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:
Also
SEE:
|