With so many types of grass available it can be confusing knowing which one to choose

There are basically 2 types of grass grown for lawns. Warm season grasses and cold season grasses.

Warm season grasses grow fastest in the summer, cold season grasses grow faster in spring and fall.

Warm season grasses are for climates that have warmer winters or states in the southern and southwestern part of the country.

Planting by seed or plugs of grass generally should occur between mid April and mid September for warm season grasses.

For either type of grass, make sure you have at least 1/2 inch of topsoil and the soil is raked over enough to give it the consistency of oatmeal flakes.

For a nominal fee (usually $15-$20) your county extension office can test your soil quality and let you know what nutrients it may be deficient in. It is not something you need to do but it could save you from having to enrich the soil and reseed down the road.
It can also help you decide the proper fertilizers to put down once you have seeded or plugged the lawn.

Rolling the soil with a lawn roller that can be rented from your local home improvement store greatly improves the finished feel of your lawn. We skipped this step when we reseeded our lawn after the drought and you can feel every lump and bump when walking on it in bare feet!

Here is a listing of types of grass for warmer parts of the country:

Bermuda grass : good for high traffic, not good in shade.
Varieties include:Princess, Savanna, Sultan, Sydney, Sunstar, Mohawk, Yuma, Yukon, and Riviera

Centipede grass:needs acidic soil, low maintenance - needs little mowing, better sodded than seeded
Varieties include : Common, Oklawn, Raleigh, Tifblair, Tennessee Hardy and AU Centennial

St Augustine grass: great for shade, but sensitive to disease and insect damage,better sod or plugs than seed
Varieties include: Raleigh, Palmetto, Delmar, Seville (Gulf Coast only),Floratam and Floratam II

Zoysia grass: good in colder winters,good shade tolerance
Varieties include:Korean velvetgrass,Manila grass,Japanese lawngrass,Zenith,Meyer,Emerald,Empire, Cavalier, Palisades, Royal, and Diamond

Carpet grass:good in wet soils, easy to start from seed, susepetible to drought and cold,needs frequent mowing
Varieties include: Chase

Bahia grass:good wear tolerance, does not spread well, clumpy appearance
Varieties include: Pensacola, Argentina, Wilmington
For further planting and choosing information see the MSU Extension Chart

Here is a listing of types of grass to choose from in the colder parts of the country:

Bentgrass: makes a beatiful groundcover,good in humid regions but requires much mowing and feeding
Varieties include:Highland,Astoria,Exeter,Alister,Glory and Penncross Kentucky Bluegrass: shade tolerant, makes thick sod,easy to start with seed
Varieties include : over 200 varieties, most are blended together

Ryegrass: needs more sun than shade, tends to clump rather than spread
Varieties include: numerous in both annual and perennial form, do not mix the two together or the appearance will be clumpy and weedy looking

Fescue:shade or sun, low maintenance, tends to clump
Varieties include:Rebel, Plantation, Tribute,Triumph, Enviro, Rebel Supreme,Atlanta Blend

Once you have seeded,plugged or sodded your soil with the right types of grass...keep it moist for the first two weeks at least to give the seed or roots a chance to "dig in".

Now all you have to do is wait to mow it!

Let's leave types of grasses and go back to lawn care.

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