Types of Grass – Top Ten Varieties
There are many different types of grasses available for your home lawn that have strengths and weaknesses. However, according to The Lawn Bible, the following list contains the most popular types of lawn grass for your home and some of their best features:
Warm Season Grasses:
Bermuda Grass – drought and cold tolerant, resistant to disease and spreads quickly.- St. Augustine Grass – deep rooted, tough, and fast growing.
- Buffalo Grass – drought tolerant and low maintenance requirements.
- Zoysia Grass – attractive, drought resistant and resilient to wear.
- Bahiagrass – good for acidic and sandy soils.
- Kentucky Blue grass – great color and resilient to damage.
Fine Fescue – takes less maintenance, has some shade tolerance and many types are cultivated with bug resistant endophytes.- Perennial Ryegrass – can take a beating and is quick to establish.
Tall Fescue – head, shade and drought resistant and withstands high traffic.- Red Fescue – stable through droughts and tolerant to shade.
Cool Season Grasses:
Choosing the right grass for your lawn is all about the climate of your area and your lifestyle. The best resource to determine which grass is best for your lawn would be the local experts at your agricultural extension office. They can give you information about which grass grows best in your area. You can find their number in your local phone book.
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Question born of not-so-idle curiosity:
What would be the best type of grass to use for an indoor ‘bed of grass’?
I assume:
it needs to be tolerant to high traffic (sleeping…)
but should also be pleasant to touch.
able to survive in temperatures consistently lower 70s
I imagine you can see what I’m getting at. If not see an example in the movie “Secretary” (at the end of the film.)
Any guidance on this peculiar topic would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Russell Sklander
The best type would be synthetic grass
Other natural possibilities would be wheatgrass, ryegrass, and orange New Zealand sedge which are all popular indoor grasses. Bluegrass and several fescues are great cool season grasses with excellent wear tolerance, but most varieties are coarse in texture.
I hope that helps. Good luck!
I live in Guilderland New York and have a complex one acre lawn with multiple levels. My yard has several features and retaining walls as well as being prone to marshiness (not flooding but it will remain very wet after a rain). I have one steep slope In my yard that has grass but much to many weeds, a flat area that has no grass, all weeds, and several low patches the have no grass because of either the water or bad soil quality due to leftover construction materials.
The grass needs to be:
-water resistant but water absorbent preferable.
- able to quickly and firmly establish itself( aggressive) and choke out all weeds, even where weeds are already established.
- work on numerous grades.
- grow in soil of questionable quality.
I have been looking at Zoysia grass because of its hardiness and the fact that it sends out stolons (tendrils) to propagate. Any ideas would be appreciated, thanks.
Edmund,
On the slopes, I would use Perennial ryegrass as it germinates quickly and protects the soil. The other areas I would use Kentucky bluegrass because it spreads by underground stems called rhizomes which forms a very tough sod. When damaged, the rhizomes creep back in to cover the bare spots, but it is slow to germinate. If you’re seeding, then you can purchase blends that contain Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, and fine fescues. I would choose one that was predominately Kentucky bluegrass though. Based on your climate, I wouldn’t consider Zoysia as a viable option. It’s better in the South. Good luck!
Thanks! I guess to be honest, I was looking for miracle grass that would take over eliminate the weeds, all within a week; unfortunately is not the case, thanks for your input.
P.S. Could you tell me what kind of cool season grasses are attractive.
No miracle grass
I think Kentucky bluegrass makes a very attractive lawn.
IS all the above grass types found in temperate as well as tropical? if not would you Shaw as their longitudinal location?