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Cool Season Grasses to Choose
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Northern lawns need a proper mix of grasses. Most are combinations of Kentucky  bluegrass, creeping red fescue, and perennial ryegrass. This mixture provides the maximum amount of pest resistance and environmental adaptability. Each of these three grasses has distinct traits. A mix can provide a good quality lawn with below average to average care and will provide a lawn suitable for sun or partial shade.
| Kentucky Bluegrass is the most common lawn grass. Blends of Kentucky bluegrass cultivars can provide a very high quality lawn but such lawns usually require above average maintenance levels. The spreading growth habit helps fill in bare spots but the grass goes dormant during hot, dry, summer weather. |
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| Creeping Red Fescue Grass has thread-like leaves and is the most shade tolerant lawn grass. This does not mean the grass grows only in shade or that it will tolerate total shade. It grows well in full sun and in fact requires some sun during the day. |
Perennial Rye Grass
Only named cultivars of perennial ryegrass should be used in lawns. Common perennial ryegrass often dies during the winter and does not mow well. |
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| Turf Type Tall Fescue Grass is becoming more popular and is available in most stores. In a mixed lawn, the grass blades of a clump of tall fescue always seem to stay taller than the rest of the lawn. However, pure stands of tall fescue are valued for high wear tolerance. This makes tall fescue ideal for use in high traffic areas as well as in playgrounds and roadsides. Tall fescue will grow in zone seven and further north, but it will need more water than warm season grasses in order to keep green in the summer. Control of weeds and insects becomes increasingly important during the summer months. |
Cool Season Grasses To Avoid
| Annual Rye Grass is often sold as the major component of low priced grass seed. It will die out during the winter, forming a lawn that only lasts a single season. |
| Rough Bluegrass is often found in shady grass mixes. It has a light green color and does not blend well with other lawn type grasses. It does however do well in moist, shaded sites. |
| Zoysia Grass is a warm season grass that turns brown early in the fall and stays brown until late into the spring. It is not better than the cool season grasses more commonly used in a northern climate. |
| Bent Grass becomes established in a lawn and is the other of the two worst lawn weeds. The grass can tolerate very low mowing as on golf greens. At normal lawn heights it is shaggy and often dies out during the winter or during hot, dry weather. There is no selective control for bent grass. |
>> Go to Cool Season Grasses >>
Warm Season Grasses to Choose
Warm-season grasses are ideal for southern climates. They are tough and can grow best in heat of 80 to 95 degrees. Sandy soils don't bother them either. Yet, warm-season grasses fail to stay green all year. This is offset by the fact that they come back better and thicker each year.
Each of the following types of grasses are available in a growing number of varieties. These have been developed in order to improve their use as lawn turf with such qualities as speed of establishment and disease resistance.
| Bermuda Grass is one of the best lawn grasses among the warm season types. It is heat and drought resistant and does well at maintaining a green color in these conditions. It needs to get full sun. It spreads very quickly but has both runners and rhizomes which means that it is hard to keep from spreading into beds and onto driveways. |
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| Carpet Grass grows better on wet soils than most grasses. It can be seeded or sprigged. It should be chosen only if quick establishment and ease of care is more important than quality of turf. It is easily scalped. Recovery from winter and drought is slower than with most warm season grasses. |
| Centipede Grass is an aggressive and dense grass with great weed resistance. It requires less care and can take some shade. It is slow growing but can be seeded or sprigged. Surface runners make edging easy. |
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| St. Augustine Grass is a very popular grass. It is thick and course. It spreads quickly with runners but is easily edged. Not much seed is produced so it is better planted by sodding or plugging. Of the warm season grasses, it is the most shade tolerant. It does not like the cold. It is susceptible to chinch bugs. |
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| Zoysia Grass is good in full sun or partial shade. Rather slow in getting established; they should be sodded, plugged or sprigged. They are less drought tolerant than bermuda grass. Zoysia grasses need more care than other warm season grasses. But, when they are properly maintained, zoysia grasses are some of the best lawns. |
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For more information go to www.lawncarebook.com to download your FREE copy of the complete book, "Secrets to a Great Lawn" (a $6.95 value) |
