Only a fraction of the many types of grasses are commonly used for lawns.
How Many Types of Grass Are There?
Grass is one of the most common plants in the world.
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For example,sedge plantssuperficially resemble grass plants, but actually belong to a different family.
“Grass” covers a wide array of plants, not just the types suitable for lawns.
The same is true of the undesirable grasses that are considered weeds, such ascrabgrassorquackgrass.
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Choosing the Best Lawn Grass
The first determining factor in answering this question is climate.
Certain kinds of lawn grasses, called “cool-season grasses,” are meant for those in northern regions.
They thrive when the weather is cool and are hardy enough to survive harsh winters.
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This product promotes grass strengths, which offsets any deficiencies other components of the mix may have.
It offers an attractive, uniform surface and is very cold-hardy.
As an alternative to buying and using chemical fertilizers, committed DIY types can make and applycompostto the lawn.
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Tall Fescue
Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) is a fast-growing cool-season grass.
While tall fescue bear blades with a coarse texture, fine fescues have soft, slim leaf blades.
It performs well in conditions with mixed sunlight.
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The grass does not tolerate salt well so it’s not suitable for coastal properties.
rubra) and slender creeping red fescue ((Festuca rubrasubsp.
This cool-season grass spreads (non-aggressively) via rhizomes.
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It tolerates drought well once established, but it does not tolerate heat well.
This creates extra maintenance for the homeowner.
But it does hold up well to foot traffic (from dogs and humans alike).
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But it is high-maintenance, needing a lot of watering and fertilizing.
Moreover, its stolons are aggressive and will spread into other types of grass and flower beds.
Zoysia Grass
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Zoysia (Zoysiaspp.)
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is a warm-season grass that forms a uniform carpet.
Other reasons for its popularity include its ability to tolerate heat, drought, and heavy foot traffic.
Furthermore, it requires neither much fertilizer nor much water.
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On the downside, because it spreads both by rhizomes and stolons, it is difficult to control.
Compared with Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass blades are coarser and broader (about 1/3 inch wide).
Bermuda grass blades are less than 1/10 inch wide; they are softer and more delicate in texture.
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However, St. Augustine grass is easier to control.
Bermuda grass is a low-maintenance grass that spreads by both rhizomes and stolons.
It requires even less fertilizer and water than zoysia grass.
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The most exceptional quality of this warm-season grass may be its ability to withstand heavy foot traffic.
Buffalo Grass
Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) has many pros and just one major con.
However, its clump-forming nature can be turned into a positive if you are seeking low maintenance.
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The color is lighter than other warm-season turfgrasses.
This grass with a coarse texture grows in stolons or thick stems that root in short intervals.
Because of its thick blades, it needs to be cut with a heavy-duty mower and frequently sharpened blades.
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Some most common types of grass grown are fescues, bluegrass, and ryegrass.
Kentucky bluegrass is widely grown in northern regions and is the most commonly used lawn grass.
In more southern regions of the U.S., zoysia is favored.
What grass is best for you depends primarily on where you live.
Cool-season grasses are generally grown in the North, warm-season types in the South.
Beyond that, it comes down to personal preferences.
If easiness is defined as low-maintenance, grow a fescue in the North or buffalo grass in the South.
Your location gives you a first clue about the jot down of grass.
Lawns in the North consist of cool-season grasses and lawns in the South consist of warm-season grasses.
Next, the way the grass looks and grows can help you with the identification.
Are the blades wide or narrow, and do they have sharp-pointed, rounded, or boat-shaped tips?
Is the texture of the grass fine or coarse?
Does it have a creeping and spreading growth habit or a more upright, clumping growth habit?
Also, look at the roots.
The Cool-Season Turfgrasses: Basic Structures, Growth, and Development.College of Agricultural Sciences.
The Pennsylvania State University.
Management of Fine Fescues.
