Spotting and Maintaining the Various Types of Lawn Grass
Across the country, gardeners and homeowners are working hard to maintain a great lawn. But in a nation as large and diverse as the United States, there is a need for almost as many different types of lawn grass as there are different types of climate, soil, and weather.
Today’s gardens and parks usually contain several types of lawn grass. Each has different shapes, colors, textures, and strengths.
On top of that, each one has different maintenance needs, which can vary greatly, depending on your location. What thrives in the cooler North, may be doomed to destruction in hotter, dryer places.
When most people buy a new house, it comes with an established lawn. This means they are usually unaware of what types of grass they are dealing with, and what is needed to keep it healthy and attractive.
An ability to recognize the grass in your garden and the differences between species will help you make the right choices. Alternatively, if you are starting your landscaping from scratch, then spotting the right grass type will get you off on the right foot.
If you want to know how to care for your yard better, this is the guide for you. We will look at the most popular types of lawn grass across the United States and find out why they vary by region.
How many types of grass are out there?
Incredibly, there are more than 11,500 grass species worldwide. Dozens of them are widespread across the United States. Grass itself is a member of the Poaceae plant family, which contains up to 13,000 species.
However, when designing a lawn-grass landscape for your yard, you do not need to consider this multitude of different grass species! Instead, most people choose from about a dozen different types for their lawns.
The lawns themselves usually contain two or more varieties. And lawns in the United States are divided into two general types: Warm-season and cool-season grasses.
Warm-Season Grasses
These warm-season grasses are different types of plants that thrive in hot climates, such as those ranging across the South and Southwest. Such species thrive in warm environments that have temperatures ranging from 80 to 95 degrees. You will find these grasses at their highest concentration along the Gulf Coast.
Bahia grass, St. Augustine, and Zoysia are the most popular types of warm-season grass you’ll find in the Southeast because they grow best in warm and humid regions. If you live in the Southwest, dry heat-tolerant grasses like buffalo grass and Bermuda grass are the best lawn choices.
Warm-season grass care tips:
- Fertilize warm-season grass in the spring, after the winter dormancy
- Late spring is the best time to plant warm-season grass
Cool-Season Grasses
The zones where these lawn grass types flourish are mostly cool and wet. This includes areas such as the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, as well as cool, arid regions. Cool-humid areas of the United States are ideal for cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, fescue, and bluegrass. Wheatgrass, buffalo grass, and Canadian bluegrass thrive in cool and dry regions.
Cool-season grasses even do well in areas of the country with extreme temperature swings, such as cold, freezing winters.
Temperatures between 60F and 75F are ideal for spurring the growth of these grasses. Cool-season grass grows most rapidly in the spring and fall for this reason. In terms of how to plant grass seed, most cool-season grasses do well from seed. However, sod is also available. They grow best when mowed consistently to 3–4 inches.
Cool-Season Grasses
The zones where these lawn grass types flourish are mostly cool and wet. This includes areas such as the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest, as well as cool, arid regions.
Cool-humid areas of the United States are ideal for cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, fescue, and bluegrass. Wheatgrass, buffalo grass, and Canadian bluegrass thrive in cool and dry regions.
Cool-season grasses even do well in areas of the country with extreme temperature swings, such as cold, freezing winters. Temperatures between 60F and 75F are ideal for spurring the growth of these grasses.
Cool-season grass grows most rapidly in the spring and fall for this reason. You can plant most cool-season grasses from seed, but sod is also available. They grow best when mowed consistently to 3–4 inches.
Cool-season grass care tips:
- Apply fertilizer in the fall for maximum density and root sustenance
- Remove the weeds in late spring or early fall when they proliferate
- Cool-season grass grows best in late summer to early fall because it does well during cold nights
How to Discover Your Lawn’s Grass Type
Identifying the grass you have is simple if you are setting up a new lawn from scratch. But it can be difficult if an existing yard comes with your new house. However, identifying the grass type is simple enough, with a little preparation.
First, familiarize yourself with the most popular lawn grasses in your area. Your lawn is almost certainly composed of these. Then, compare your lawn with the identifying features of these grasses.
Know Your Grass-Growing Region
The first clue to finding out your grass type is where you live. Lawn grasses like garden flowers and shrubs have climate restrictions. The type you want must suit your grass-growing region in order to thrive through winters and summers.
Cool-season grasses are the most commonly grown lawn grasses in the northern half of the United States. They get their name because they peak during the cool fall and spring seasons.
Warm-season grasses are the most popular varieties across the country’s southern half. These types of grass grow at their fastest in the summer heat. If your lawn grass endures from season to season, you can safely classify it as cool- or warm-season lawn grass.
The regions in which southern and northern lawn grasses reach their limits are often referred to as the zone of transition. Your lawn may have cool-season or warm-season grasses in this zone.
Compare Lawn Grass Features
After you narrow your search to your growing region, you can start looking for differences among your neighborhood’s common lawn grass types. You can identify your grass type by studying the features of the various species. Color and texture are easy to see and feel, but other features require a closer study.
Grass types differ in terms of blade width; in particular, if the blade has a rounded, boat-shaped, or sharp-pointed tip. Venation refers to the layout of grass leaves in new shoots, which can be circular and rolled or V-shaped and folded.
The way your grass grows can also help you identify it. Some varieties form clump-like clusters. Others spread through growing above-ground stems that develop roots and shoots at the branches. These ‘stolons’ allow them to spread and form new plants.
Alternatively, they may spread underground, sending out roots and sprouts from their branches, known as ‘rhizomes ’. Studying these features provides a solid basis for determining the type of grass on your lawn.
A Common Lawn Grass Ready Reckoner
There are over a dozen different types of lawn grass in the United States, but we’ll focus on the most common. The ones explained below are most commonly used in the United States, each with its own seasonal preference.
Perennial Ryegrass
- Lawn Grass Type: Cool-season grass
- Color and texture: Dark green and soft
- Maintenance level: Medium
As its name implies, this grass grows all year and does not require replanting. Perennial ryegrass is a grass that overgrows from seed. It is common in northern lawns, where you can combine it with fine fescue and Kentucky bluegrass.
While it may struggle in freezing climates such as northern Minnesota and Michigan, you can easily maintain it in cooler states. Ryegrass has narrow shiny leaves.
Centipede Grass
- Lawn Grass Type: Warm-season grass
- Color and Texture: Light green, short and thick
- Maintenance Level: Medium-low
Centipede grass produces a dense, mat-like lawn with low upkeep. This type of grass is appropriate for use in warm and temperate climates. In particular, you can easily maintain it in the central states.
Centipede grass likes the full sun but can thrive in the shade and endure soil conditions that can harm other types of grass.
Many gardeners call this lawn grass type “lazy man’s grass”, due to its ease of maintenance. Regular watering will help keep the grass fresh.
Fine Fescue
- Lawn Grass Type: Cool-season grass
- Color and Texture: Dull green with fine textures
- Maintenance Level: Medium-low
This is a popular ornamental or turfgrass type of cold-season grass. Fine fescue is a broad term that refers to various kinds of grass in the fescue family, each with a soft but needle-like blade.
Frequently combined with Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass, fine fescue prefers cooler temperatures and can tolerate shade. It does not, however, enjoy the heat.
You can use the fescue species to create sports fields, lush lawns, and parks, and to prevent soil erosion.
Bermuda Grass
- Lawn Grass Type: Warm-season grass
- Color and Texture: Deep green and dense
- Maintenance Level: High
Bermuda grass is another common choice for golf courses, but it’s also a popular choice for homeowners. Admittedly, it has high maintenance needs, including regular watering. However, you can cut it to a low height appropriate for busy yards with children and pets.
Even as a warm-season grass, many people have success with it in the central states. Additionally, Bermuda grass thrives in poor soil conditions.
Final Thoughts on Choosing the Right Lawn Grass
To sum up, when planting a new lawn, you should pick the right grass for your climate, soil, and turf. Only by choosing and maintaining the best type of grass will you have the best-looking lawn in your neighborhood.