the Right Grass in the South

Don't Buy Seed Or Sod On Impulse!
Choosing the right grass for your yard can make the difference between having a low-maintenance, environmentally-friendly lawn and one that is susceptible to disease, pests, weed invasion and that requires a lot of upkeep. The type of grass you choose for either a new lawn should depend on several factors.

Use the charts below to determine the best lawn for your property.

1. What do you want your lawn to look like? Grasses vary in color, leaf width, habit (characteristic appearance), and density of growth.

GRASS TYPE	COLOR	LEAF	HABIT	DENSITY
Bermuda (Seed)	Blue-green	Thin	Upright Spreading	Medium
Bermuda 419 (Sod)	Blue Green	Thin	Upright Spreading	Medium
Centipede	Med. Green	Wide	Low Spreading	Medium
Fescue (Turf-Type)	Dk. Green	Thin	Upright	Medium
St. Augustine	Med. Green	Wide	Upright Spreading	Dense
Zoysia	Dk. Green	Thin	Upright Slow Spreading	Very Dense

2. How much time and money are you realistically willing to spend tending your lawn? Higher-maintenance grasses mean higher cost and time commitments. The chart below can be used by those in Zone 7-9.

GRASS TYPE	GROWTH	FERTILIZING	RESEEDING	LIME	CUTS PER YR
Bermuda	Fast	Heavy Feeder	Rarely Needed	Yes	28-32
Centipede	Slow	Light Feeder	Rarely Needed	No	12-20
Fescue (Turf-Type)	Moderate	Moderate	Every Fall	Yes	28-36
St.Augustine (In Georgia)	Moderate	Heavy Feeder	Resprigging bare Spots	No	24-28
Zoysia	Moderate	Heavy Feeder	Resprigging Bare Spots	Yes	24-28

3. In Zones 7-9 your grass choice will be affected by your site's growing conditions: the amount of sun and shade your site gets, the soil type and its level of fertility and dryness or wetness, and your climate.

GRASS TYPE	LIGHT	SOIL TYPE / FERTILITY	pH	DROUGHT TOLERANT?	FROST HARDY
Bermuda	Full Sun	Fertile Sandy or Sandy Clay	Alkaline	Yes	Yes
Centipede	Full Sun or Part Shade	Sandy / Sandy Clay	Acid	Yes	Yes
Fescue (Turf-Type)	Part Shade preferred	Fertile Loam is preferred	Alkaline	No	Yes
St.Augustine (In Georgia)	Full Sun or Part Shade	Sandy / Sandy Clay	Acid	Yes	*See summary below
Zoysia	Full Sun	Fertile Loam is Preferred	Alkaline	No	Yes

4. Consider how your lawn will be used: for decorative landscaping, for erosion control, or as a play area.

GRASS TYPE	DECORATIVE VALUE	FOOT TRAFFIC TOLERANCE	EROSION TOLERANCE
Bermuda	High, but scalps easily if not cut regularly	High	Good
Centipede	High with extra Iron applied for greening	Moderate	Poor
Fescue (Turf-Type)	Best in Spring & Fall Seasons	Moderate	Poor
St.Augustine (In Georgia)	Very dense and lush	Moderate	Good
Zoysia	The Cadillac of grasses	High	Good

For more details about lawn grasses SEE:

All About Bermuda Grass

All About Centipede Grass

All About Fescue Grass

All About St. Augustine Grass

All About Zoysia Grass

Also SEE:

Sodding a Lawn

Seeding a Lawn

Restoring a Lawn