Type of Lawns for a Play Area

Grassy play areas add to a home's appeal.

Lawns that include play areas must feature grass that meets several requirements. The grass must handle high volumes of traffic. Ideally, the grass also needs to maintain its color and beauty to keep it aesthetically appealing.

Fescue

Fescue grass makes excellent lawn cover for play areas. Creeping red fescue works best in dry soils in both shady and sunny areas of the yard. Another option includes planting tall fescue. Tall fescue feels coarse to the touch, but it holds up well for heavily trafficked areas of the lawn.

Bluegrass

Several types of bluegrass work well for play areas, including Kentucky bluegrass. Kentucky bluegrass survives cold winter weather, so the grass remains popular in cool-season states. Marion Kentucky bluegrass works best if you want to mow close to the ground.

Ryegrass

Two types of ryegrass offer good play-area grass, including perennial and annual ryegrass. The fine-textured, deep green grass grows primarily in cool season lawns, especially in the northwest and along the coast. While perennial ryegrass grows year round, annual ryegrass requires planting each year.

References

• Westlake Ace Hardware: Different Types of Grass Seed
• Ohio State University Extension; Cool-Season Turfgrasses for Sports Fields and Recreational Areas; Pamela J. Sherratt, John R. Street, and Dave Gardner

Resources

• Ohio State University Extension: Management of Turfgrass Pests, Weeds, Diseases and Insects...