How Do You Choose The Right Grass For Your Lawn?

When you've made the decision to overhaul your garden and get a new lawn, it is the perfect time to take a step back and make sure you have the best type of grass. There are trade-offs between durability and the fineness of the grass blades which affect the overall look and feel.

Ask yourself some of the following questions as you start your new lawn project and let the answers guide you to the right type of grass.

Are you interested in a low maintenance lawn?
How much time do you enjoy spending on your lawn?
What kind of usage will you lawn receive?
How much shade does your land have?
Do you have children and desire a lawn that can be robust, designed for a family, and a low maintenance lawn?
Choosing the right types of grass for the climate where you live is very important if you want to have the best looking lawn possible. Another factor when deciding on the types of grass that will work well for you is the condition of the property where you are planting the grass.

Where do you and your grass live? Knowing your climate will help you to determine what grasses will grow and look the best for your location. You should match this up to how much effort, time, and money do you have to spend on your lawn. Other things to factor in determining the type of grass to plant should include the differences between how the grasses grow, such as creeping or bunch, the appearance of the grass, and the life span - whether perennial or annual. Do you want an exhibit lawn, a multi-use lawn, or just a green lawn that covers the ground for the kids to play on? To achieve a more perfect-looking lawn, you can expect it to require more maintenance. Will your lawn receive a lot of wear and traffic or sports activities. Will it be a general lawn and/or a lawn cover on wet soil or dry soil? Do you have factors that would limit the choice of grass that can be planted? Some of these factors can include the soil type and pH on your land to shade conditions, and the slope of the lawn area.

Hopefully the following will help you on the right path to the lawn you want and need.

The Family Lawn

For families with children, play lawns and path lawns may be a good choice. If you desire a children's play area where games such as tennis, softball, and football can be played, you will want to grow lawns of tough grass. Touch rye grass spreads quickly and fills in gaps and it can be using when growing a lawn for utility purposes. The end results of planting this type of grass can be a lush thickness but with the toughness of a utility lawn.

The Keen Gardeners Lawn

Many gardeners and home owners desire to have a neatly edged ornamental lawn that is weed-free, a rich green color, and a neat and uniformed surface. Great looking lawns require mowing and edging several times a month during the growing season. Awareness of aeration and drainage is important depending on the soil conditions of the lawn as well. An organic, more ornamental lawn needs to be mowed more regularly. The keen gardener's lawn is one with more of a general purpose, with a finer grass. This type lawn is more attractive and designed more for looks instead of play, making it less robust. Lawns using very fine grasses make for an amazing looking lawn, but require heavy maintenance and are more fragile.

Low Maintenance Lawn

Some people prefer to have lawns where regular weekly mowing is not necessary. A rougher utility lawn can be mowed a few times before and after the summer resting period. This type of lawn could only require mowing four to six times a year. Finer grasses will diminish and courser grasses will take control. The type of grass seed you need can be shade, sub, drought, or fire resistant grass, and can be mixed to be specially formulated for lawns that grow in specific situations or for specific uses. There are grass seed mixes for lawns on exposed coasts, tough utility lawns, and grazing laws. There are also grass seed mixes for lawns that are in the sun, shade, drought, and damp environments.

Cool Climate Grasses

Cool-climate grasses are best for lawns in the North. In the spring and fall the grass thrives and slows down in the hot months of summer and in the coldest months of the year. Pennington Smart Seed Sun and Shade Mix is a cool-climate grass that needs 30 percent less water and has the best fertilizer performance. Grasses that have a high tolerance to cold temperatures include Bentgrass, Bluegrass, Fescues (fine), Tall Fescue, Zoysiagrass, Bermudagrass, Pensacola Bahiagrass, and Argentine Bahiagrass.

Drought Conditions

Lack of rain-fall or irrigation can determine what a lawn looks like; some grasses are more tolerant to drought that others. Bermudagrass, Improved Bermuda, Pensacola Bahiagrass, Argentine Bahiagrass, Zoysia Grass, Centipede Grass, and Fescues all have a high tolerance for drought.

Warm Climate Grasses

Warm-climate grasses are used throughout the hotter, more southerly zones; they grow vigorously during the summer and turn browner in the cold months. Many homeowners keep their laws green by over seeding with annual rye grass at the end of the growing season. Warm season grasses are more tolerant to drought than the cool season ones.

Grasses that can handle high temperatures include Zoysiagrass, Improved Bermuda, Bermudagrass, St. Augustine grass, Argentine Bahiagrass, Pensacola Bahiagrass, Centipede, Fescues, and Kentucky Bluegrass. Bermuda grass is one of the most common types of grass grown in more Southerly latitudes since it is durable and grows well in the heat.

Bermuda grass does not grow well in the shade; it is very soft and fine-bladed grass that is often used in golf greens. This grass works best to plant in the spring. Centipede grass is also a good choice for hot areas. Centipede grass is a light green in color, has shallow roots and is subject to drought damage. The great thing about centipede grass is that it grows well even in poor soil; a lawn that has centipede grass is considered a low maintenance lawn. This grass is best planted in spring.

Transition Areas

So what if you live in an area of the country that does not fall neatly into the cool-climate or warm-climate grasses? You may live in an area that is like a belt from the southern half of California or the Northern part of Spain where both cool and warm-climate grasses are found. Tall Fescue is the most common type of grass found in those areas; it works well if a gardener desires to have a green yard throughout the winter.

No matter what kind of climate you live in, what kind of soil you have available, whether you have a lot of time or not much time to spend on your lawn, one thing is certain - you can have a beautiful lawn that will suit your needs! Start with purchasing one of the right types of grass that has been recommended and get started on having that beautiful lawn today!