How to Recognize a Warm-Season Lawn

Warm-season grasses are found south of a line running through St. Louis across the United States from east to west. Learn which warm-season grasses are which - recognize their looks, colors, textures and best uses. Choose the right grass for your lawn to satisfy both your growing conditions and your garden style.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Garden Hoses
• Lawn Sprinklers
• Warm-season Grass Seeds
• Seed Spreaders

1. Take a look at the popular warm-season grasses. Know that all of them - hybrid Bermuda grass, zoysia, centipede grass or St. Augustine grass - will deliver a "southern comfort" lawn everywhere except deep shade.
2. Recognize texture in lawn grass - narrow leaves deliver fine texture; wide blades produce a coarser look. Fine hybrid Bermuda and zoysia lawns make less impact visually, whereas centipede grass and St. Augustine grass, with their coarse texture, make a bolder statement.
3. Use the combination of color and texture to tell the major grasses apart. See light green, coarse texture and think St. Augustine; darker green but still coarse, it's probably centipede. Contrast those with the fine-textured grasses - hybrid Bermuda grows a truer green than the emerald shades of zoysia.
4. Look at the grass's habit, or how it grows - each creeps across the landscape differently. Find thick mats of Bermuda and zoysia where foot traffic is heavy, but see that centipede and St. Augustine can thrive with less sun.
5. See how the grass is planted. Faster growth means seeding is sensible for Bermuda but very slow for centipede. Meet the hybrids - zoysia and St. Augustine - planted by sod or stolons to maintain their genetic strengths.
6. Put your knowledge to work: Shop for warm-season grass seed at garden centers. Make sure it's dated for the current season. Buy sod and stolons as close to the grower as you can; visit the sod farm if possible to check on variety and health.

Tips & Warnings

• See a fine green lawn in winter? Think perennial rye, often used to overseed southern grasses.

Who Can Help:

• Find Contractors Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.
• Find Landscaping Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.
• Find Landscaping Design and Installation Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.