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What Are The Most Common Types of Grass for Lawns?
There are up to 12,000 varieties of grass, including more than 200 types of Kentucky bluegrass, the most popular grass for lawns in the United Sates. Deciding which grass is the best for your lawn depends largely on the region where you live and what the weather is like during its seasons.
Most grasses fall under two types: cool season grasses and warm season grasses. The cool season type do best in regions with wet, cold and snowy winters and dry, hot summers. Meanwhile, warm season grasses thrive most in regions with milder winters and hot summers, be they dry or humid.
Realizing your grass type can seem daunting because of the sheer number of options yet doing the research will lead you to have a lush, green and healthy lawn if you follow the proper lawn maintenance plan. To find out what the best grass is for your lawn, understand the common grass types from your region. And check with lawn care experts you can find through LawnCare.net. There, you can find advice for how to treat grass in different service areas.
Warm-Season Grasses
To best care for warm-season grass, fertilize it in early spring when it awakens from its winter dormancy. Mow the lawn with sharp blades, only cutting it one-third of the length. Its ideal season is late spring.
- Bermuda grass – This can be identified rather easily by its roots and texture. Its roots are above ground, and it has small hairs on its leaves
- Zoysia grass – Its light-green color usually turns brown during winter dormancy. It has smoother blades and stays green longer than other warm-season grasses.
- St. Augustine grass – This rough-textured grass has round, thick blades. It’s darker green and has thick, flat leaves. It feels like a layer of green carpet.
These grass types grow best in areas where temperatures range between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly along the Gulf of Mexico coast and the Southeast United States. Bahiagrass, St. Augustine and Zoysia are the types you would likely find.
In the Southwest, where things are warmer and drier, heat-tolerant grass types like Bermuda grass and buffalo grass.
Cool-Season Grass Types
Cool-season grass thrives best when you apply fertilizers in autumn for the best density and root nourishment. In late spring or early fall, get rid of weeds when they are most likely to grow. The best time to grow this grass is late summer and early fall, for it does best on hot days and cool nights.
- Fescues – These grasses have wide, dark green blades. The upper side of them is quite shiny. Taller fescues feature broad leaves and flat blades. Fine fescues have fine leaves with thinner blades.
- Ryegrass – It has shiny, narrow and bright green leaves. It has no hair, and its new leaves are folded.
- Bluegrass – Kentucky and Rough bluegrass can grow as high as 24 inches. It can be identified by its V-shaped leaves.
Cool, humid locations like Northeast, Midwest and Pacific Northwest are best for these grass types. In cool-arid regions, buffalograss, Canada bluegrass and wheatgrass are more common in yards.
Transition-Zone Grass Types
In areas where the temperatures fluctuate, the best grasses will be exposed to cool and warm weather. The grasses you choose need to be able to weather the changes, so heat-tolerant grass types – like fescues, thermal blue, and zoysia – are best.
Finding the best grass for your lawn, LawnCare.net can help you find experts who provide services in your area and how to come up with the best plan for your yard.