Planning for a new lawn and unsure of the grass you want? It’s easy to spot a gorgeous lawn and want to duplicate it on your own property, but do you know what that grass is? Or if it fits your needs in the maintenance/commitment department?
When starting a new lawn or renovating an existing one, it can be hard to decide where to start. Here are a few important notes as you plan and dream for this transition.
Warm-Season vs. Cool Season
Your geographic location will typically determine this for you. Warm-season grasses are typically best suited for areas below the transition zone. They thrive in hot, humid conditions with temperatures between 80 and 95 degrees F. These grasses go dormant when the temperature drops below 65 degrees. Warm season grass varieties include zoysia, St. Augustine, Bermuda, bahia and centipede grasses.
Cool season grasses are usually planted above the transition zone and thrive in temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees. The Pacific Northwest, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic are areas where cool season grasses are popular. Cool season grasses include fescues, bluegrass and ryegrass. These grasses do not go dormant in the winter.
Those of you in the transition zone have the trickiest choice to make as you could choose either or both. Many homeowners choose to plant a warm season grass, but overseed with cool season while the warm season grass is dormant.
Choose your Cultivar
Once you’ve chosen warm versus cool season, now it’s time to find the right fit for your specific needs. Cultivars are subsets varieties that are bred to respond to very specific situations or inputs. For example, you can choose a shade tolerant variety for a lawn with many trees, or a traffic or stress tolerant variety for lawns where children may play often. You may want a slow-growing variety if you don’t mow often, or disease resistance may be a priority for you.
All of these factors are important when choosing a grass for your lawn. Let us help you make the right choice with our Sod Selector Tool.